RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/578  
 
  
1 March  2022 
(22-1845) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS  
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 20 21 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This memorandum summarizes the situation with respect to  Members ' and Observers' 
contribution s as at 31 December 20 21. It also provides information and recommendations regarding 
the situation of Members  and Observers  subject to Administrative Measures and Members  following 
a payment  plan as at 15 February  2022. 
2  MEMBERS ' STATUS OF CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 20 21 
2.1.  The WTO received a tota l amount of CHF 198.3 million  from Members in 20 21. This amount 
comprises of annual contribution s for 20 21 and payment of arrears in contributions  for previous 
years . 
Figure 1 Total a nnual receipt  (in MCHF ) 
 
 
Table 1 Members' contributions received in 20 21 
Receipt per contribution year  MCHF  
2021 contributions representing 8 5% of assessed contributions  167.1  
2020 contributions (received in 202 1) 29.1 
Contributions for periods prior to 20 20 (received in 202 1) 2.1 
Total  198.3 
Table 2 Members' outstanding contributions as at 31 December 20 21 
Outstanding contribution s per period   MCHF 
Outstanding contributions for 202 1 28.4 
Outstanding contributions for 20 20 2.2 
Outstanding contributions for periods prior to 20 20 7.8 
Total  38.4 
198.3
191.1201.8
178.4203.6
197.0
178.5198.3
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021WT/BFA/W/578  
 
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  2.2.  The outstanding  Members'  contributions amount ed to CHF 38.4 million  at the end of 2021, due 
from 48 Members . 
Figure 2 Members' outstanding contributions at year -end (in MCHF ) 
 
 
 
3  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  
3.1.  As at 31 December  2021: 
a. 16 Members were subject to Administrative Measures for a total amount outstanding of 
CHF 10.0 million , representing 26% of the total amount outstanding.  
Table 3 Members under Administrative Measures  as at 31 December 20 21 
Cat. I ( 7) Cat. II ( 2) Cat. III ( 7) 
Belize  Cuba Antigua and Barbuda  
Djibouti  Guinea  Burundi*  
Gabon   Central African Republic*  
Mauritania   Chad*  
Papua New Guinea   Congo  
Suriname   Guinea -Bissau*  
Yemen   Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of  
*  Members not compliant  with payment plan  terms . 
3.2.  Status a s at 15 February  2022: 
Table 4 Members under Administrative Measures as at 15 February  2022 
Cat. I ( 14) Cat. II ( 6) Cat. III ( 11) 
Afghanistan  Djibouti  Antigua and Barbuda  
Bolivia, Plurinational State of  Gabon  Burundi*  
Cabo Verde  Mauritania  Central African Republic*  
Cameroon  Papua New Guinea  Chad*  
Dominica  Suriname  Congo  
El Salvador  Yemen  Cuba 
The Gambia   Guinea  
Grenada   Guinea -Bissau*  
Kyrgyz Republic   Niger*  
Rwanda   Sierra Leone*  
Togo  Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of  
31.0
27.6
25.3 25.4 25.9
23.725.925.1
22.0
19.323.7
16.533.8
25.724.241.238.4
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021WT/BFA/W/578  
 
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  Cat. I ( 14) Cat. II ( 6) Cat. III ( 11) 
Uganda    
Zambia    
Zimbabwe    
*  Members not compliant  with payment plan  terms . 
 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Members subject to Administrative Measures is 
updated with the  annual assessed contributions.  
b. 31 Members are subject to Administrative Measures with a total amount outstanding of 
CHF 13.0 million  including 20 22 contributions .  
c. Of the Members under Category III, six agreed payment plans for their arrears in 
contribution but none of these Members are currently complying with the agreed terms.  
4  OBSERVERS ' STATUS OF  CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 20 21 
4.1.  The WTO received a total amount of  CHF 497,476 from Observers in 2021. 
Table 5 Observers' contributions received in 20 21 (in kCHF)  
Receipt per c ontribution year  CHF 
2021 contributions representing 56% of assessed contributions  410 
2020 contributions (received in 202 1) 58 
Contributions for periods prior to 20 20 (received in 202 1) 29 
Total  497 
 
4.2.  The outstanding  Observers'  contributions amount ed to CHF 911,570 at the end of 2021. 
Table 6 Observers' outstanding contr ibutions as at 31 December 20 21 (in kCHF)  
Outstanding per contribution year  CHF 
Outstanding contributions for 202 1 235 
Outstanding contributions for 20 20 150 
Outstanding contributions for periods prior to 20 20 526 
Total  911 
 
• Twelve  Observers ha d no outstanding balance  as at 31 December 20 21. 
• Thirteen  Observers ha d an outstanding balance amounting to CHF 911,570 . 
• Three Observers were inactive . 
Figure 3 Observers' o utstanding contributions as 31 December 20 21 (in MCHF ) 
 
0.840.891.131.24
1.041.16
1.07
0.98
0.560.520.59 0.58 0.590.650.820.760.91
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021WT/BFA/W/578  
 
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  5  OBSERVERS SUBJECT TO ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  
5.1.  As at 31 D ecember  2021: 
a. Eight Observe rs were subject to Administrative  Measures for a total amount outstanding 
of CHF 819,754 , representing 90% of the total amount outstanding.   
Table 7 Observe rs under Administrative Measures  as at 31 December 20 21 
Cat. I ( 4) Cat. II ( 1) Cat. III ( 3) 
Comoros  Syrian Arab Republic  Libya  
Iran  Sao Tomé and Principe  
Iraq  Somalia  
Sudan    
 
