FIATA SECRETARIAT
PRESS RELEASE
FIATA Members rejoice at WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement
entry into force.

“I received ratifications from Rwanda, Oman, Chad and Jordan, bringing the total number of
ratifications to 112.” said WTO DG Roberto Azevêdo. These four ratifications put the WTO
Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) over the finish line achieving the required threshold of
two-thirds of WTO’s Membership in order to enter into force.
Such a milestone agreement as the WTO TFA will no doubt turn the tide and remind
governments that trade, and logistics at its service, are key stimuli to economic growth.
In anticipation of the final step, FIATA just published a position paper to sway momentum in
the direction of open free trade highlighting the freight forwarders stance for trade policy that
focusses on sustainable development and harmonisation. Progress translates into investing
in infrastructure and trade facilitation instruments such as those described in the WTO TFA.
To further showcase the important role logistics has played throughout the centuries, FIATA
also released a public statement detailing the history of the freight forwarding industry and
how it has evolved and grown to increase its own efficiency.
“The WTO TFA is hailed by the freight forwarding industry as a great achievement for the
WTO and the international trading community. As the coin turns to implementation, FIATA
and its members in 160 countries stand ready to play its part and collaborate with all
governments as appropriate.” said FIATA’s Customs Affairs Institute (CAI) Chairman, Mr
Steve Morris, who has followed development of the WTO TFA since its inception in Bali in
2013.

Media Contact:
Marco Sorgetti, Director General
Email: sorgetti@fiata.com
www.fiata.com

About FIATA
FIATA, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations, was founded in
Vienna, Austria on May 31st 1926. It is a non-governmental organisation that today
represents an industry covering approximately 40,000 forwarding and logistics firms,
employing around 10 million people in some 160 countries. FIATA has consultative status
with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (inter alia ECE,
ESCAP, ESCWA, etc.), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), and the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) as well as
many other UN related bodies, e.g. the World Bank. It is recognised as representing the
freight forwarding industry by many other governmental organisations, governmental
authorities, private international organisations in the field of transport and logistics, such as
the European Commission (through CLECAT), the International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Union of Railways
(UIC), the International Road Transport Union (IRU), the World Customs Organization
(WCO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), etc.

For further information, please go to: www.fiata.com

Glattbrugg, 23 February 2017