RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/GC/W/61/Rev.2
3October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4253)
General Council
22October 1997
ACCREDITATION OFPERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES TOTHE WTO
Communication from theChairman
Revision
Theattached textonAccreditation ofPermanent Representatives totheWTO hasbeenrevised
inthelightofcomments made bydelegations attheGeneral Council meeting on16July1997 and
thereafter. Itisbeing circulated attherequest oftheChairman oftheGeneral Council forconsideration
attheGeneral Council meeting on22October 1997.WT/GC/W/61/Rev.2
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 totheWTO1
Director-General, informing theWTO anditsMembers ofthename andtitleofthenewAmbassador
and/or Permanent Representative andthedatewhen thatperson takes uphisorhernewduties.
1Depending onthedomestic procedures ofagiven government andincases where thegovernment appoints
thesame Permanent Representative totheUNbodies inGeneva, andtotheWTO, suchadocument could, for
example, beacertified copy ofthenoteofaccreditation senttotheUnited Nations inGeneva.WT/GC/W/61/Rev.2
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, suchastheUnited Nations. Alternatively thedocument maybepresented toaDeputy
Director-General intheabsence oftheDirector-General orsimply deposited intheoffice oftheDirector-
General. TheDirector-General would theninform Members ofnotifications received regarding the
arrival ofanAmbassador and/or Permanent Representative andinclude thisinformation intheWTO
Directory. TheChairman oftheGeneral Council would thenwelcome thenewAmbassador and/or
Permanent Representative atthenextmeeting oftheGeneral Council.
7. Itisproposed thattheprocedure outlined inparagraphs 5and6above come intoeffect on
1November 1997.