WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/504
17 July 2003
(03-3810)
General Council
24-25 July 2003
GENERAL COUNCIL
Annual Report (2002)
Draft Addendum1
At its meeting in February 2003 the General C ouncil agreed that its report to the Fifth
Ministerial Conference would consist of the 2002 annual reports of the General Council and its
subsidiary bodies together with brief update reports concerning developments in 2003.
The present Addendum sets out the actions taken by the General Council in the first months of
2003.  The General Council has held [..] meetings since December 2002.  The minutes of these
meetings, which remain the record of the Ge neral Council's work, are contained in documents
WT/GC/M/78 – […].
The following subjects are included in the Addendum:
1. Matters resulting from the Fourth Session of the Ministerial Conference..........................2
(a) Trade Negotiations Committee – Re ports...................................................................................2
(b) Committee on Trade and Development – Reports by the Chairman of the Committee
on Trade and Development in Special Session on Special and Differential Treatmentin Pursuance of Paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration and Paragraph 12.1
of the Doha Ministerial Decision on Impl ementation-Related Issues and Concerns..................3
(c) Marrakesh Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative
Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing
Developing Countries – Follow-up to the report of the Inter-Agency Panel on Short-Term Difficulties in Financing Normal Levels of Commercial Imports of Basic
Foodstuffs ..................................................................................................................... ..............4
(d) Council for TRIPS – Report on the implementation of Paragraph 6 of the Doha
Declaration on the TRIPS Agr eement and Publ ic Health...........................................................4
(e) Work Programme on Sma ll Economies – Reports .....................................................................5
(f) Review of Progress on the Implementation Issues Referred to WTO Bodies under the
Decision of 14 November 2001 on Implementation-Related issues and Concerns ....................5
(g) Review of progress on development-relate d issues of the Doha Work Programme...................5
2. Review of the exemption provided under paragraph 3 of GATT 1994 ...............................6
                                                     
1 The final version of the report will also reflect the General Council meetings in July and August 2003
and the items will be renumbered as necessary.WT/GC/W/504
Page 2
3. Proposal to remove and avoid inconsistencies in the texts of the WTO
Agreements..................................................................................................................... ...........6
4. Accession matters............................................................................................................ ..........6
(a) Bhutan...................................................................................................................... ...................6
(b) Ethio pia.................................................................................................................... ...................6
(c) Iran........................................................................................................................ ......................7
(d) Yemen....................................................................................................................... ..................7
5. Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration .............................................................7
(a) Reports..................................................................................................................... ...................7
6. Waivers under Article IX of the WTO Agreement................................................................8
(a) Kimberley Process Certificat ion Scheme for Rough Diamonds.................................................8
7. Preparations for the Fifth Sessio n of the Minister ial Conf erence ........................................8
(a) Administrat ive ma tters...................................................................................................... ..........8
(i) Annual report of the General Counc il to the Minister ial Conference ........................................8
(ii) Attendance of  observers.................................................................................................... ..........9
(iii) Attendance of Non-Govern mental Organizations.....................................................................10
(iv) Election of Officers for the Fift h Session................................................................................. .10
8. Coherence in Global Ec onomic Policy-Making....................................................................11
9. Ongoing improvements to the services provided by the Secretariat to Members ............11
10. Possibility of a summer break prior to  the Fifth Ministerial Conference .........................12
11. Closure of the WTO premises during the meeting of the G-8 in Evian.............................12
12. WTO Pension Plan............................................................................................................ ......12
(a) Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan.........................................................................12
13. Appointment of office rs to WTO bodies...............................................................................13
14. Election of Chairperson..................................................................................................... .....14
1. Matters resulting from the Fourth Session of the Ministerial Conference
(a) Trade Negotiations Committee – Reports (WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman of the Trade
Negotiations Committee reported on the TNC's meeting on 4-5 February.
The representative of Botswana (on behalf of the ACP Members) spoke.The General Council took note of the report by the TNC Chairman and of the statement.At the General Council meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman of the Trade Negotiations
Committee reported on the TNC's activities since the last report to the General Council in February.
