RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/TPR/W/26
13 July 2000
(00-2872)
Trade Policy Review Body
3 and 5 July 2000
TRADE POLICY REVIEW MECHANISM
POLAND
Minutes of Meeting
Chairperson:  H.E. Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury
"Other Business"
DRAFT
Under "Other Business", in the TPRB meeting for the review of Poland the representative of
Canada made a proposal to webcast on the Internet Canada's Trade Policy Review meeting (copy of
the proposal attached).
The representative of the European Commissi on, recalling the EU's active involvement in
increasing transparency in the WTO expressed suppor t for the proposal.  The EU will study it with
great attention.
The representative of Norway noted his country's support for the proposal.
The representative of India said he would have to seek instructions from his Government.  He
noted that external transparency in the WTO had to be addressed as a cross-cutting issue.
The representative of the United States said that his delegation would study the proposal very
carefully and recalled that his country was typically a strong advocate of increased transparency in the
WTO work.
The representative of Hong Kong, China noted that the proposal would be examined carefully
in the capital.  She stressed that transparency wa s a cross-cutting issue which needed to be addressed
with great caution.  She was of the view that the wh ole issue of external transparency could be better
addressed under the General Council.
The representative of Mexico said that his country would examine the proposal on the basis of
its existing rights and obligations under the WTO.  Any formal decision by the TPRB had to be made
under the established procedures.
The Chairman noted that Canada had submitted this proposal to Members of the TPRB for
their consideration and reflection.  He was of the view that consultations would be required once
Members had had time to analyse the proposal.WT/TPR/W/26
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July 5, 2000
CANADIAN PROPOSAL TO WEBCAST
CANADA'S 2000 TRADE POLICY REVIEW
Talking Points
− Today, Canada would like to propose an idea for Members' consideration that relates to
transparency at the WTO and improving the image of this organization – a commitment weall share.
− Members will recall that at General Council in March this year, Canada submitted an informal
paper on WTO Transparency .  In this paper, we proposed that Members consider having trade
policy reviews (TPRs) opened to observers from the public – as a general rule, or at the
initiative of the Member being reviewed.  Other members have put forward similar proposals.
− Canada recognizes that the idea of opening up trade policy reviews raises a number of issues.
Some Members may wish to open their reviews, others may not, and there is also the questionof preserving the fundamental intergovernmental nature of the Trade Policy Review Body
(TPRB) and WTO overall.
− Therefore, it is necessary to identify an approach that can fully take into account these
different issues while having no impact on the rights and obligations of Members.
− Canada has deliberated on these questions and would like to suggest a modest step that we
believe would revitalise our own TPR and would be viewed very positively by our publics at
large – webcasting Canada's TPR on the Internet, subject to the approval of the TPRB.
− Members will recall that the WTO has webcast meetings before, including the plenary
sessions of the Geneva and Seattle Ministerial Conferences, and the High Level Meetings on
Trade and Environment, and Trade and Development.
− Let me briefly outline the rationale behind this proposal, as well as some additional details.
The current situation
− A trade policy review involves the participation of WTO Member governments only.
However, observers in the General Council are allowed to attend the meetings of the TPRB.
These are the IMF, World Bank, OECD, UNCTAD, FAO, EFTA Secretariat, as well as over
30 non-member countries.
− Prior to the review, the Secretariat's Report and the Government Report (the Policy
Statement) are distributed to Members and these observers as restricted documents.  Whileparticipation at the meeting itself is limited, the TPR is well publicized and the reports are
published.  This is done through the press conference of the Chair, and occasionally, of theMember reviewed.    There are also press releases and the Chair's Concluding Remarks, the
Secretariat's Summary Observations, a summary of the Government Report, and minutes of
the meeting are posted on the WTO's website.
− Finally, the minutes of the meeting, the Secretariat Report, and the Government Report are
published some weeks after the review as the complete trade policy review of a Member.
Making this information available to the public improves its understanding of the WTO peerreview process and Members' trade policy regimes.WT/TPR/W/26
Page 3
− Canada's idea to webcast out trade policy review would not change this process.  The contents
of a TPR are all made public eventually – our proposal would simply allow the public accessto the information sooner.
The Canadian proposal:  webcast Canada's 2000 Review.
− As members will know, webcasting is similar to a television broadcast.  Cameras would film
the meeting and broadcast via the Internet for viewers to observe Canada's TPR on their
computers.
− We believe that webcasting Canada's TPR would help promote transparency in the WTO and
promote a positive image of the organization.  It would also inject vitality into the TPRprocess itself.
− Webcasting would increase the visibility, as well as broaden public understanding and
appreciation, of an exercise that makes transparent the trade policy regimes of WTOmembers.  In effect, we would be impr oving on what the TPR is intended to do.
− At the same time, webcasting would preserve the intergovernmental nature of the peer review
mechanism.  Interested stakeholders, the media and members of the public would be able to
view the proceedings on a computer screen in their home or office, wherever they may be
around the globe, but would not make interventions or ask questions.
− Canada is prepared to bear the costs of the webcast of Canada's review – such as filming,
taping, and broadcasting – given that this expense was not foreseen in the current WTObudget.
− In our view, webcasting Canada's TPR would be an efficient and results-oriented use of the
Internet technology now at our disposal.
− In essence, Canada's review would function as normal, but the proceedings themselves would
be webcast in real time.  Instead of waiting to review the proceedings in the printed report thatis published afterwards, observers would have access to the information as it is actually
discussed.
− This is the only difference – and although it is only one of time, not substance, it would
undoubtably bring credit to our institution, increase the level of discourse, and be seen as a
progressive example of the WTO's openness to sharing the nature and benefits of its workwith the public at large.
− We also want to be clear that the proposal we are presenting today applies only to Canada's
TPR in December.  it should not be viewed as setting any precedent or creating legal
obligations for other members to webcast their TPR, or any other meeting of the WTO for
that matter.  Our proposal is aimed solely at Canada's own TPR.
− Today, we are asking Members to consider this proposal and we would be pleased to answer
any questions or provide additional details either during this meeting or afterwards.
− We would then like to return to this issue at a subsequent meeting of the TPRB in order to
request the TPRB's approval for Canada to webcast our review in December.
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