JOB/GC/381  
 
13 February 2024  
(24-1298) Page: 1/4 
Special General Council Meeting  
14 February 2024    
 
FOLLOW UP WORK TO THE MINISTERIAL DECLARATION ON THE WTO RESPONSE TO THE 
COVID -19 PANDEMIC AND PREPAREDNESS FOR FUTURE PANDEMICS  
FACTUAL REPORT1 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  At the Twelfth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference , Ministers agreed to a Declaration on 
the WTO Response to the COVID -19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics (Declaration) 
as reflected in WT/MIN(22)/31 – WT/L/1142. In Paragraph 23 of the Declaration, Ministers 
underscored the importance of unders tanding how WTO rules have supported Members during the 
COVID -19 pandemic, and their role in future pandemics. They also  affirm ed the need to review and 
build on all the lessons learned and the challenges experienced during the COVID -19 pandemic, to 
build effective solutions in case of future pandemics including on balance of payments, development, 
export restrictions, food security, intellectual property, regulatory cooperation, services, tariff 
classification, technology transfer, trade facilitation, and transparency, in an expeditious manner.  
1.2.  In this regard, Paragraph 24 of the Declaration provided Ministerial instruction for r elevant 
WTO bodies, within their fields of competence, and on the basis of proposals by Members, to continue 
or initiate work as s oon as possible, to analyze  lessons that ha d been learned and challenges 
experienced during the COVID -19 pandemic. The relevant WTO bodies included the Council for Trade 
in Goods or its subsidiary bodies (including the Committee on Trade Facilitation, the Committee on 
Technical Barriers to Trade, the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, the Committee 
on Market Access, and the Committee on Agriculture), Trade Policy Review Body, Council for Trade 
in Services or its relevant subsidiary bodies, Co uncil for Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual 
Property Rights, Committee on Trade and Development, Working  Group on Trade and Technology 
Transfer and Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance.  
1.3.  Ministers also instructed the General Council to conduct a  stocktaking exercise of the work by 
WTO bodies under this declaration yearly at the General Council until the end of 2024, based on the 
reports of those relevant bodies.  The first stocktaking exercise took place at the regular session of 
the General Council in July 2023.  
1.4.  In Paragraphs 27 and 28 of the Declaration, Ministers also took note of the work undertaken 
by the WTO Secretariat, including in collaboration with other international organizations. They 
further noted the importance of the WTO working, along  with the World Health Organization and 
other international organizations, on an international pandemic response, including activities such 
as expeditious matching of supply to demand, mapping manufacturing capacities and demands, 
matchmaking to cater to s uch demands, and mutual recognition norms, related to goods and 
services that are essential to respond effectively to COVID -19 and future pandemics.  
1.5.  This factual report provides a brief overview of follow up work undertaken in relevant WTO 
bodies in line w ith the Declaration and updates on  work by the WTO Secretariat in this regard . 
 
1 In preparation for the Thirteenth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference on 26 -29 February 2024, 
this factual report on follow -up work on Paragraphs 23 and 24 of the Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response 
to the COVID -19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics  has been prepared by the Secretariat. This  
is without prejudice to Members' positions, rights and obligations under the WTO and WTO Agreements , and is 
prepared for information purposes only.  JOB/GC/381  
 
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  2  WORK IN RELEVANT WTO BODIES  
2.1  General Council  
2.1.  Since MC12, work continued in relevant WTO Bodies on pandemic response and preparedness. 
In line with Paragraphs 23 and 24 of the Declaration, the first stocktaking exercise of the work by 
WTO bodies took place at the regular session of the General Council in July 2023 – with Members 
sharing their views on the matter.2 At the same time, the former and current General Council 
Chairpersons have provided updates3 to Members on pandemic response and preparedness work 
from various WTO Councils and Committees during the General Council meetings in December 2022, 
March, May , July, November and December  2023. At the December meeting, the General Council 
took note of reports adopted by the Council for Trade in Goods and the Council for Trade in Services, 
contained in G/L/1521 and S/C/66 , as well as of the continued discussions o f the Council  for TRIPS  
under the agenda item "IP and COVID -19". During this period, communications from the African 
Group4 and India5 were presented and discussed . The General Council is currently chaired by 
Ambassador Athaliah Molokomme (Botswana).  
2.2  Trade Policy Review Body  
2.2.  On 7 December 2023, the T rade Policy Review Body (TPRB)  discussed the trade monitoring 
report, i.e. the Report by the Director -General on the 2023 Overview of Developments in the 
International Trading Environment. The report shows tha t the implementation of new COVID -19 
trade-related measures on goods, services, intellectual property, and general economic support by 
WTO Members slowed significantly and that Members were rolling back old measures 
(WT/TPR/OV/26 ). The TPRB is currently chaired by Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel 
(Kingdom  of Saudi  Arabia).  
2.3  Council for Trade in Goods and its Subsidiary Bodies  
2.3.  Since MC12, t he Council for Trade in Goods (CTG) has also been discussing pandemic response 
and preparedness as part of its MC12 implementation matters. On 25 October 2022, the former CTG 
Chairperson, Mr. Etienne Oudot de Dainville (France) requested the 14 Chairpersons of the CTG's 
subsidiary bodies to prepare reports6, under their own responsibility and with the assistance of the  
Secretariat, on the WTO response to the Pandemic. In addition to their respective reports:  
a. The Committee on Market Access (CMA) conducted its sixth experience -sharing session7 
on COVID -19 related goods focusing on LDCs on 24 March 2023 and adopted a document8 
on lessons learned from the COVID -19 pandemic. The CMA is currently chaired by Ms. 
Renata Cristaldo Oviedo (Paraguay).  
 
