GPA/AR/2  
 
4 December 2019  
(19-8349) Page: 1/17 
   
 
REPORT (201 9) OF THE COMMITTEE O N GOVERNMENT PROCURE MENT  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This Report covers the period since the Committee's previous Annual Report1, i.e. from the  
beginning of December  2018 to the end of November 201 9. It is issued pursuant  to Article IV:8 of 
the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization,  to Article  XXI:3 of the 
Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) as amended by the Protocol Amending the 
Agreement on Government Procurement, done at Geneva on 30 March  2012 (the revised Agreement 
or revised GPA) and Article  XXIV:7(a) of the 1994 Agreement on Government  Procurement (the 
1994 Agreement or the GPA 1994).2 This reflects the entry into force of the revised Agreement on 
6 April 2014 and the fact that one Party continues to be bound only by the 1994 Agreement.3 
1.2.  The Committee has had a productive year. Since the date of circulation of its last Annual Report 
(29 November  2018), it has held three  formal meetings in Geneva: on 27 February  2019; on 
26 June 2019; and on 3 December  2019.4 The meetings were chaired by Mr  Carlos  Vanderloo 
(Canada).5 The Committee has also held a series of informal meetings, equally  chaired by 
Mr Vanderloo, focusing on t he implementation of the revised Agreement , accessions to the 
Agreement , the Committee's agreed Work Programmes , and other matters, in the weeks beginning 
25 February , 24 June, and 21 October  2019.  
1.3.  Among other highlights, the Committee notes the applicati on of Kazakhstan for accession to 
the GPA and the progress achieved with respect to  ongoing  work on  accession s to the Agreement 
by several WTO Members not currently Parties to it, in particular the entry of force of the Agreement 
for Australia and the adop tion of Committee Decision s setting out terms for  the United Kingdom 's 
accession  in its own right to the Agreement after it leaves the European Union , subject to relevant 
developments and the eventual submission of an instrument  of accession within the timelines 
foreseen by the decision s.6 In addition, request s for observer status from Ecuador, Paraguay  and 
the Philippines were received and approved by  the Committee. Significant work was also done with 
respect to the Committee's agreed Work Programmes, notably those dealing with (i)  Sustainable 
Procurement; (ii) the Collection and Reporting of Statistical Data; and (iii) Small and Medium -sized 
Enterpris es (SMEs).7 
1.4.  The following 4 8 WTO Members are currently covered by the Agreement: Armenia;  Australia8; 
Canada; the  European Union , with its 28 member States (normally counted as a single Party); 
Hong Kong,  China; Iceland; Israel; Japan; the Republic  of Kore a (Korea); Liechtenstein; 
the Republic of Moldova (Moldova) ; Montenegro; the Kingdom of the Netherlands with respect to 
Aruba; New  Zealand; Norway; Singapore; Switzerland ( currently covered by the GPA 1994 only); 
the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, P enghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei); Ukraine ; 
and the United States of America (United States) .  
                                                
1 GPA/AR/1, dated 29 November 2018. 
2 The 1994 Agreement and the revised Agreement are hereafter referred to together as the "Agreement 
on Government Procurement" or "GPA" or "Agreement".  
3 See, for relevant details, Section 2 below.  
4 GPA/M/7 5, dated 2 8 May 201 9; GPA/M/7 6, dated 30 Septembe r 2019; and GPA/M/7 7, to be issued.  
5 At its formal meeting of 27 February 2019 , the Committee re-elected Mr Vanderloo as Chairman for 
2019 (GPA/M/7 5, dated 28 May 2019 , para . 1.2). 
6 See, for relevant details, Section 3 below.  
7 See, for relevant details,  Section 4 below.  
8 See, Decision of the Committee of 17 October 201 8 (GPA/ CD/1, dated 23 October 201 8) and 
WT/Let/1429, dated 16 April 2019.  GPA/AR/2  
 