The representative of Cuba and the Chairman spoke.WT/GC/W/504
Page 3
The General Council took note of the report by the TNC Chairman and of the statements.
(b) Committee on Trade and Development – Reports by the Chairman of the Committee on Trade
and Development in Special Session on Special and Differential Treatment in Pursuance of
Paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration and Paragraph 12.1 of the Doha MinisterialDecision on Implementation-Related I ssues and Concerns (WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At its meeting on 10 February 2003, the General Council considered a report from the CTD in
Special Session in document TN/CTD/7.
The Chairman of the CTD in Special Session, in introducing the Committee's report, noted
that the report consisted of a factual summary of proceedings of the Special Session since July 2002,
as well as the following recommendations on the way forward:  (i) that the General Council take noteof the agreement in principle that had been reached on 12 agreement-specific proposals, and revert to
the question of the adoption of these proposals at a la ter date;  (ii) that the General Council "provide
clarification, as it considers appropriate, regarding Paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration
and Paragraph 12 of the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns, and the means to
give effect to the mandate";  and (iii) that in the intervening period, the CTD in Special Session
suspend further work.  He went on to provide a brief background to these recommendations.
The representatives of Pakistan, Bangladesh (on behalf of the LDCs), Cuba, Brazil, China,
Paraguay, European Communities, Morocco (on beha lf of the African Group), Kenya, Venezuela,
Canada, Argentina, Indonesia, Colombia, Uganda, Hungary, Japan, Switzerland, United States,Australia, Norway, Haiti, Korea and India, and the Chairman of the CTD in Special Session and the
Chairman spoke.
Following a proposal by the Chairman, the General Council agreed to suspend consideration
of this item, and to revert to it following the lunch break.
Upon resumption of the discussion, the representatives of Bangladesh (on behalf of the
LDCs), Chile, Morocco (on behalf of the African Group), European Communities, Cuba, India, Japan
Hungary, Venezuela, New Zealand and Kenya, and the Director of the Council and TNC Division and
the Chairman spoke.
The General Council agreed to the Chairman's proposal that the General Council revert to this
matter, after having taken note of the report and of the statements, and invite its incoming Chairman,
in coordination with the Chairman of the CTD in Special Session, to undertake consultations
immediately on how to take this very important matter forward.
At the General Council meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman reported that on the basis of
the consultations he had carried out, he had put forward a paper on 7 April (JOB(03)/68) outlining
what he believed to be the best way to enable Members to move forward on this issue.  Based on the
approach suggested in that paper, and following careful examination of all the agreement-specific
proposals, he had circulated on 5 May an informal listing of these proposals in three broad categories
(Job 3404), which he went on to describe.  He indicated his intention to start an intensive series ofinformal consultations with Members as from th e following week, which would begin with the
agreement-specific proposals listed in Category I.  He also indicated, inter alia , the understandings on
the basis of which he would request relevant WTO bodies to address the agreement-specific proposals
listed in Category II of his paper, and that he would be writing to the Chairpersons of these bodies
specifically in this regard during the course of the week.  He then indicated that he would make afurther progress report to the General Council at its next meeting.WT/GC/W/504
Page 4
The representatives of Kenya, India, Botswana, Zambia, Morocco and Bangladesh (on behalf
of the LDCs), and the Chairman spoke.
The General Council took note of the report by the Chairman and of the statements, and also
that the Chairman would submit a further progress re port to the General Council at its next meeting.
(c) Marrakesh Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the
Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Ne t Food-Importing Developing Countries –
Follow-up to the report of the Inter-Agency Panel on Short-Term Difficulties in Financing
Normal Levels of Commercial Impor ts of Basic Foodstuffs (WT/GC/M/80)
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the General Council heard a report by the Chairman of the
Committee on Agriculture on the Committee's consideration of the Inter-Agency Panel's
recommendation regarding an ex-ante financing mechanism aimed at food importers.
