Trade Facilitation: A Singapore Issue Knocking at WTO's Door

Trade facilitation is a Singapore issue that has been knocking at WTO's door for quite some time now. It is also an issue that has very wide ramifications and involves numerous stakeholders, its implications not being limited to any particular trade or industry. Trade facilitation on its own needs the attention of all stakeholders irrespective of what stance we ultimately adopt at the WTO negotiations. Therefore, in-depth examination of the issue, which will involve considerable time and detailed study, should be initiated urgently without waiting till we approach the next Ministerial at Mexico. The objective of this paper is to highlight the different aspects of the issue that need to be examined.