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  1.5.  Thirty -four WTO Members/Observers have observer status in the Committee on Government 
Procurement: Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Bahrain, Belarus, Braz il, Cameroon, Chile, China, 
Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador9, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz  Republic, 
Malaysia, Mongolia, the Republic of  North  Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Panama,  Paraguay10, the 
Philippines11, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sri  Lanka, Tajikistan , Thailand, 
Turkey, and Viet Nam. Four intergovernmental organizations, namely the International Monetary  
Fund (IMF), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Organization for Economic  Co-operation and 
Development (OECD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), also 
have observer status.  
1.6.  The Committee considers the GPA – particularly the revised Agreement which came into force 
in 2014 – to be an important too l for trade and development in the twenty -first century  that not 
only provides  market access for Parties' goods, services and suppliers, based on principles of 
reciprocity and to the extent determined  by Parties, but also promotes greater  transparency of 
Parties' procurement systems  and good governance. It is pleased with the progress made during the 
year on accessions to the Agreement and on the Committee's Work Programmes. It encourages 
WTO Members not currently Parties or Observers to the Agreement to ta ke an interest in it , and 
invites them to consider the potential advantages of association, whether as Parties or as Observers.  
1.7.  The remaining sections of this Report deal with the work undertaken  by the Committee  during 
the year, with particular reference  to (i) the implementation of the Agreement, including its entry 
into force; (ii) accessions to the Agreement; (iii) the Committee's agreed Work Programmes; and 
(iv) notifications made pursuant to the Agreement.  
2  THE IMPLEMENTATION O F THE AGREEMENT  
2.1  Entry in to force of the revised Agreement  
2.1.  As recounted in previous Annual Reports12, the revised Agreement entered into force on 
6 April 2014, 30 days after the submission of formal acceptances of the "Protocol Amending the 
Agreement on Government Procurement" by t wo thirds  of the Agreement's Parties. As a result of 
additional acceptances  received and accessions that have taken place, the revised Agreement is in 
force for all Parties except Switzerland.13 The latter has continued to provide regular updates to the 
Committee on related developments and has assured the Committee that it will provide its  
instrument of  acceptance as soon as possible, taking account of relevant internal requirements and 
legislative procedures.14 In the course of the Committee's October 2019 meetings, Switzerland 
reported that its internal process was now at a very advanced  stage.  
2.2.  The Committee hopes that the revised Agreement will enter into force for Switzerland as soon 
as possible, taking account of relevant internal requirements and legi slative procedures . 
2.2  Procedures for the circulation, derestriction and translation of GPA -related 
documents  
2.3.  In October 2018, the Secretariat circulated a note setting out information on procedures 
currently in use for the circulation, derestriction and tran slation of GPA -related documents.15 The 
purpose of the Note was to clarify the operation  of the relevant procedures and  to facilitate their 
review, if desired, by the Committee, with the overall objectives of facilitating the administration of 
the revised Agreement and ensuring an appropriate level of transparency for WTO Members and the 
                                                
9 GPA/149, dated 14 May 2019.  
10 GPA/147, dated 6 February 2019.  
11 GPA/148, dated 7  May 2019.  
12 See GPA/AR/1, dated 29 November 2018,  section 2.1, GPA/145, dated 16 November 2017, section 
2.1, GPA/141, dated 29 November 2016, section 2.1, GPA/134, dated 16 November 2015, section 2.1, and 
GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014, section 2.  
13 A list of the instru ment of acceptances and accessions is provided in GPA/141, dated 
29 November  2016, paras 2.1 and 2.2; and GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014, para . 2.3. 
14 As the delegation of Switzerland has made clear, the delay in  the submission of its instrument of 
accept ance is not due to any substantive reservations regarding the content of the revised Agreement; rather, 
it reflects a need for completion of ongoing internal legislative procedures to harmonize Swiss procurement 
legislation at the federal and cantonal leve ls. 
15 RD/GPA/68, dated 11 October 2018.  GPA/AR/2  
 