The representative of Egypt on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture
reported, inter alia , that the Committee had agreed to convene a Roundtable with the task:  (i) to
explore, in the context of the Marrakesh Decision, the need for a safety net to be established to assistthe LDCs and NFIDCs during the reform process leading to greater liberalization of trade in
agriculture, including an examination of objectiv e criteria and trigger mechanisms to determine a
need;  and (ii) to identify, in the light of (i) a bove, appropriate mechanisms within the framework of
the Marrakesh Decision, taking into account their technical feasibility, as well as their financial and
institutional implications on potential donors and beneficiaries.  The following organizations had beeninvited to nominate experts to participate in the Roundtable:  FAO, International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD), International Grains C ouncil, IMF, UNCTAD, WFP and the World Bank.
Members were also invited to participate in the Roundtable, which was scheduled to take place on
19 May.
The representatives of Cuba, Kenya, Djibouti, Morocco and Tunisia spoke.
The General Council took note of the report by the representative of Egypt on behalf of the
Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and of the statements, and invited the Chairman of the
Committee on Agriculture to keep the General Council in formed of progress in this regard following
the Committee's meeting in June.
(d) Council for TRIPS – Report on the implementation of Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration
on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (WT/GC/M/78)
At its meeting on 10 February 2003, the General Council considered this matter.
The Chairman of the Council for TRIPS reported on the Council's further consideration of
this matter, and requested that, under the circumstances, the General Council consider providing an
additional period for further deliberations in capitals and consultations in Geneva.  His aim was to
have something more concrete to report to Members by the end of the TRIPS Council meeting
scheduled for the week of 17 February.
The Chairman spoke.WT/GC/W/504
Page 5
The General Council took note of the progress report by the Chairman of the TRIPS Council
on the status of his further consultations, and agreed to suspend discussion on this item and to revert
to it at a reconvened meeting to be held shortly. 2
(e) Work Programme on Small Economies – Reports (WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, Deputy Director-General
Mr. Thompson-Flôres, on behalf of the Chairman  of the Dedicated Sessions of the Committee on
Trade and Development, reported on the Committee's activities on the Work Programme on Small
Economies.
The General Council took note of the report  by Deputy Director-G eneral Mr. Thompson-
Flôres on behalf of the Chairman of the Dedicated Sessions of the CTD.
At the General Council meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman of the Dedicated Sessions of
the Committee on Trade and Development reported on the Committee's work since the last report to
the General Council in February.
The representatives of the United States and Mauritius spoke.The General Council took note of the report by the Chairman of the Dedicated Sessions of the
CTD and of the statements.
(f) Review of Progress on the Implementation Issues Referred to WTO Bodies under the
Decision of 14 November 2001 on Implementation-Related issues and Concerns
3
(WT/GC/M/80)
and
(g) Review of progress on development-related issues of the Doha Work Programme3
(WT/GC/M/80)
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the General Council considered a communication from India
on the review of progress on the implementation issues referred to WTO bodies under the Decision of
14 November 2001 on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns (WT/GC/W/494), as well as a
communication from Tanzania on behalf of the Informal Group of Developing Countries on the
review of progress on development-related issu es of the Doha Work Programme (WT/GC/W/495).
The representatives of India, Tanzania (on behalf of the Informal Group of Developing
Countries), Cuba, Botswana (on behalf of the AC P Group), China, United States, Kenya, Senegal,
Zambia, Japan, European Communities, Brazil, Indonesia, Uganda, Djibouti, Argentina, Malaysia,
Philippines, Barbados, Thailand, Paraguay and Canada, and the Chairman spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements.
                                                     
2 In a communication dated 3 March 2003 (JOB(03)/46) the Chairman informed Members that for
reasons indicated therein, and in light of a letter addressed to him from the Chairman of the TRIPS Council, theGeneral Council meeting of 10 February would be considered closed unless any delegation informed him by5 March of its wish to have the General Council reconvene in the coming days.  No such communications wasreceived, and the meeting was considered closed.
