WT/TPR/ R/12 
 
19 June 2023  
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Trade Policy Review Body   
 
 
SEVENTH APPRAISAL OF THE T RADE POLICY REVIEW MECHANISM  
REPORT ON THE FIRST DEDICATED SESSION ON OTHER ISSUES  OF 15 JUNE 2023 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr Saqer Abdullah ALMOQBEL (Kingdom of  Saudi  Arabia ) 
1. The first dedicated session on  "Other Issues" ( so-called "Basket 3") was held on 15 June 2023. 
The meeting was chaired by Ambassador H.E. Mr Saqer  ALMOQBEL (Kingdom of Saudi  Arabia) . 
2. The Chair  recalled that the purpose of the meeting  is to hear Members' views on  basket 3 
issues  – review cycles, meeting structure, follow -up activities for LDCs, Trade Monitoring exercise , 
and date of the next appraisal. To aid the discussion, the Secretariat displayed the draft conclusions 
on each issue as contained in the revised chair note circulated on 2 6 May 2023. 
3. Some Members said that their priority in discussing "Other Issues" was to reduce the burden 
on Members caused by Trade Policy Review (TPR) meetings while safeguarding and expanding the 
contribution that TPRs make to transparency and the smooth functioning of the multilateral trading 
system.  
4. Regarding the review cycles, some  Member s said that extending the three -year review cycle 
by one year would be desirable, given the heavy burden the current three -year cycle imposed on 
Members subject to it.  
5. On the meeting structure, Members exchanged ideas on ways to reinvigorate  TPR meetings . 
It was noted that the formal and protocol -driven nature of TPR meetings is not conducive to 
interactive discussions and detracts from the original purpose of the TPR pr ocess, which is to achieve 
greater transparency and understanding of Members' trade policies and practices . Several Members 
said that the second meeting  day in particular sees a significant drop in the level of participation and 
engagement by Members and t hat, as currently organized,  it contributes little to the Review's go als, 
and is therefore a missed opportunity.  
6. To remedy this situation  and make TPR meetings more efficient , informative , and useful for  
Members and stakeholders , some Members suggested rethinking the arrangements for the Review's 
second meeting. They said that Members should have the option to organize the second meeting in 
the form of a "dedicated discussion" . Members put forward the following ideas regarding  dedicated  
discussions : they would last half a day and take place on the day immediately following the Review's 
first meeting; they would be informal , with high-level representation, and held under the Chatham 
House Rule  to allow for frank discussion s; and they would be in the form of interactive 
question -and-answer sessions, focused on the topics that  elicit the highest number of written 
questions  by Members, for example . 
7. One Member proposed to cap the number of written questions received by Members  that opt  
for a dedicated discussion for their second meeting , noting that this would serve as an incentive for 
Members to choose the alternative format . 
8. Another Member, while agreeing that it is desirable to make TPR meetings  more interactive 
and less formal , said that the current meeting arrangements should be maintained, and that the gap 
day between the first and second meeting s offered the Member under review an opportunity to 
consider the questions and comments received du ring the first meeting and to prepare its  response.  WT/TPR/R/1 2 
 