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  general public. Initial discussions on the topic took place at the Committee's informal meetings held 
in October 2018 and February and June 2019.  At the request of the Commi ttee, in October 2019, 
the Secretariat circulated a note comprising (i) a draft decision concerning GPA documents to be 
circulated in future, to facilitate Parties' consultation in capitals , and (ii) a draft initial list of GPA 
documents already circulated  since the entry into force of the 1994 GPA that could potentially be 
derestricted.16 Initial discussions on the note took place at the Committee's  informal meetings held 
in October 2019.  In the course of the discussions, Parties expressed general support f or transparency 
while at the same time indicating that  they needed  some additional time to consider the elements 
contained in the Secretariat  note. Subsequently, on 12 November 2019, the Secretariat circulated a 
document providing further clarification and  background information on derestriction of negotiating 
documents in other subject areas.17 Another  discussion on the topic is scheduled to take place in 
February 20 20. 
2.3  Chair Initiative on Enhancing Information -Sharing in the Committee on Government 
Procurement  
2.4.  During the Committee's discussions throughout the year , and based on an initiative by the 
Chair in this regard18, Parties explored  ways on how information -sharing in the Committee might be 
pursued . Inputs by four delegations19 and a no n-paper by the Chairman20 were circulated to the 
Committee during the reporting period .  
2.5.  The Committee looks forward to further discussions  and related developments in this regard 
in 2020.  
2.4  Continuing development of the e -GPA system  
2.6.  As noted in previous Annual Reports, the aim of the e -GPA system is to provide a n entry point 
for market access and related information under the revised Agreement and serve as an information 
resource for governments, suppliers  and other interested parties.21 It was de veloped in close 
consultation with delegations so as to ensure  that it corresponded with the practical needs of Parties. 
In prior periods, an initial version of the system (e -GPA 2.0) was completed and made publicly 
accessible via the WTO's website ( https://e -gpa.wto.org/ ) ("Phase II"). During the reporting period, 
further progress was made in the development of the next phase ("Phase III"). Completion  of Phase 
III is expected to further improve the visibility  and transparency  of, and accessibility to , information 
on market access and related information  as well as to facilitate the efficient administration of the 
revised Agreement by Parties and the Se cretariat.  
2.7.  The Committee looks forward to further  Phase III improvements to the e -GPA system, including 
the development  by the Secretariat of tools to facilitate the circulation of notifications under the 
Agreement, to be undertaken in  continuing  consultat ion with delegations.  
2.5  Decision items considered by the Committee and f uture work mandated by the revised 
GPA 
2.8.  During the Committee's informal sessions held in February and June 2019, the Committee's 
attention was drawn to several decision items that are bui lt into the revised Agreement and/or the 
various related decisions that were adopted at the time that the negotiations were concluded.22 In 
addition to these  items , Article XXII:7 of the revised Agreement calls for further negotiations, and 
                                                
16 RD/GPA/68/Add.1, dated 11 October 2019.  
17 RD/GPA/68/Add.2, dated 12 November 2019.  
18 RD/GPA/80, dated 29 January 2019.  
19 Canada - RD/GPA/80/Add.1, dated 20 June 2019; Ukraine - RD/GPA/80/Add.2 , dated 
17 October  2019; New Zealand - RD/GPA/80/Add. 3, dated 17 October 2019; and the European Union - 
RD/GPA/80/Add. 4, dated 11 November 2019.  
20 RD/GPA/80/Add. 5, dated 15 November 2019.  
21 See, GPA/AR/1, dated 29 November 2018, section 2.2; GPA/145, dated 16 November 2017, 
section 2.3; GPA/141, dated 29 November 2016, section 2.3 ; GPA/134, dated 16 November 2015, section  2.2; 
and GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014, section 4.6.  
22 RD/GPA/84 , dated 27 May 2019 , paras 2.1 -2.4; and RD/GPA/ 87, dated 7 October 201 9, 
paras  2.1-2.4. GPA/AR/2  
 