3 At the Chairman's suggestion the matters under points 1(f) and (g) were taken up together and the
discussion thereof is reflected accordingly in the minutes of the meeting.WT/GC/W/504
Page 6
2. Review of the exemption provided under paragraph 3 of GATT 1994 (WT/GC/M/78)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman recalled the procedure to
be followed for the conduct of the review of the exemption provided under Paragraph 3 of
GATT 1994 under the review cycle starting in 2003, which the General Council had agreed in
December 2002.  In connection with the review, he drew attention to an annual report circulated bythe United States in WT/L/512.
The representatives of the United States, Panama, Chile, Australia, Japan, European
Communities and Hong Kong, China spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements and agreed to revert to this item at a future
meeting.
3. Proposal to remove and avoid inconsiste ncies in the texts of the WTO Agreements
(WT/GC/M/78)
At its meeting on 10 February 2003, the General Council considered a communication on this
matter from Chile in WT/GC/W/489.
The representatives of Chile, Argentina, Cuba, United States, Australia and Norway, and the
Chairman spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements and agreed to revert to this item at a future
meeting, and that in the meantime the Chairman would consult with Members on the most efficient
way forward.
4. Accession matters
(a) Bhutan (WT/GC/M/80)
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman informed the General Council that
Mr. Petritsch (Austria) had agreed to replace Mr. Kreid (Austria) as chair of the Working Party on the
Accession of Bhutan.
The General Council took note of this information.
(b) Ethiopia (WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At its meeting on 10 February 2003, the General Council considered a communication from
Ethiopia (WT/ACC/ETH/1) concerning its interest in acceding to the WTO Agreement pursuant to
Article XII.
The representatives of Ethiopia (as an observer), Morocco (on behalf of the African Group),
Bangladesh (on behalf of the LDCs), European Communities, India, Israel, Kenya, Pakistan, China,
United States, Peru (on behalf of GRULAC), Japa n, Indonesia (on behalf of the ASEAN Members),
Bahrain, Botswana, Canada, Turkey and Slovenia  (also on behalf of Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic) spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements and of the expressions of welcome and
support, and agreed to establish a working party to examine the application of Ethiopia, and
authorized its Chairman to designate the Chairperson of the Working Party in consultation with
representatives of Members and with the representative of Ethiopia.WT/GC/W/504
Page 7
The Chairman invited the representative of Ethiopia to consult with the Secretariat as to
further procedures, in particular regarding the basic documentation to be considered by the Working
Party.
The representative of Ethiopia (as an observer) spoke.The General Council took note of the statement.At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman informed the General Council that
Mr. McMillan (United Kingdom) had agreed to chair the Working Party.
The General Council took note of this information.
(c) Iran (WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At its meeting on 10 February 2003, the General Council again considered Iran's request for
accession to the WTO Agreement.
The representatives of the United States and Malaysia (on behalf of the Informal Group of
Developing Countries) spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements and agreed to revert to this matter at its next
meeting.
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the General Council again considered this matter.
The representatives of the United States and Tanzania (on behalf of the Informal Group of
Developing Countries) spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements and agreed to revert to this matter at its next
meeting.
(d) Yemen (WT/GC/M/80)
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman informed the General Council that Mr. Röben
(Germany) had agreed to chair the Working Party on the Accession of Yemen.
The General Council took note of this information.
5. Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration
(a) Reports (WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman of the Budget Committee
reported on the Committee's progress on the review of methodologies for future pay adjustments for
WTO staff, and also informed the General Council on the situation with regard to resources available
for WTO technical activities in 2003 and on the cash position of the Doha Development Agenda
Global Trust Fund.
The General Council took note of the statement by the Chairman of the Budget Committee.At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the General Council considered reports by the Committee on
Budget, Finance and Administration on matters cons idered at its meetings held from October toWT/GC/W/504
Page 8
December 2002 as well as on the Committee's review of methodologies for future pay adjustments for
WTO staff (WT/BFA/63 and 64 respectively).
