RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/GC/W/61/Rev.1
3July1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2787)
General Council
ACCREDITATION OFPERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES TOTHE WTO
Communication from theChairman
Revision
Theattached textonAccreditation ofPermanent Representatives totheWTO hasbeenrevised
inthelightofcomments made attheinformal meeting oftheGeneral Council on23June1997. It
isbeing circulated attherequest oftheChairman oftheGeneral Council forfurther consideration by
Members.WT/GC/W/61/Rev.1
Page2
ACCREDITATION OFPERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES TOTHE WTO
1. Attherequest oftheChairman oftheGeneral Council, theSecretariat hasprepared thisbrief
noteconcerning representation ofMembers attheWTO through Ambassadors andPermanent
Representatives.
2. Historically, GATT contracting parties didnotfollow astandard practice inrespect ofinforming
theGATT Secretariat orother contracting parties ofthearrival (ordeparture) ofanAmbassador or
Permanent Representative torepresent theirinterests inconnection withGATT matters. Inprinciple,
anewly appointed Ambassador totheUnited Nations formally notified theDirector-General ofGATT
ofhisorherarrival andtheDirector-General inturncirculated thisinformation tothecontracting parties
byissuing alistofaccredited representatives toGATT. Thispractice wasnotalways followed, however.
Sometimes theDirector-General orGATT Secretariat weregiven formal orinformal notice fromcapitals
ofthearrival ofanewAmbassador orPermanent Representative. Sometimes theGeneva Secretariat
oftheUnited Nations informed theGATT Secretariat ofsucharrivals.
3. Thelackofastandard practice hascontinued under theWTO. Asaresult, Council and
Committee Chairmen, Members ingeneral andtheSecretariat arenotalways aware ofthearrival or
departure ofAmbassadors orPermanent Representatives. Asthemembership oftheGATT/WTO has
grown, ithasbecome increasingly difficult forMembers andtheSecretariat torelyoninformal means
tokeeptrackofsucharrivals anddepartures. Inaddition, itshould benoted thatAmbassadors and/or
Permanent Representatives ofWTO Members areaccredited indifferent manners:
(a) Ambassadors accredited totheUNandother international organizations;
(b) Ambassadors totheUNwhoareseparately accredited totheWTO;
(c) Permanent Representatives toWTO whoaremembers ofPermanent Missions tothe
UNbutarenotAmbassadors;
(d) Ambassadors and/or Permanent Representatives accredited onlytotheWTO.
4. Itshould alsobenoted thattheWTO hassigned anewanddistinct Headquarters Agreement
withtheSwiss Government. ThisAgreement isunrelated totheUnited Nations andother international
organizations andthuscarries itsownlegalimplications andconsequences. Moreover, given theWTO 's
status asanindependent international organization (notthecaseofGATT), which isnotpartofthe
United Nations system, itwould seem imperative thattheWTO anditsMembers develop formal
procedures forrecording thearrival ofAmbassadors andPermanent Representatives.
5. Inlightoftheforegoing, onepossible anduseful setofaccreditation practices tobefollowed
intheWTO would beforWTO Members toensure that,upon arrival ofanAmbassador and/or
Permanent Representative, adocument issued bytheappropriate authorities isprovided totheWTO
Director-General, informing theWTO anditsMembers ofthename andtitleofthenewAmbassador
and/or Permanent Representative andthedatewhen thatperson takes uphisorhernewduties.WT/GC/W/61/Rev.1
Page3
6. Inorder tofacilitate thebestpossible personal working relationships, itwould bepreferable
forthedocument concerning thearrival ofanAmbassador and/or Permanent Representative tobe
presented inperson totheDirector-General, asisthepractice inother organizations ofauniversal
character,suchastheUnitedNations.TheDirector-GeneralwouldtheninformMembersofnotifications
received regarding thearrival ofanAmbassador and/or Permanent Representative andinclude this
information intheWTO Directory. TheChairman oftheGeneral Council would thenwelcome the
newAmbassador and/or Permanent Representative atthenextmeeting oftheGeneral Council.
7. Itisproposed thattheprocedure outlined inparagraphs 5and6above come intoeffect on
1September 1997.