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  Article  XIX:8 calls for the adoption by the Committee of decisions on indicative criteria and criteria 
for determining  the level of compensatory adjustment.   
2.9.  In the course of the Committee's end -of-year formal meeting held on 3  December 2019, the 
Committee agreed to return to these items as and when appropriate.  
2.6  Notifications  
2.10.   Information  concerning notifications pursuant to the Agreement is set out in Section 5 of this 
Report.  
3  ACCESSIONS TO THE AG REEMENT  
3.1.  The Committee continues to attach great weight  to its work on pe nding and future accessions 
to the Agreement, as this would  further expand the geographical scope of covered market access 
commitments and underscore the  importance of the systemic aspects of the  Agreement , including 
with regard to good governance . Signifi cant progress was made during the review period. Relevant 
developments included: (i)  the submission of its instrument of accession and subsequent entry into 
force of the Agreement for Australia;  (ii) the adoption  of Committee Decision s setting out terms fo r 
the United Kingdom 's accession  in its own right to the Agreement after it leaves the European Union ; 
(iii) further progress on the accession s of the Republic of North Macedonia  and of the Kyrgyz 
Republic ; (iv) further discussions on China's accession and the circulation of its sixth revised market 
access offer; (v) further deliberations on the accessions of the Russian Federation and of Tajikistan ; 
and (vi) the application by Kazakhstan for accession . This Section provides additional details 
regarding these particular accessions and other developments.  Committee documents related to 
each accession are contained in the Appendix  tables  of this Report  (see Appendix: Accessions to the 
Agreement  below) . 
3.1  Entry into force of the GPA for  Australia  
3.2.  Australia submitted its application for GPA accession on 2  June 2015. Following multiple 
discussions in informal session and the review of r elevant documentation, the Committee at its 
formal meeting of 17 October  2018 adopted  a decision on the terms of Australia's accession to the 
Agreement. The decision invited Australia to deposit its instrument of accession within 12 months of 
the date of the adoption of the decision, i.e. by 17  October 2019.  
3.3.  On 5 April 2019, Australia deposited with the  WTO Director -General its instrument of accession. 
The Agreement entered into force for Australia on 5 May 2019. The Committee warmly welcome d 
Australia as a Party to the Agreement.  
3.2  The adoption of decision s setting out terms for  the United Kingdom's accession  in its 
own right to the  Agreement after it leaves the European Union  
3.4.  The United Kingdom on 1 June 2018 applied for accession to the  GPA in its own right, through 
a communication from the European Union. Its initial market access offer, its replies to the Checklist  
of Issues  for Provision of Information relating to Accession to the Agreement on Government 
Procurement ("Checklist of Issues")  and its final market access offer were submitted via the 
European Union in June and October 2018, respectively. Discussions  on this accession were held at 
the Committee's informal sessions in June, October and November 2018. In the course of those 
discussions , the United Kingdom expressed  its willingness to update the schedules within three 
months of completing its proposed access ion and its schedules coming into force, using the 
procedures set out in Article XIX of the revised Agreement. The Committee also took note of the 
joint position of the European Union and the United Kingdom that the United Kingdom is covered by 
the GPA, as  a member State of the European Union, until the date of its withdrawal from the 
European Union  and would accede to the GPA in its own right only at the end of any transition period 
to be agreed between the European Union and the United Kingdom.  Written exchanges between the 
United Kingdom and the relevant delegations were conducted intersessionally .  
3.5.  Taking account of these communications and related discussions among delegations, on 
24 January  2019, a draft Committee decision was circulated on the United Kingdom's accession in 
its own right. On  6 February 2019, an updated version of the draft decis ion was circulated to reflect GPA/AR/2  
 
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  proposed consequential changes to the schedules of several Parties. At its formal meeting on 
27 February 2019, the Committee adopted the decision, inviting the United Kingdom to accede to 
the GPA in its own right on the terms agreed  and within the timeframes foreseen in the decision .  
3.6.  At its formal meeting o f 26 June 2019, the Committee adopted an addendum to its previous 
decision on this accession, which extended the period for submission of the United Kingdom's 
instrument of accession by six months, until 27 February 2020 , and also reflected the consequential 
changes arising from the entry into force of the GPA for Australia.  
3.7.  The Committee, once again, congratulates the United Kingdom on the successful adoption of 
decisions setting out terms for  the United Kingdom's accession  in its own right to the Agreement 
after it leaves the E uropean Union and thanks all Parties for their constructive engagement 
throughout the process.  
3.3  Further progress on the accessions of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Kyrgyz 
Republic  
3.3.1   The Republic of North Macedonia  
3.8.  Pursuant to a commitment it undertook in the course of its WTO accession in 200223, the 
Republic of North Macedonia applied for GPA accession in March  2017. Its draft procur ement law 
and replies to the Checklist of Issues were circulated in March  2017. Its initial market access offer 
was circulated in February  2018 and  was discuss ed at the Committee's subsequent meetings held 
in 2018.  
3.9.  During the reporting period, the Republi c of North Macedonia indicated that, in terms of market 
access, it would consider all Parties' concerns on its initial offer and would submit its final offer as 
soon as practicable. In terms of legislation, it informed the Committee that its new law on pub lic 
procurement had come in to force on 1 April 2019. It indicated that this law is based on the 2014 
European Union Public Procurement Directives and is in line with the  revised  GPA. The law made a 
clear reference to the  revised  GPA and set out  the princip le of equal treatment of all economic 
operators, both domestic and foreign. The government was in the process of updating and approving 
the secondary legislation to implement the new law. Written exchanges on the initial market access 
offer and the replies  to the Checklist of Issues were also conducted between the Parties and the 
Republic of North Macedonia intersessionally.   
3.10.   Parties expressed their overall strong support for  this accession, while some also reiterated 
outstanding  concerns regarding the appr oach to be followed regarding this accession. They 
expressed their interest to receive the new revised final offer and to continue engaging actively  
intersessionally to conclude this accession as soon as possible. The Republic of North Macedonia 
assured th e GPA Parties that GPA accession was a priority for its current government and expressed 
its hope to conclude its accession negotiation in the near future.  
3.11.   The Committee welcomes the engagement shown by  the Republic of North Macedonia in 
pursuing  its GPA accession, encourages the Republic of North Macedonia and those Parties with 
particular concerns regarding its proposed terms of accession to work together in the spirit of 
pragmatism to resolve these co ncerns, and hopes that this accession can be concluded as promptly 
as possible . 
3.3.2   The Kyrgyz Republic  
3.12.   The Kyrgyz Republic applied for accession to the GPA in May  1999, honouring its commitment 
to initiate GPA accession negotiations, made in the course of its accession to the WTO in 1998.24 
                                                
