G/STR/24  
 
26 February 2020  
(20-1470) Page: 1/4 
Working Party on State Trading Enterprises    
 
VICE -CHAIRPERSON FOR  THE WORKING PARTY O N STATE TRADING ENTE RPRISES  
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT  
1.  During the meeting of the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises (the Working Party) of 
16 July 2019, an interest was expressed in allowing th e Working Party to have a vice -chairperson.1 
During the meet ing of the Working Party of 1 November 2019, it was confirmed that the Working 
Party envisage d that the Chair person  of the Working Party would consult with Members regarding 
the future vice -chairperson, and that the election of the vice -chairperson would t ake place in the 
Working Party , as wa s already the case for other subsidiary bodies of the Council for Trade in Goods 
(CTG).2 
2.  As undertaken with the Working Party,3 the Chairperson of the Working Party therefore wrote to 
the Chairperson of the CTG asking w hether the CTG agreed that the Working Party could act as other 
CTG subsidiary bodies do, by consulting on, and electing, its own vice -chairperson. Th e text of th is 
letter  from the Chairperson of the Working Party , dated 10 December 2019,  is hereby circula ted as 
Annex 1  to the present note.* 
3.  In a communication dated 13 December 2019, the CTG Chairperson conveyed that request to 
the CTG  Members, proposing that if no objections were raised by 20 December 2019, it would be 
understood that the CTG agreed that the Working Party could act as other CTG subsidiary bodies 
did, by consulting on, and electing, its own vice -chairperson . The text of  this communication from 
the CTG  Chairperson is hereby circulated as Annex 2 to the present note.* 
4.  Having received no objections from CTG Members, the CTG Chairperson accordingly informed 
the Chairperson of the Working Party that the Working Party could pr oceed to consult on, and elect, 
its own vice -chairperson, as other CTG subsidiary bodies do. Th e text of th is letter from the CTG 
Chairperson to the Chairperson of the Working Party, dated 11 February 2020 , is hereby circulated 
as Annex 3  to the present no te.*  
 
1 Minutes of the meeting of the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises held on 16 July 2019 
(G/STR/M/35), paras. 45 -47; Annual Report (2019) of the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises 
(G/STR/23, G/L/1335), paras. 10 -12. 
2 Minutes of the meeting o f the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises held on 1 November 2019 
(G/STR/M/36), paras. 36 -40, referring to Minutes of the meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods held on 
23 and 26 March 2018 ( G/C/M/131 ), paras. 3.10 -3.11. 
3 Minutes of the meeting of the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises held on 1 November 2019 
(G/STR/M/36), paras. 38 -40. 
* To facilitate document production, t he original signatures and formatting have not been retained.  This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own 
responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of 
Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO  G/STR/24  
 
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  ANNEX 1  
 
 
 
H.E. Ambassador José Luís CANCELA GÓMEZ  
Chairperson of the Council for Trade in Goods  
 
 
10 December 2019  
 
Excellency,  
As you may recall, at its meeting of 16 July 2019, the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises 
(the Working Party) expressed an interest in allowing the Working Party to have a vice-chairperson.1  
At an informal meeting we held to discuss the interest of the Working Party in this issue, you kindly 
requested me to clarify whether the intention of the Working Party was to proceed as other subsidiary 
bodies of the Council for Trade in Goods do, by electing its own vice -chairperson, following 
consultations conducted by the chairperson of the Working Party.  
In this regard, at its meeting of 1 November 2019, the Working Party did confirm that, if the Council 
for Trade in Goods so agrees , it was indeed its intention to proceed as other subsidiary bodies of the 
Council for Trade in Goods do: that is, the Working Party envisaged that the chairperson of the 
Working Party would consult with Members of the Working Party regarding the future 
vice-chairperson, and that the election of the vice -chairperson would take place in the 
Working  Party.2 
In light of this confirmation, I should be grateful if you could indicate whether the Council for Trade 
in Goods agrees that the Working Party may act as other subsidiary bodies do, by consulting on, 
and electing, its own vice -chairperson, as set out above.  
Yours sincerely,  
 
