The purpose of this recommendation 48 (ECE/TRADE/479) is to communicate to governments how important the active engagement of the private sector is in national trade facilitation bodies (NTFBs) for strengthening their relevance, legitimacy and performance. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) Recommendation No. 4, originally approved in 1975 and revised in 2015, stressed that governments and the trading community should aim to establish NTFBs that embrace the views and opinions of all stakeholders and pursue agreement, cooperation and collaboration. Furthermore, Recommendation No. 40 presented basic principles for trade facilitation consultation approaches and highlighted the importance of NTFBs to facilitate private-public dialogue.

Many countries have set up their own NTFBs, which are frequently referred to as national trade facilitation committees. Private sector representatives may be included in the membership and/or even chairmanship of these bodies, but not all NTFBs are successful in securing active private sector engagement.

Recognizing that there are many barriers to active private sector engagement in NTFBs, this Recommendation provides practical guidance in creating a trusted, permanent and effective environment for public-private sector dialogue within NTFBs.

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