First Colombo session on historic WTO agreement opens today

• GATF Vice President Hammami, expert consultant Miller now in town
• WTO TFA was signed in 2013, came in to force this February
• Sri Lanka among the countries accepting TFA 
• Focus on SL private sector: ICCSL’s Keerthi  

 Sri Lanka’s first-ever country session for its exporters on the historic WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) will commence in Colombo today (26).

Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation Vice President Donia Hammami and Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation’s Trade Expert and Senior Advisor Eric Miller are now in Colombo to address the session joined by International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka Chairman Keerthi Gunawardane, Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen and Economist Subhashini Abeysinghe.

The session is jointly steered by International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) and Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF). 

Hammami leads ICC policy work in Customs and Trade Facilitation at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the world’s largest business organisation with a network of over six million members in more than 100 countries.

World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), agreed in 2013, was the first multilateral trade agreement since the creation of the WTO in 1995. It came in to force this February. The TFA was accepted by 112 member countries including Sri Lanka. 

“The focus of the session will be to tell our private sector of the impact of TFA for Sri Lanka and, more importantly involve them in going forward,” said Gunawardane.

WTO TFA provides a unique opportunity to promote inclusive growth by making cross-border trade easier, quicker and less costly for businesses of all sizes.