Since the Boksburg Group was established a considerable number of the countries that were sceptical about the process are now positively engaged and are being proactive in the negotiating process to achieve there own aspirations. Whilst the Boksburg Group cannot claim to be the only influence related to developments on a Trade Facilitation in the WTO, there is no doubt that it has been influential.
The feedback from senior participants in the WTO Ministerial negotiations in Cancun indicated that the Boksburg Group had been very influential in giving developing countries the confidence to support trade facilitation being separated from the other Singapore issues, and accepted as the sole new issue to be negotiated. There is also evidence that the work done by the Boksburg Group helped to influence a successful outcome for trade facilitation at the Geneva Ministerial Meeting in July 2004.
New countries that join the Boksburg Group have done so because they are aware of the value of the work that is being done. They are also keen to join a unique networking process that is hard to achieve in any other forum.