The Chairman of the Committee introduced the reports.
The General Council took note of the statement by the Committee Chairman and adopted the
report in WT/BFA/63.  The General Council then approved the Budget Committee's specific
recommendations in paragraph 27 (a) to (g) of its report in WT/BFA/64, and adopted that report.
The representatives of Chile and Cuba, and the Director-General and the Chairman spoke.The General Council took note of the statements.
6. Waivers under Article IX of the WTO Agreement
(a) Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds (WT/GC/M/80)
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the General Council considered a request by Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and
the United States for a waiver from their respective obligations under Article I.1, Article XI.1,  and
Article XIII.1 of GATT 1994 (G/C/W/431 and Corr.1 and 2), and the related draft Decision
(G/C/W/432/Rev.1).
The Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods reported on the consideration of this request
by that Council.
The representative of Poland spoke.The Chairman then noted that in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of the draft
Decision, the European Communities, Switzerland and the Czech Republic had notified the Goods
Council of their wish to also be covered by the waiver, and that, accordingly, these Members would
be covered by the provisions of the waiver when adopted.  He added that it was open to any other
WTO Member which was not currently listed in the Annex to the draft Decision and which wished to
be covered by the waiver, to notify the CTG in a similar way in due course in accordance with
paragraph 3 of the draft Decision.
The General Council took note of the report of the Chairman of the Council for Trade in
Goods and of the statements and, in accordance with the Decision-Making Procedures under
Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement ag reed in November 1995 (WT/L/93), adopted the
Decision (WT/L/518).
The representatives of Canada, Chinese Taipei and the United States spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements.
7. Preparations for the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference
(a) Administrative matters
(i) Annual report of the General Council to the Ministerial Conference (WT/GC/M/78)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman recalled, inter alia , the
procedures for an annual overview of WTO activities, adopted by the General Council inWT/GC/W/504
Page 9
November 1995 (WT/L/105), and proposed that the General Council submit to the Fifth Session a
brief update to its annual report for 2002 which would describe developments since December 2002.
He noted that he was referring only to the routine annual reports of a factual nature that all WTO
bodies were required to make under existing procedures, and not to any specific reports that Ministers
at Doha had requested to be submitted to them.  The Ministerial Conference would therefore havebefore it, as the annual report of the General Council, a compilation of the 2002 Annual Reports of all
the WTO bodies, together with an update report concerning developments in 2003.  He proposed that
the General Council take note of his statement and ag ree to follow the procedure he had just outlined,
as had been done for the Second Ministerial Conference.
The General Council so agreed.
(ii) Attendance of observers
- Governments (WT/GC/M/78)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman recalled that 39
Governments had participated as observers at the D oha Ministerial Conference in accordance with the
Guidelines in Annex 2 of the General Council's Rules of Procedure (WT/L/161).  Out of these 39
Governments, 3 had since acceded to the WTO Agreement and thirty-one currently had observer
status in the General Council and were therefore automatically invited to attend the Ministerial
Conference in that capacity, pursuant to the Guidelines.  Five other Governments had, at their request,
previously been accorded observer status only at Ministerial Conferences:  Comoros, Eritrea, Liberia,Libya and San Marino.  He proposed that these Governments also be invited to attend the Cancún
Ministerial Conference as observers in keeping with the agreed Guidelines.  Requests from any other
Governments for observer status, either at the General Council or at the Ministerial Conference,
would have to be considered on their merits in accordance with the Guidelines when they were
received.