 
 
[Signed in the original ] 
Kristian Henk  
Chairperson of the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises  
 
  
 
1 Minutes of the meeting of the Working Party on State  Trading Enterprises held on 16 July 2019 
(G/STR/M/35), paras. 45 -47; Annual Report (2019) of the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises 
(G/STR/23, G/L/1335), paras. 10 -12. 
2 Minutes of the meeting of the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises held  on 1 November 2019 
(G/STR/M/36), paras. 36 -40. G/STR/24  
 
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  ANNEX 2  
 
 
 
Direct line:  (+41 22) 739 5321  
Email:  alejandro.gamboa@wto.org  EMAIL  
 
 
    
To: 
 All WTO Members    
From:  
 Ambassador José Luís Cancela Gómez  
Chairperson, Council for Trade in Goods  
[Signed in the original ] Date:  13/12/2019  
   
  
 
 
WORKING PARTY ON STA TE TRADING ENTERPRIS ES – VICE -CHAIRPERSO N 
In the letter attached, addressed to me on 10 December 2019, the Chairperson of the Working Party 
on State Trading Enterprises (the Working Party) is asking whether the Council for Trade in Goods 
(CTG) agrees that the Working Party may elect its own vice -chairperson, as other CTG subsidiary 
bodies do.  
This issue has been discussed during two formal meetings of the Work ing Party this year, to avoid 
the recurrence of situations where the Working Party cannot continue its regular work because of 
the absence of a chairperson, as happened at the beginning of this year.  
Specifically, the Working Party envisages proceeding in the same way as do other CTG subsidiary 
bodies, as follows: the Chairperson of the Working Party would consult with Members of the Working 
Party regarding the future vice -chairperson, and the election of the vice -chairperson would take 
place in the Working  Party.  
Given that the CTG is not foreseen to meet again until 16 –17 March 2020, I am conveying this 
request to you, Members of the CTG, in order to be in a position to report back to the Chair of the 
Working Party to indicate if the Working Party may proc eed in electing a vice -chairperson as do 
other subsidiary bodies of the CTG.  
In this regard, I therefore propose that, unless  a Member contact me in writing via the Secretariat 
(alejandro.gamboa@wto.org  and craig.james@wto.org ), by COB on Friday, 20  December  2019 , 
to object, it will be considered that the CTG agrees that the Working Party may elect a 
vice-chairperson as do other CTG subsidiary bodies.   G/STR/24  
 
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  ANNEX 3  
 
11 February 2020  
Dr Kristian Henk  
Chairperson  
Working Party on State Trading Enterprises  
Dear Chairperson,  
Following your communication dated 10 December 2019 concerning the intention of the Working 
Party on State Trading Enterprises to proceed with the election of its own vice -chairperson in the 
same way as do other subsidiary bodies of the Council for Trade in Goods, I conveyed the request 
of the Working Party to the Council in a communication dated 13 December 2019.  
Given that the Council was not fores een to meet formally before 16 -17 March 2020, I proposed to 
Members that it be considered that the Council had agreed that the Working Party may elect a vice -
chairperson, if no Member objected to that proposal in writing, via the Secretariat, by Friday, 
20 December 2019.  
As no objection was received by any Member within the above -mentioned deadline, it is understood 
that the Council has agreed that the Working Party may proceed to elect its own vice -chairperson, 
as do other CTG subsidiary bodies; in other w ords, it is understood that the Chairperson of the 
Working Party will consult with its Members regarding its future vice -chairperson, and that the 
election of that vice -chairperson will take place in the Working Party itself.  
 Yours sincerely,  
 [Signed in the original ] 
  Ambassador José Luis Cancela Gómez  
 Chairperson, Council for Trade in Goods  
 
 
__________