23 WT/ACC/807/27, dated 26  September 2002, para . 177: "The representative of FYROM confirmed 
that, upon accession to the WTO, the Government of FYROM would initiate negotiations for membership in the 
Agreement on Government Procurement by tabling an entity o ffer. He also confirmed that, if the results of the 
negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of FYROM and the other members of the Agreement, FYROM 
would complete negotiations for membership in the Agreement within two years of accession. The Workin g 
Party took note of these commitments."  
24 WT/ACC/KGZ/26, dated 31 July 1998, para . 120: "The representative of the Kyrgyz Republic stated 
that the Kyrgyz Republic would initiate negotiations for membership in the Government Procurement GPA/AR/2  
 
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  Following a period of minimal activity, work on this accession was resumed in January  2016 with the 
circulation of the Kyrgyz Republic's Law on Public Procurement and a revised and updated market 
access  offer. In June 2018, the Kyrgyz Republic circulated its fourth revised  market access  offer. 
This offer was discuss ed at the Committee's meetings in  June and October 2018.  
3.13.   During the reporting period, further discussions based on the fourth revised offer were held 
at the Co mmittee's meetings in February, June and October 2019. In the course of those discussions, 
the Kyrgyz Republic indicated that its fourth revised offer took into account the remarks and inputs 
of Parties and ensured full coverage of goods, services and cons truction services by procuring entities 
covered  by the offer. The Parties welcomed the engagement and continued interest of the Kyrgyz 
Republic in joining the  GPA and reiterated that their few remaining concerns would need to be 
resolved. Written exchanges  on the fourth revised offer and on the draft law  on public procurement  
were conducted between the Parties and the Kyrgyz Republic intersessionally. In June 2019, the 
Kyrgyz Republic circulated its updated law on public procurement.  
3.14.   At the Committee's October 2019 meeting s, the Kyrgyz Republic stated that accession to the 
GPA remained an important priority for its government. It outlined efforts underway to prepare and 
submit a further revised offer before the Committee's February 2020 meetings, noting tha t its 
current offer was already very ambitious.  
3.15.   The Committee encourages the Kyrgyz Republic to circulate its further  revised offer well in 
advance of the Committee 's February 2020 meetings . It looks forward to further discussions, 
hopefully with  a capital -based delegation  of the Kyrgyz Republic,  at the  upcoming meetings,  with 
the aim of concluding this accession as soon as practically possible, subject to mutually satisfactory 
outcomes.  
3.4  Further discussions on China's accession and the circulation of China' s sixth  revised 
market access offer  
3.16.   China applied for accession to the GPA in December 2007 , honouring its commitment to 
initiate GPA accession negotiations made in the context  of its accession to the WTO in 2001.25 Its 
initial market access offer was circulated to the Committee in January  2008. Since then, several 
further offers have been circulated by China.26 Discussions dedicated to China's accession have taken 
place on multiple occasions in the Committee. On 10 A pril 2018, President Xi announced that China 
would accelerate the process of its accession to the  GPA. 
3.17.   During  the reporting period,  continuing dialogue took place on this accession  at the 
Committee's meetings in  February and June 2019. In the course of tho se discussions, Parties 
expressed their interest and support, while continuing to stress the need for improvements in China's 
market access offer to provide a level of coverage commensurate with that of other Parties. China 
indicated that efforts were bein g made to prepare the next revised offer, to draft its updated replies 
to the Checklist of Issues, to deepen its ongoing procurement reforms and to strengthen its capacity 
to implement the revised Agreement. It also reported on intersessional bilateral con sultations with 
relevant GPA Parties.  
3.18.   In an important development, in October 2019, China circulated its sixth revised market 
access offer.  At the Committee's October 2019  meeting s, China introduced the new offer and 
indicated that it contain ed significan t improvements  including with respect to the threshold  value s, 
the number of provinces and state-owned enterprises  covered, the coverage of services sectors and 
construction works, and the notes setting out exclusions . China stated that the submission of t his 
offer reflected China's commitment to acced e to the GPA. Parties welcomed the submission of China's 
                                                