The General Council took note of the statement and so agreed.- International Intergovernmental Organizations (WT/GC/M/78, 80)At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman recalled, inter alia , the
Guidelines for observer status for IGOs in Anne x 3 of the General Council's Rules of Procedure
(WT/L/161) and also that prior to each of the past sessions of the Ministerial Conference, the General
Council had agreed to invite IGOs as observers to the Ministerial Conference on the basis of the
following elements:  (i) organizations that were observers to the General Council would be
automatically invited;  (ii) organizations that were  observers to subsidiary bodies would be invited if
they requested to attend;  and (iii) consultations would be held to determine which other organizationsthat were not observers to the WTO, and who requested attendance at the Ministerial Conference,
should be invited.  A list of the IGOs that had been invited to attend the Doha Ministerial Conference
on the basis of these elements was set out in WT/MIN(01)/INF/5/Rev.3.  He proposed that these
organizations also be invited to the Ministerial Conference in Cancún as observers, in keeping with
the agreed Guidelines.  Requests from any other IGOs that had not already been observers at theMinisterial Conference in Doha, and who were neither  observers in the General Council nor in other
WTO bodies, would of course have to be considered on their merits in accordance with the Guidelines
when they were received.  None had so far been submitted.  If such requests were received in the
future, the General Council would revert to them at a subsequent meeting.  He noted that one
delegation had suggested to him that there should perhaps be a deadline for the consideration of anysuch requests from other organizations, which might be set at three months prior to the date of the
Conference, and suggested that Members reflect on this and return to it at a subsequent meeting if
necessary.WT/GC/W/504
Page 10
The representative of Egypt (on behalf of the Arab Members) spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements and agreed to follow the procedure outlined
by the Chairman.
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the General Council considered a request for observer status
at the Fifth Ministerial Conference from the League of Arab States.
The Chairman proposed that with regard to this request the General Council proceed in
exactly the same way it had in the past with regard to requests from IGOs for observer status at
Ministerial Conferences who were neither observers  in the General Council nor in other WTO bodies.
Accordingly, he proposed that, unless any objection was received by the Secretariat from any Member
by 15 June 2003, the League of Arab States be granted observer status to the Cancún MinisterialConference.  As in the past, he would inform the General Council at its next meeting of the situation
with regard to this request.
The representatives of Egypt (on behalf of the Arab Members), Kuwait (also on behalf of
Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates), Jordan, Djibouti, Tunisia, Morocco,
Mauritania, Canada and the United States, and the Chairman spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements and agreed to revert to this item at its next
meeting.
(iii) Attendance of Non-Governmental Organizations (WT/GC/M/78)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman proposed, with regard to
attendance of non-governmental organizations ( NGOs) at the Fifth Ministerial Conference, that
Members adopt similar criteria to those which had been adopted by the General Council for the four
previous Ministerial Conferences.  Following this practice, NGOs that wished to attend the Fifth
Ministerial Conference would be requested to supply, in detail, all the necessary informationindicating how they were concerned with matters related to those of the WTO.  In order to facilitate
the registration process for NGOs and the WTO Secretariat, he proposed that the detailed presentation
of activities be waived for those NGOs who had been duly registered for at least two previous
Ministerial Conferences, and that registration for them be granted automatically.  NGOs that qualified
would still be obliged to officially request regist ration and would be subject to all other procedures
and deadlines that applied to  NGOs requesting to attend the Fifth Ministerial Conference.
4  Based on
the information provided, the Secretariat would process a list of registered NGOs.  He proposed thatin line with past practice, this list be circulated to all WTO Members for information during the
course of July.  Confirmation of registration would then be sent to the NGOs as from 1 August.  He
proposed that Members agree to follow the procedure he had outlined in order to allow sufficient time
for the NGOs to be informed and to make the necessary arrangements for their attendance at the Fifth
Ministerial Conference.
The General Council took note of the statement and so agreed.
(iv) Election of Officers for the Fifth Session (WT/GC/M/78)
Ministers at Doha requested the General Council to hold consultations with a view to
determining the presiding officers, namely, the Chairperson and three Vice-Chairpersons of the
Ministerial Conference, who would hold office until the end of the Fifth Session.
                                                     
4 These procedures were subsequently circulated in WT/MIN(03)/INF/1.WT/GC/W/504
Page 11
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman said that in keeping with
customary practice, the General Council would elect a representative of the host government – in the
present case, Mexico – to chair the Conference.  He proposed that his successor hold consultations
with regard to the election of the three Vice-Chairpersons of the Conference, and that the General
Council revert to this matter at a future meeting in order that the full slate could be agreed at the same
time.
