WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement: Next Steps in Ratification and Implementation

Description: 
The centerpiece of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Bali Package from December 2013 was the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the first new multilateral agreement in the WTO since its creation nearly 20 years ago. The TFA provisions intend to facilitate global trade by improving transparency, streamlining clearance procedures, and reducing red tape at the border.

The OECD estimates that for every one percent reduction in global trade costs, global incomes go up by $40 billion and that the TFA could reduce worldwide trade costs by between 12.5 and 17.5 percent. Two-thirds of the WTO Membership must ratify the TFA before it is implemented, and the United States and WTO are encouraging ratification before the Tenth WTO Ministerial in December 2015.

Please join us for a dynamic discussion with key negotiators and policy makers on the next steps for finalization and implementation of this landmark WTO Agreement.

The panel discussion will be followed by a cocktail reception, hosted by Akin Gump. This event is sponsored by the International Law Forum of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia, and cosponsored by ASIL, the Association of Women in International Trade, the Washington Foreign Law Society, the ABA Section on International Law, the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, the International Lawyers Network, the DC Bar Section of International Law, and the US Council for International Business.

Date and Location

Date: 
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - 6:00pm to 8:30pm
Location: 
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Address 1: 
1333 New Hampshire Ave
City: 
Washington
State: 
DC
Zip Code: 
20036