G/L/1371  
 
10 November 2020  
(20-8055) Page: 1/2 
    
 
 
REPORT (20 20) OF THE COMMITTEE  OF PARTICIPANTS ON THE EXPANSION  
OF TRADE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS  
1.1.  The Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products, 
hereinafter referred to as "the Committee", was established pursuant to the provisions of the 
Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (WT/MIN(96)/16), hereinafter 
referred to as "the Ministerial Declaration", and the provisions for the Implementation of the 
Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (G/L/160), in order to carry out 
the provisions of paragraphs  3, 5, 6, and 7 of the Annex to the Declaration.  
1.2.  The Committee has held one  formal meeting in 2020: 30  October. The minutes of th e meeting 
are contained in document  G/IT/M/72. Ms  Uma MUNIANDY (Singapore) was elected Chairperson of 
the Committee for 2020  on 29  July through written procedure s. 
1.3.  As of 30  October  2020, t he total number of WTO  Members that are participants to the 
Minister ial Declaration is 82. The Committee has consistently reviewed the status of implementation, 
a summary of which is provided in document  G/IT/1 and its revisions. The document details that all 
but one  participant had submitted the formal documentation for t he rectification and modification of 
their WTO  schedules in order to incorporate the commitments arising from the Ministerial 
Declaration, and that they had been certified by the Director -General. Three  implementation issues, 
concerning India, China, and I ndonesia, were raised at the Committee's meeting in October.  
1.4.  The Committee's rules of procedure provide for observer status in the Committee for 
WTO Members that are not participants to the Ministerial Declaration, and governments that are 
observers to the  Council for Trade in Goods. Requests for observer status by international 
intergovernmental organizations are considered on a case -by-case basis. The International Trade 
Centre (ITC) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) hav e been 
granted observer status, and the World Customs Organization  (WCO) has been granted observer 
status to meetings where issues of HS  classification and HS  amendments are included on the 
agenda.  
1.5.  The Committee continued its deliberations on the Non -Tariff Measures (NTMs) Work 
Programme in 2020. Regarding its work on the  Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electromagnetic 
Interference  (EMC/EMI ) Pilot Project, the Committee took note that, among the 53  participants  
(EU-28 countries count as one  participant) , 43 had provided survey responses and encouraged those 
that had not yet done so to provide the information without any further delay. It was recalled that 
in order to advance and expand its work on NTMs other than EMC/EMI, the Committee continued its 
discus sions on the follow -up to the workshop held on 7  May 2015 on NTMs affecting trade in 
IT products and to the Symposium for the 20th Anniversary of the ITA held in June  2017. At the 
October  meeting  this year , the Committee agreed that the Chairperson, in 202 1, would continue to 
undertake informal consultations with interested delegations to examine the recommendations and 
avenues that were suggested by industry representatives at the 7  May 2015 workshop on NTMs.  
Upon request, the Secretariat made a presentati on on the background of the EMC/EMI  Pilot Project 
at the meeting.  
1.6.  On classification divergences,  the Committee referred to its Decision s concerning the 
endorsement of the 18  List I-A items for Attachment  B (G/IT/27) , and for the HS2007  classification 
of 15  additional "Attachment  B" products (G/IT/29 ); as well as the Secretariat's compilation of 
comments on possible HS2007  classification for the remaining 22  "Attachment  B" items  (G/IT/W/40 
and its Addenda and Supplements ). At the r equest of the Committee, the Secretariat made a 
presentation on a new technical note to update the "ITA  Model List" (JOB/IT/25 ) at the 
October  meeting . G/L/1371  
 
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  1.7.  At the  same meeting, the Committee took note of the reports and updates from those 
participants that wer e engaged in the 2015  ITA Expansion (WT/L/956 and WT/MIN(15)/25), and its 
implementation. The Committee agreed to revert to this matter at its future meetings.  
1.8.  At the October  meeting, the Committee discussed the date and programme for the proposed 
ITA Workshop projected for the spring of 2021 . 
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