Agreement upon acce ssion by tabling an entity offer at that time. He also confirmed that, if the results of the 
negotiations were satisfactory to the Kyrgyz Republic and the signatories of the Agreement, the Kyrgyz 
Republic would complete negotiations for membership in the A greement by 31  December  1999. The Working 
Party took note of this commitment."  
25 WT/ACC/CHN/49, dated 1 October 2001 and WT/MIN(01)/3, dated 10 November 2001, paras. 340 
and 341: "The representative of China [responded] that China would become an observer to the GPA upon 
accession to the WTO Agreement and initiate negotiations for membership in the GPA by tabling an Appendix 1 
offer as soon as possible. The Working Party took note of these commitments."  
26 China's fifth revised market access offer was circul ated in January 2015.  GPA/AR/2  
 
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  revised offer and indicated that they needed time to review it before they could make substantive 
comments. They also encourage d China to circulate its updated replies to the Checklist of Issues.  
3.19.   The Committee takes not e with appreciation of China's  submi ssion of  the new revised offer 
that had been under preparation for several years . It hopes that productive  discussions based on 
this new offer can be carried out in 2020 to keep the positive momentum and move China's accession  
forward . It remains of the view that China's GPA accession, on mutually agreeable and appropriate 
terms, would be  significan t for the Agreement, for the WTO, and for the world economy and  would 
send a strong  signal for other emerging economies.  
3.5  Further deliberations on the accessions of the Russian Federation and Tajikistan  
3.5.1   The Russian Federation  
3.20.   The Russian  Federation applied for accession to the  GPA in  August  2016, honouring its 
commitment to initiate GPA accession negotiations made in the context  of its accession to the WTO 
in 2012.27 Its initial market access offer was circulated in June 2017 and its replies to the Checklist 
of Issues together with its govern ment procurement law were circulated in January  2018. 
In September  2018, the Russian Federation circulated an edited initial market access offer and 
edited replies to the Checklist of Issues. Dedicated discussions on the Russian Federation's accession  
were held based on the above documents during the Committee's meetings in 2017 and 2018.  
3.21.   During the reporting period, continuing dialogue  took place  regarding this accession at the 
Committee's meetings in February, June and October 2019. In the course of thos e discussions, 
the Russian  Federation reported on work taking place internally to prepare the eventual submission 
of a revised offer. Written exchanges were also made between the Russian Federation and relevant 
GPA Parties during the reporting period.  Parties welcomed the engagement shown by the Russian 
Federation in submitting edited documents and responding to questions and comments. They 
stressed the need for significant further improvements in the Russian Federation's proposed 
coverage and encouraged it  to submit an ambitious revised offer as soon as possible, as a basis for 
further constructive discussion.  
3.22.   The Committee considers that the Russian Federation's accession  would be significant for the 
Agreement  and w ould benefit the Russian Federation, the WTO and the world economy . It hopes 
that a revised market access offer responding to the Parties' requests will be circulated as soon as 
possible, and looks forward to continued dialogue  on the Russian Federation's acce ssion to the  GPA 
in 2020.  
3.5.2   Tajikistan  
3.23.   Tajikistan applied for accession to the GPA in  February  2015, to honour its commitment to 
initiate GPA accession negotiations made in the context  of its accession to the WTO in  March  2013.28 
Dedicated discussions on Taji kistan's accession were held at the Committee's meetings in 2015 and 
2016. Tajikistan's fourth revised offer was circulated in February  2017 and discussed at the 
                                                