The General Council took note of the statement and so agreed.
8. Coherence in Global Economic Policy-Making  (WT/GC/M/78, 79)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman recalled that the General
Council had met from time to time in the past on the subject of Coherence in Global Economic
Policy-making, most recently in January 2001, and informed Members that the Director-General
considered that a further meeting in the spring woul d be timely, and that it would be valuable for the
latter to inform Members of his consultations with the Managing Director of the IMF and the
President of the World Bank, both of whom would be invited to participate.  The date in mind for this
meeting was 13 May.
The General Council took note of the statement.
At its meeting on 13 May 2003, the General Council held a discussion on coherence in global
economic policy-making and cooperation between the WTO, IMF and World Bank.  The General
Council had before it a Note by the Secretariat on this subject, prepared in cooperation with staff of
the IMF and the World Bank (WT/TF/COH/S/7).
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, the President of the World Bank
and the Director-General made statements.
The representatives of Morocco (on behalf of the African Group), Bangladesh, United States,
India, Argentina, Canada, Japan, Gabon, Switzerland, China, Kenya, Australia, Jamaica, Indonesia,
European Communities, Korea, Cuba, Paraguay, Pakistan, Chile, Barbados, Egypt, Oman and
Colombia, and the representatives of the United Nations, the IMF and the World Bank, and the
Director-General and the Chairman spoke.
9. Ongoing improvements to the services provided by the Secretariat to Members
(WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At its meeting on 10 February 2001, the Chairman informed the General Council of the
Secretariat's work over the past few months on several possible approaches to using new and existing
technologies to improve the services provided to  WTO Members, and in particular to enable the
increased involvement in the WTO's work of smaller delegations.
The General Council took note of the statement.
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, Deputy Director-General Mr. Abbott reported on ongoing
improvements to the services provided by the Secretariat to Members using new and existing
technologies.
The General Council took note of this information.WT/GC/W/504
Page 12
10. Possibility of a summer break prior to the Fifth Ministerial Conference (WT/GC/M/78)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman said that a number of
Members had raised with him the importance of deciding sooner rather than later whether to designate
a one to two-week period prior to the Cancún Minist erial as a summer break.  He therefore asked that
his successor, together with the Director-General and Deputy Director-General Mr. Abbott, reflect onthis matter, and hoped that an understanding could be reached relatively soon.
The General Council took note of the statement.
5
11. Closure of the WTO premises during the meeting of the G-8 in Evian (WT/GC/M/80)
At its meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman informed the General Council that since access
to the WTO premises was likely to be difficult during the G-8 meeting in Evian, he had agreed with
the Director-General following consultations with the Geneva authorities and the police that the WTO
buildings should be closed on 2 and 3 June 2003.  Consequently, delegates and staff should not come
to the WTO during these two days and planned meetings would be rescheduled.
The General Council took note of this information.
12. WTO Pension Plan
(a) Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan (WT/GC/M/78, 80)
At its meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman recalled that his intention to propose the
candidature of Ms. Rachel Schub (United States) to replace Mr. Linscott (United States) as alternate
on the WTO Pension Plan Management Board had been communicated to all Members in a fax sent
on his behalf by Deputy Director-G eneral Mr. Abbott in January.  Accordingly, he proposed the
election of Ms. Schub to hold the office of alternate on the Board during the remainder of the three-
year term, expiring on 7 July 2005.
The General Council so agreed.