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  9. Some Members said that an additional measure to make TPR meetings  more productive would 
be to invite an "external discussant"  in addition to , or in substitution of , the ambassador or other 
Geneva -based de legate traditionally chosen for that role . It was noted that the option of having an 
external discussant  should be  voluntary , and that external discussants could be from academia or  a 
think tank.  
10. One Member noted that further consideration needs to be give n to the participation cost s of 
external discussants in TPR meetings , especially to  who would bear  those costs . Another Member 
cautioned against relying on external speakers to serve  as TPR discussants , noting that  peer review  
is a central feature of the TPR process , and that external discussants would lack the necessary 
knowledge about WTO work.  
11. Several Members highlighted the need to ensure that any alternative  arrangement for TPR 
meetings  would be voluntary . Some Members note d that not all Members can take on the extra 
burden  that dedicated discussions would entail,  including  the need for the Member under review to 
bring to Geneva relevant experts who can engage meaningfully on the topics of the dedicated 
discussion.  
12. Several Member s suggested that the Secretariat prepare , for the consideration of Members,  a 
"menu of options" from which Member s could choose to make their TPR meetings more interactive.  
13. One Member raised the issue of how to make Members' oral statements during the  TPR 
meeting more conducive to a fruitful exchange of views. It was suggested that Members' oral 
statement s could be more useful if, instead of devoting time to simply citing the value of bilateral 
trade flows, they focused on the bilateral, regional , and multilateral significance of the trade policies 
and practices of the Member under review.  
14. A few Members referred to the conclusions c ontained in paragraph  2.19 of the revised chair 
note of 26  May 2023. It was noted that the  second conclusion  was intended to highlight and leverage 
the value of the Trade Policy Review Body  as a horizontal body and transparency platform allowing 
Members to discuss the direction of trade policies  across all areas of WTO work , especially in times 
of stress , and did  not seek to create any additional burden on Members.  
15. One Member raised the issue of the TPR preparation process and recommended that the 
Secretariat endeavour to make greater use of virtual rather than in-person meetings in its 
discussions with capital -based authorities . The Secretariat was requested to provide delegations with 
information on the budget related to TPR travel . While supporting the need for  this information , one 
Member said that the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration would be be tter placed to 
handle such a request.  
16. Regarding follow -up activities for LDCs, one Member highlighted the need to bring more rigour 
to the follow -up process, for example by holding a meeting midway through an LDC's review cycle 
to assess progress . Another Member called on LDCs to provide inputs on this specific item.  The Chair 
reminded Members that some Members were not able to participate in the dedicated discussions due 
to the lack of capacity of small delegation s to avoid conflict between WTO meetings. Meanwhile, he 
recalled the intervention made by Djibouti on behalf of the LDCs Group in the last TPRB  meeting 
held on 8 June 2023 in which it was made  clear to Members that follow -up activities should not in 
any way  burden LDCs  with further duties or commitments.  
17. On the Trade Monitoring exercise, Members discussed the following five draft conclusions 
contained in the Chair's note of 26 May 2023 on: (i)  the use of IT solutions for submission and 
verification of measur es; (ii)  Members' participation in the Trade Monitoring exercise; 
(iii) verification of measures submitted by delegations; (iv)  the use of unofficial sources in trade 
monitoring reports; and (v)  the frequency and timing of those reports.  
18. Members expressed support for the implementation and development of IT solutions and 
welcomed the recently launched IT  system. One Member suggested to replace the current individual 
login system with a single account for each Member to facilitate use by capital -based expert s. Some 
Members said that the existing IT  platform should be extended to allow for verification of intellectual 
property and services measures.  WT/TPR/R/1 2 
 
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  19. Members highlighted the need to increase participation in the Trade Monitoring exercise and 
noted the potential contribution of improved IT platforms  in this regard. Capacity constraints were 
mentioned as one factor limiting some Members' participation.  
20. Members' views differed on whether measures submitted by delegations or identified by the 
Secretariat in official government sources should be subject to verification. Different views were also 
expressed in relation to whether the Secretariat is entitled to use unofficial sources for its report. 
Some Members requested further clarity on the distinction between officia l and unofficial sources. 
The Secretariat clarified that official sources comprise both WTO official documents and government 
sources, while newspapers and academic papers are unofficial sources. The Chair proposed to drop 
the draft conclusions related to both issues (i.e.  conclusions (3) and (4) under paragraph 2.29) to 
facilitate consensus among Members.  
21. Several Members invited the Secretariat to consider reducing the number of reports to one 
per year, while one Member highlighted the usefulness of biannu al reports in times of stress such 
as the COVID -19 pandemic. The Chair proposed to modify draft conclusion (5) under paragraph  2.29 
to reflect the recommendation by Members that the Secretariat publish trade monitoring reports on 
a yearly basis in normal c ircumstances while maintaining flexibility in times of crisis.  
22. On the date of the eighth Appraisal of the operation of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, 
the Chair drew attention to the text contained in paragraph 4.1 of the chair note of 26  May 2023, 
which states that the next appraisal should take place within four years of the seventh  Appraisal.  
23. Members called on the Secretariat to work with the Chair to propose revised text for the 
relevant paragraphs  of the revised chair note of 26 May 2023 for Members to discuss at the next 
meeting.  
24. The Chair closed the meeting by indicating that the next session on "Other Issues " would take 
place on  Monday , 26 June at  3 p.m. in room S3 . 
 
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