An exploration of the need for and cost of selected trade facilitation measures in Asia-Pacific in the context of the WTO negotiations
During the first meeting of the Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (NGTF) held in November 2004, the need to identify trade facilitation needs and priorities of DCs and least developed countries (LDCs) was highlighted, along with the need to address the concerns of DCs/LDCs related to cost implications of proposed measures and in terms of special and differential treatment 1 . In that context, this paper presents the findings and results of an exploratory ARTNeT study on the needs for and costs of implementation of selected trade facilitation measures (TFMs) related to GATT Articles V, VIII and X. This summary paper is based on six ARTNeT working papers issued between January and April 2006, including five country case studies (available at www.artnetontrade.org).