The Chairman spoke.The General Council took note of the statement.At the General Council meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman said that given that the Chair,
a member and an alternate were no longer available to serve on the Pension Plan Management Board,
he wished to inform Members, as indicated in his communication in WT/GC/W/496, that the
following representatives had agreed to have th eir names put forward for election to these posts,
respectively:
Chairman: Amb. Stefán Jóhannesson (Iceland), for a period of one year
Member: Mr. Thomas Chan (Hong Kong, China)
                                                     
5 In a letter dated 24 March 2003, the Chairman of the General Council informed delegations, inter
alia,  that his consultations indicated that the most practical option would be not to convene major negotiating
meetings for a two-week break, between 28 July to 10 August.  He added that while all would try to respect thatbreak, it might not be possible to do so absolutely, in view of the limited time available to prepare theMinisterial.  He therefore recommended that delegations retain sufficient flexibility in their planning to cope
with such eventualities.WT/GC/W/504
Page 13
Alternate: Mr. Mathias Francke (Chile)
The General Council took note of the statement and agreed to the election of the proposed
candidates to the Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan (WT/L/517).
13. Appointment of officers to WTO bodies (WT/GC/M/78, 806)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman said that in accordance
with the Guidelines for appointment of officers to WTO bodies approved by the General Council in
December 2002 (WT/L/510), he and his two colleagues, Mr. Bryn (Norway) and Mr. Pérez del
Castillo (Uruguay) had conducted consultations on this matter, on the basis of which he considered
that there was a consensus on the following slate of names:
General Council H.E. Mr. Carlos Pérez del Castillo
(Uruguay)
Dispute Settlement Body H.E. Mr. Shotaro Oshima
(Japan)
Trade Policy Review Body H.E. Mrs. Mary Whelan
(Ireland)
Council for Trade in Goods H.E. Mr. Milan Hovorka
(Czech Republic)
Council for Trade in ServicesH.E. Mr. Ousmane Camara
(Senegal)
Council for TRIPS H.E. Mr. Vanu Gopala Menon
(Singapore)
Committee on Trade and
  EnvironmentH.E. Mr. Peter Br ňo
(Slovak Republic)
Committee on Trade and
  DevelopmentH.E. Mr. Mohamed Saleck Ould Mohamed Lemine
(Mauritania)
Committee on Balance-of-
  Payments RestrictionsH.E. Dr. Manzoor Ahmad
(Pakistan)
Committee on Regional Trade
  AgreementsH.E. Mr. Jaynarain Meetoo
(Mauritius)
Committee on Budget, Finance
  and  AdministrationMr. Joshua C.K. Law (Hong Kong, China)
                                                     
6 Carried in the 15 May General Council minutes as "Chairmanship of the Committee on Trade and
Development".WT/GC/W/504
Page 14
Working Group on the Relationship
  between Trade and InvestmentH.E.Mr. Luiz Felipe De Seixas Corrêa
(Brazil)
Working Group on the Interaction
  between Trade and Competition  PolicyProf. Frédéric Jenny
(France)
Working Group on Transparency in
  Government ProcurementH.E. Mr. Ronald Saborío Soto
(Costa Rica)
Working Group on Trade and
  Transfer of TechnologyH.E. Mr. Stefán Haukur Jóhanesson
(Iceland)
Working Group on Trade, Debt and
  FinanceH.E. Mr. Hernando José Gómez
(Colombia)
The General Council took note of the statement and of the consensus on the slate of names.
The Chairman spoke.The General Council took note of the statement.At the General Council meeting on 15 May 2003, the Chairman said he understood that
H.E. Mr. Ould Mohamed Lemine (Mauritania), who had been nominated to the post of Chairmanship
of the Committee on Trade and Development, was unfortunately unable to serve in that capacity at the
present time.  In the light of this situation, and following consultations with delegations, he informed
the General Council that there was a consensus on the appointment of H.E. Mr. Habib Mansour
(Tunisia) to this post.  It was his understanding that the formal election of Mr. Mansour would be the
first item on the agenda of the CTD's next meeting, which was scheduled for 22 May.
The General Council took note of the statement and of the consensus on this appointment.
14. Election of Chairperson (WT/GC/M/78)
At the General Council meeting on 10 February 2003, the Chairman, as the outgoing
presiding officer of the General Council, made a brief statement.
The General Council then unanimously elected Mr. Pérez del Castillo (Uruguay) to the Chair.The newly-elected Chairman spoke.
The General Council took note of the statements.
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