WORLD TRADE G/IT/3
7November 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4868)
Committee ofParticipants ontheExpansion ofTrade
inInformation Technology Products
RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR MEETINGS OF
THE COMMITTEE OFPARTICIPANTS ONTHE EXPANSION OFTRADE
ININFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS
Approved bytheCommittee on30October 1997
TheRules ofProcedure formeetings oftheGeneral Council1shallapply mutatis mutandis
formeetings oftheCommittee ofParticipants ontheExpansion ofTrade inInformation Technology
Products (hereinafter referred toas"Committee"), except asprovided below:
(i) Allreferences to'Member 'or'Members 'shall bemodified torefer to'participant 'or
'participants '2,accordingly.
(ii) Rule1ofChapter I(Sessions) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
TheCommittee shallholdregular meetings, normally twice ayear, toreview developments
related totheimplementation oftheDeclaration onTrade inInformation Technology Products, and
shallholdspecial meetings attherequest ofanyparticipant orasotherwise necessary byinvitation
oftheChairperson.
(iii) Rule5ofChapter II(Agenda) isnotapplicable.
(iv) Rule10ofChapter IV(Observers) isnotapplicable. Seeattached Decision.
(v) Rule11ofChapter IV(Observers) isnotapplicable (seeRule10).
(vi) Rule12ofChapter V(Officers) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
TheCommittee shall elect aChairperson3among therepresentatives ofparticipants oras
otherwise decided.
1WT/L/161
2Asdefined intheMinisterial Declaration inTrade inInformation Technology Products (WT/MIN(96)/16) and
Implementation oftheMinisterial Declaration onTrade inInformation Technology Products (G/L/160).
3TheCommittee shallapply therelevant guidelines contained inthe"Guidelines forAppointment ofOfficers toWTO
Bodies" (WT/L/31).G/IT/3
Page2
(vii) Rule13ofChapter V(Officers) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
IftheChairperson isabsent from anymeeting orpartthereof, theCommittee shallelectan
interim Chairperson forthatmeeting orthatpartofthemeeting.
(viii) Rule14ofChapter V(Officers) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
IftheChairperson cannolonger perform thefunctions oftheoffice, theCommittee shallelect
aninterim Chairperson toperform those functions pending theelection ofanewChairperson.
(ix) Rule16ofChapter VI(Conduct ofbusiness) isnotapplicable.
(x) Rule33ofChapter VII(Decision-Making) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
Alldecisions oftheCommittee shallbetaken byconsensus.
(xi) Rule34ofChapter VII(Decision-Making) isnotapplicable.
(xii) Theprovisions ofAnnex I(Rules forAirmail Ballots andBallots Transmitted byTelegraph
orTelefacsimile) arenotapplicable.G/IT/3
Page3
ATTACHMENT
Decision
Participation ofobservers intheCommittee
ofParticipants ontheExpansion ofTrade inInformation Technology Products
Recalling theprovisions ofparagraph 4ofthedocument onImplementation oftheMinisterial
Declaration onTrade inInformation Technology Products (G/L/160), theparticipants totheMinisterial
Declaration onTrade inInformation Technology Products, hereinafter referred toasthe'Ministerial
Declaration ',decide asfollows:
1. Members oftheWorld Trade Organization which arenotparticipants totheMinisterial
Declaration andGovernments which areobservers totheCouncil forTrade inGoods mayfollow the
proceedings oftheCommittee ofParticipants ontheExpansion ofTrade inInformation Technology
Products, hereinafter referred toasthe'Committee ',inanobserver capacity.
2. TheCommittee shalldecide ontheconditions ofobservership, including withrespect tothe
provision ofinformation byobservers. Observers mayparticipate inthediscussions inaccordance
withparagraphs 9to11oftheguidelines ofAnnex 2toWT/L/161, butdecisions shallbetaken only
byparticipants.
3. TheCommittee maydeliberate onconfidential matters inspecial restricted sessions.
4. TheCommittee mayinvite, asappropriate, international intergovernmental organizations to
participate intheCommittee inanobserver capacity. Inaddition, requests from international
intergovernmental organizations toparticipate intheCommittee, inanobserver capacity, shall be
considered onacase-by-case basisbytheCommittee. Insuchconsiderations, thecriteria andconditions
forobserverstatusforinternationalintergovernmentalorganizationsintheWTO(Annex3toWT/L/161)
shallbetaken intoaccount.