5.2.  Status a s at 15 February  2022: 
Table 8 Observe rs under Administrative Measures  as at 15 February 2022  
Cat. I ( 3) Cat. II ( 4) Cat. III ( 4) 
Ethiopia  Comoros  Libya 
Lebanese Republic  Iran Sao Tomé and Principe  
South Sudan  Iraq Somalia  
 Sudan  Syrian Arab Republic  
 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Observers subject to Administrative Measures is 
updated with the annual assessed contributions . 
b. Eleven  Observ ers are subject to Administrative Measures with a total amount outstanding 
of CHF 1,233,293 including 202 2 contributions.  
6  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO PAYMENT  PLAN S 
6.1.  The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members in 
Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined s chedule of instalment payments aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.  
6.2.  The Members following a payment  plan had total arrears amounting to  CHF 3.5 million  at the 
end of 20 21. These Members are  Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea -Bissau , Niger  and 
Sierra Leone.  Four of them were  not compliant with payment plan terms  and subjected to 
Administrative Measures under Category III.  
7  RECO MMENDATION  
7.1.  The Committee invites  the General Council to urge Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures to liquidate their arrears . 
 
_______________  
 
 WT/BFA/W/578  
 
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  ANNEX  1 
ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  FOR MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS IN ARREARS  
 
Category  Administrative Measures  
I After one but less than two full years  assessed contributions remain 
outstanding at the end of the year:  
1. Representatives of Members will not be nominated to preside over WTO 
bodies .  
2. Documentation will not be posted to delegations in Geneva nor to the 
Members' and Observers' capitals.  
3. At the beginning of each year, the Director -General will notify the Ministers 
of the Members and Observers responsible for the WTO of the applicable 
administrative measures.  
4. The Director -General will contact , annually , the Minister of the Members' 
and Observe rs' responsible for the WTO, or any other official at the 
appropriate level emphasizing the question of arrears.  
5. The Secretariat will report annually to the Committee on Budget, Finance 
and Administration on the implementation of administrative measures.  
6. Members and Observers will be subject to specific reporting at the General 
Council meetings.1 
II After two but less than three full years  assessed contributions remain 
outstanding at the end of the year, in addition to the measures of Category  I: 
1. The access of the WTO Members' web site will be discontinued.2 
2. The ability of Members to act on the recommendations by the Committee 
on Budget, F inance and Administration to the General Council on financial 
matters will be removed.  
3. Observers will be denied access to training or technical assistance.  
4. The Chairs of the accession working group of Observers will remind the 
delegation of Observers, duri ng their working group meeting, of their 
financial obligations.  
III After three full years  assessed contributions remain outstanding at the end of 
the year, in addition to the measures of Categories I and II:  
1. Members and Observers will be designated as Inactive Members and 
Inactive Observers, respectively.  
2. Inactive Members will be denied access  to training or technical assistance 
other than that necessary to meet their WTO Article XIV -2 obligations.  
3. The accession working groups do not meet either formally or informally. 
WTO will suspend its request for annual contributions from Inactive 
Observer s.  Request for annual contributions will resume the year the 
Observers are not anymore designated as Inactive.3 
4. Inactive Members and Observers taking the floor in the General Council 
will be identified as such.  
 
  
 
1 See General Council procedures.  
2 Applicable to Members and Observers. Under current policy, Observers have a differentiated access to 
documents posted on the Members' Website.  
3 To be enforced starting 1 January 2013.  WT/BFA/W/578  
 
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  GENERAL COUNCIL PROCEDURES FOR MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS  
SUBJECT TO ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  
 
 
At the beginning of each calendar year,  the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration will notify , to the General Council , the list of Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures, with a recommendation that these Members and Observers be urged to 
liquidate their arrears.  
 
At the end of each meeting of the General Council , the Chairman of the Committee on 
Budget, Finan ce and Administration will provide information with regard to which Members and 
Observers are under Administrative Measures. The Chairman of the General Council will request 
Members and Observers in Categories II and III to inform the Secretariat as to whe n the payment  
of arrears may be expected.  
 
Each year  the Director General will report on the results of his contacts with Members ' and 
Observers ' authorities on the issue of arrears.  
 
 
* * * * * * *  
 
 
SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR THE SUSPENSION OF ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  
FOR INACTIVE MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS4 
 
 
The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members in 
Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule  of instalment  payment s aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.5 
 
Those Members with pre -1988 arrears , that were assessed at the minimum contribution , 
may benefit from a reduction in those arrears to the level of the 1989 minimum contribution. For 
each full payment of an annual contribution between 1988 and 1994, any contracting party with 
pre-1988 arrears may cancel an equal number of assessments for 1987 and ea rlier years upon 
payment  of the  1989 minimum contribution amounting to CHF  19,137. The difference between a 
pre-1988 assessment and the payment  of CHF  19,137 would be funded by the Miscellaneous Income  
of the  WTO.6 
 
The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measu res for Observers 
that are in Category III on 1 January 2013, which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of 
installment payment s aimed at liquidating all arrears.   
 
 
__________  
 
 
 
 
 
 
4 Notwithstanding  the WTO Financial Regulations (WT/L/156/Rev 2).  
5 Amend earlier decisions of the General Council  in 1988 ( C/M/226 ) and 1994 (C/M/273) to reflect the 
reduced number of categories.  
6 As approved by the General Council in 1994 (C/M/273).