2 WT/GC/M/205 . 
3 WT/GC/M/202 , WT/GC/M/203 , WT/GC/M/204 , WT/GC/M/205 , WT/GC/M/207 and WT/GC/M/208 (to be 
issued).  
4 "Implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response to the Pandemic and Preparedness 
for Future Pandemics " (WT/GC/W/858) . 
5 "Role of Telemedicine Services in Response to the Pandemic " (WT/GC/W/866  – S/C/W/426)  and 
"Building a Pool of Health Professionals to Respond Effectively to Pandemics/Natural Disasters " (WT/GC/W/867 
– S/C/W/427 ). 
6 Committee on Agriculture ( G/L/1469 – G/AG/W/228 ), Committee on Anti -Dumping Practices ( G/L/1448 
– G/ADP/31 ), Committee on Import Licensing ( G/L/1478 – G/LIC/W/59 ), Committee on Market Access ( G/L/1459 
– G/MA/W/181 ), Committee on Rules of Origin ( G/L/1466 – G/RO/W/218 ), Committee on Safeguards ( G/L/1451 
– G/SG/276 ), Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures ( G/L/1477 – G/SPS/66 ), Committee on 
Subsidies and Countervailin g Measures ( G/L/1450 – G/SCM/163 ), Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade 
(G/L/1457 – G/TBT/48 ), Committee on Trade Facilitation ( G/L/1475 - G/TFA/W/89 ), Committee on Trade -Related 
Investment Measures ( G/L/1453 – G/TRIMS/13 ) and Working Party on State Trading Enterprises ( G/L/1455 – 
G/STR/31 ). 
7 More information is available here and the summary report of the session will be circulated in 
JOB/MA/152/Add.5 . 
8 G/MA/409 . JOB/GC/381  
 
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  b. The Committee on Trade Facilitation  (CTF)  is lookin g at possible steps to further its 
previous work regarding the COVID -19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics 
– and has so far had two informal sessions on disaster preparedness in 2023.  The CTF is 
currently chaired by Mr. Carlos Guevara (Ecuador) . 
2.4.  The former CTG Chairperson also prepared his own report9 on the matter. Following Members' 
suggestions, the CTG prepared a report in G/L/1521 that constituted an objective record of the 
discussions that have taken place in the CTG and its Subsidiary Bod ies in line with Paragraph 24 of 
the Declaration.  The CTG is currently chaired by Ambassador Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid 
(Nigeria).  
2.4  Council for Trade in Services  
2.5.  Since MC12 , as part of its MC12 implementation matters, the Council for Trade in Services 
(CTS) has also discussed the COVID -19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics. On 
9 March 2023, Members agreed10 to organize a series of informal information -sharing sessions on 
COVID -19 and trade in services, focused on: (i) transport and logistics servi ces; (ii) health services; 
(iii) tourism services; and (iv) ICT and digitally delivered services. The first session, on transport 
and logistics, was held on 13 June11, the second one, on health services, was held on 4 October12 
and the third one, on touris m services, was organised on 6 Decembe r.13 At its March and June 2023 
meetings , the CTS addressed  two communications  from India related to pandemic response14, and 
at the October meeting another communication from India on the trade -related measures the 
country had taken in response to the COVID -19 pandemic.15 Pursuant to Paragraph 24 of the  
Declaration , on 12 December the CTS adopted a report on the work it has undertaken on pandemic 
response  since MC12.16 The CTS is currently chaired by Mrs. Tsvetelina Georgieva Dimitrova 
(Bulgaria).  
 
