WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE FACILITATION HOLDS DEDICATED SESSION ON TRANSIT

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Trade Facilitation held its annual Dedicated Session on Transit in Geneva on 11 June 2026. H.E. Mrs. Davaasuren Gerelmaa, Permanent Representative of Mongolia and Coordinator of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) group in Geneva, opened the session.

In her opening remarks, Ambassador Gerelmaa underlined that efficient transit systems are essential for the international competitiveness and economic development of LLDCs. She stressed that evidence-based assessment of transport corridor performance and the facilitation of cross-border procedures are critical to reducing trade costs and enhancing connectivity.

The session featured presentations by distinguished international experts, including Professor Ruth Banomyong of Thammasat Business School, Ms. Kamola Khusnutdinova, Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and Ms. Allen Sophia Asiimwe, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief of Programmes at TradeMark Africa. The speakers shared insights on methodologies for measuring corridor performance, successful experiences from African transit corridors, and international standards and best practices for paperless trade, single window systems, and cross-border data exchange.

During the session, delegate of Mongolia, on behalf of the LLDC Group, introduced a proposal for the establishment of a Transit Corridor Observatory, a practical initiative aimed at strengthening transit facilitation for landlocked developing countries. The proposed Observatory would serve as a factual, Member-driven platform bringing together information on transport corridors serving LLDCs and their transit partners, providing policymakers, corridor authorities, traders, development partners and investors with accessible and up-to-date information to support evidence-based dialogue and decision-making.

The proposal builds on the WTO Secretariat's report on trade facilitation and transit corridors serving LLDCs, which highlighted the need for a single, accessible platform to consolidate and maintain corridor-related information. The LLDC Group envisages that the initiative would be developed by the WTO in partnership with the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), with the participation of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and other relevant international partners.

As Coordinator of the LLDC Group in Geneva, Mongolia remains actively engaged within the WTO in advancing practical solutions to the transit challenges faced by landlocked developing countries, reducing trade costs, and strengthening regional and international cooperation to facilitate trade and sustainable economic development.