RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/VAL/W/82/Rev.1
12 July 2001
(01-3457)
Committee on Customs Valuation Original:  English
WORK PROGRAMME ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR CAPACITY BUILDING
AS REGARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF
THE WTO AGREEMENT ON CUSTOMS VALUATION
Revision
The following communication, dated 10 July 2001, has been received from the permanent
mission of the European Communities.
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To actively contribute to the principles set out in the Chairman's Statement of 13 November
2000 on technical assistance, and keeping in view the provisions of Article 20 of the Customs
Valuation Agreement, the WTO Committee on Customs Valuation [the Committee] should seek to
build on past achievements1 with a view to improve the delivery of technical assistance in order to
enhance developing countries capacity to implement and administer the WTO Agreement on Customs
Valuation [the Agreement].
An important issue for the Committee would be the promotion of co-ordination and co-
operation between donors, which implies a full exchange of information on activities of technical
assistance provided in the field of customs valuation. Following its recent work involving transitional
measures pursuant to Article 20 and Annexe III § 1 of the Agreement, the Comm ittee is also well
positioned to develop and contribute to related aspects, such as follow-up and monitoring, and finally,
administration. Developed and developing country Members will actively participate in the work of
the Committee in these areas pursuant to Article 20 § 3 of the Agreement2.
The Committee recalls, on the one hand, that technical assistance related to customs valuation
is and must remain demand-driven, and, on the other hand, that the grant and delivery of such
assistance remains  under the responsibility of the various providers and donors – developed country
Members, WTO Secretariat, other international organisations (i.e. WCO, UNCTAD), and regional
organisations.
Those efforts to reinvigorate and improve the provision of technical assistance in customs
valuation to developing countries should be achieved through the Work Programme consistently with,
and taking into account the new strategy for technica l assistance in the process of being defined by the
WTO Committee on Trade and Development3.  The efforts should also take into account technical
                                                     
1 G/VAL/W/70 of 16 June 2000 - Technical assistance activities: Note by the Secretariat.
2 “Developed country Members shall furnish, on mu tually agreed terms, technical assistance to
developing country Members that so request. On th is basis developed country Members shall draw up
programmes of technical assistance which may include, inter alia, training of personnel, assistance inpreparing implementation measures, access to sources of information regarding customs valuationmethodology, and advice on the application of the provisions of this Agreement ”.
3 WT/COMTD/W/78 of 29 January 2001- A strategy for technical assistance in WTO: Note by the
Secretariat (Currently being revised).G/VAL/W/82/Rev.1
Page 2
assistance being provided voluntarily by developing countries through programmes of bilateral or
regional co-operation.
In order to maintain momentum in this work , the Chairman of the Committee will initiate
consultations on the organisation of a seminar in 2001, to bring together the relevant organizationsand bodies working in this area.
The Committee underlines the importance of adequate funding of technical assistance,
recognising the contributions made from both the regular WTO budget and the wider community of
voluntary sources.
The Committee’s activities on trade related technical assistance in customs valuation shall
include the following matters.
I. Cooperation and coordination
The Committee will assist donor and recipient country Members in promoting co-ordination
and co-operation and exchange of information on technical assistance planning. The Committee will
periodically invite relevant parties4 to give suitable advance information of their planned or proposed
technical assistance activities in customs valuation. The Secretariat will provide all relevant
information about activities carried out within the WTO. The Secretariats of other relevant
international or regional organizations are regularly contacted with a view to creating an environmentconducive to increased information sharing and co-operation. This particularly applies to the
assistance activities of the WCO
5 Technical Committee on Customs Valuation.
The Secretariat will also brief the Committee on the scope, scale and progress of relevant
WTO actions undertaken at regional level. Other organisations, and developed and developingcountry Members planning or participating in such actions will also share their experiences with
developing and developed country Members.
The work programme does not impose constraints on Members or donor organisations in their
technical assistance activities.
II. Country Work Programmes
The Country Work Programmes represent the best basis and indicator of needs, see the
example of countries which have requested an extension of the transitional periods provided under the
Agreement (Annexe III § 1). The Committee would monitor the technical assistance components of
such programmes and help to identify, at an early stage, any areas which require particular attentionand enhanced co-operation and co-ordination.
III. Follow-up and evaluation
The Committee should maintain an overview of the implementation of technical assistance
programmes and seek to promote the use, on a mutually agreed basis, of performance indicators (e.g.
measuring progress or success of TA measures) in accordance with the individual country
programmes and to help meet the objectives of art 20§3 of the Agreement.
                                                     
4 Inventory of priority activities based on checklist on implementation.
5 G/VAL/8/Add.7 of 2 November 2000 Information on technical assistance activities (WCO).G/VAL/W/82/Rev.1
Page 3
IV. Administration issues
In the period following implementation of the Agreement, the Committee, where requested,
may promote the further application and delivery of technical assistance to address issues such as
professional development, enhanced capacity in the use of information technology, and specificcustoms functions requiring specific skills in areas such as valuation compliance (which may
including risk analysis, post importation auditing and control).
V. Stocktaking Actions
The Committee, with the support of the Secretariat, will maintain an inventory of technical
assistance activities and update the situation with  respect to current demands for assistance, with
particular reference to the Country Work Programmes of developing country Members.
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