2.5  Council for Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights  (TRIPS)  
2.6.  Since MC12, the Council  for TRIPS  has had on its agenda an item on "IP and COVID -19". Under 
this item, Members have continue d their practice, commenced in 2020, of sharing experiences on 
domestic COVID -related IP measures they have taken during the pandemic on the basis of a 
Secretariat c ompilation of such measures that is updated and maintained on the WTO website17. It 
has been agreed that any submissions and initiatives that Members raise under Paragraphs 23 and 
24 of the MC12 Declaration would also be taken up under this agenda item.  At its meeting of 30 -31 
October 2023, the Council considered a submission from the United Kingdom entitled "Intellectual 
Property, Voluntary Licensing and Technology Transfer" ( IP/C/W/704/Rev.1 ). At a resumption of the 
meeting on 6 February 2024, t he Council adopted a report on its work under this mandate, circulated 
in document IP/C/ 99. The C ouncil for TRIPS  is currently chaired by Ambassador Pimchanok Pitfield 
(Thailand) . 
 
9 G/L/1464 . 
10 It was further decided that the sessions would have balanced representation, provide for the 
participation of external stakeholders from relevant International Organi zations and the private sector, focus on 
the servic es trade -related aspects of the pandemic response falling within the mandate of the Council, and 
address the impact of COVID -19 on the different sectors, the trade -facilitative measures introduced by Members 
in response to the crisis and the implications o f COVID -19 specifically for LDCs.  The first session, on transport 
and logistics, was held on 13 June, and the next one, on health services, will be held in conjunction with the 
October cluster of services meetings.  See also S/C/M/152 . 
11 JOB/SERV/CTS/16/Rev. 1. 
12 JOB/SERV/CTS/21/Re v.2. 
13 Summary report to be issued.  
14 "Role of Telemedicine Services in Response to the Pandemic " (WT/GC/W/866  – S/C/W/426)  and 
"Building a Pool of Health Professionals to Respond Effectively to Pandemics/Natural Disasters " (WT/GC/W/867 
– S/C/W/427 ). 
15 JOB/SERV/CTS/15 . 
16 S/C/66 . 
17 See https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/covid19_e/trade_related_ip_measure_e.htm . JOB/GC/381  
 
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  2.6  Committee on Trade and Development  
2.7.  The Committee on Trade and Development (C TD) agreed that the item on follow up to the 
MC12 Pandemic Response Declaration will remain on its agenda until the end of 2024. Members 
have shared information on the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic on their trade and economies. 
Suggestions have been made  on possible work that could be done by the CTD in the context of the 
Ministerial Declaration. The CTD Chairperson has encouraged Members to continue to engage and 
submit written proposals for work in the Committee. In 2022, the Committee considered a 
comm unication18 from the United States. The CT D is currently chaired by Ambassador José R. 
Sánchez -Fung (Dominican Republic) . 
2.7  Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology  
2.8.  At its November 2022 session19, the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technolog y 
(WGTTT), discussed the role of transfer of technology and know -how in creating capacities to 
respond to COVID -19, and how such capacities could be leveraged to tackle other health 
emergencies, including those that are endemic to developing countries. At its October 2023 session, 
the Working Group discussed how the WTO can utilize, encourage and increase voluntary licensing 
and technology transfer partnerships and apply lessons learned from the COVID -19 pandemic . The 
WGTTT is currently chaired by Ambassador Sofia Boza Martinez (Chile).  
2.8  WTO Secretariat  
2.9.  With regard to Paragraphs 27 and 28 of the Declaration, Secretariat work on pandemic 
response and preparedness continued after MC12.  The Secretariat is currently updating the report 
circulated during MC12 on the "WTO Secretariat's Work in the Context of the COVID -19 Pandemic" 
in document WT/MIN(22)/34 . This is based on the full range of information tools developed by the 
Secretariat and available on the WTO COVID -19 and World Trade  gateway. This includes statistical 
analysis such as a recent study  of trade in medical goods during the pandemic, tailored trade policy 
monitoring reports, technical assistance materials and programmes. Several such reports were 
undertaken as part of the interagency cooperation referred to in the  Declaration, notably the 
trilateral WHO -WIPO -WTO update on An Integrated Health, Trade and IP Approach to Respond to 
the COVID -19 Pandemic  and the co -publication with the World Bank, Trade Therapy: Deepening 
cooperation to strengthen pandemic defenses . 
 
__________  
 
18 "Responding to the COVID -19 Pandemic and Suppor ting Resiliency" ( WT/COMTD/W/2 68). 
19 See WT/WGTTT/M/68 . In th is context, Members also shared  domestic experiences and heard the  
perspectives from intergovernmental organizations - including in the context of the trilateral WTO, WHO and 
WIPO cooper ation - that analysed lessons that have been learned and challenges experienced during the COVID -
19 pandemic.