27 WT/ACC/RUS/70, dated 17  November 2011, para . 1143: "The representative of the Russian 
Federation confirmed the intention of the Russian Federation to join the WTO Agreement on Government 
Procurement and to notify the Committee on Go vernment Procurement to this effect at the time of accession of 
the Russian Federation to the WTO and to ensure that from the date of accession, its government agencies 
would award contracts in a transparent manner according to published laws, regulations and guidelines. He 
also confirmed that the Russian Federation would request observership in the WTO Agreement on Government 
Procurement at the time of its accession to the WTO and would initiate negotiations for membership in the 
WTO Agreement on Governmen t Procurement by tabling an Appendix 1 offer within four years of accession. He 
confirmed that, if the results of the negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of the Russian Federation 
and the other Members of the Agreement, the Russian Federation w ould accede to that Agreement. The 
Working Party took note of these commitments."  
28 WT/ACC/TJK/30, dated 6 November 2012, para . 244: "The representative of Tajikistan confirmed 
Tajikistan's willingness to accede to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Tajikistan would 
become an observer to the Agreement upon accession , and submit an application for membership with a 
covera ge offer within one year after accession to the WTO. The Working Party took note of these 
commitments."  GPA/AR/2  
 
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  Committee's meetings in 2017 and 2018. Written exchanges also took place between the Parties 
and Tajikistan.   
3.24.   With regard to its legislation and the government procurement system, Tajikistan's draft law 
on public procurement was circulated in September  2015 and its replies to the Checklist of Issues 
in November  2015. Subsequently, written exchanges  on the draft law and the replies to the Checklist 
of Issues were conducted between Parties and  Tajikistan. At the Committee's meetings in 2018, 
Tajikistan indicated that the new law was at the final stage of adoption.  
3.25.   During the reporting period, at the C ommittee's meetings in February, June and October 
2019,  Tajikistan reiterated its full commitment to acced e to the  GPA and indicated that a further 
revised offer had been submitted for review and further consideration by the Government and was 
awaiting app roval. It hoped to be able to submit this final revised offer to the Committee soon so as 
to conclude the negotiation.  
3.26.   The Committee encourages Tajikistan to  continue the reform of its national legislation and to  
address any issues that remain to  be resolv ed. It looks forward to further discussions, ideally with a 
capital -based delegation , at the Committee's future meetings and hopes the accession process can 
be concluded, on a mutually satisfactory basis, soon. 
3.6  Application by Kazakhstan for accession  
3.27.   As part of its terms of accession to the WTO in 2015, Kazakhstan expressed its intention to 
join the GPA and committed that it "wo uld initiate negotiations by tabling an Appendix 1 offer within 
four years after WTO accession". On 19 October 2016, Kazakhstan was granted observer status in 
the Committee. On 2 9 November  2019, Kazakhstan submitted its application for accession to the 
GPA.29 
3.28.   The Committee welcomes and appreciates Kazakhstan's submission of its application for 
accession to the Agreement in keeping with its commitment undertaken in the course of its WTO 
accession, and looks forward to receiving Kazakhstan's initial market acc ess offer and its replies to 
the Checklist of Issues in 2020.  
3.7  Other pending accessions  
3.29.   During the reporting period, the Committee also kept under review the status of other pending 
GPA accessions and accession commitments. Apart from the above -mentioned ac cessions, four other 
WTO Members have formally initiated work on their respective accessions to the Agreement: Albania, 
Georgia, Jordan and Oman. A further four WTO Members have provisions regarding accession to the 
Agreement in their respective Protocols of Accession to the WTO: Afghanistan30, Mongolia31, Saudi 
                                                
29 GPA/150, dated 2 December 2019 and GPA/ACC/KAZ/1, dated 2 December 2019.  
30 WT/ACC/AFG/36, dated 13 November 2015, para . 199: "The representative of Af ghanistan confirmed 
Afghanistan's willingness to accede to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Afghanistan would 
become an observer to the Agreement upon accession, and submit an application for membership with a 
coverage offer after accession to the WTO. He indicated that Afghanistan would consider initiation of 
negotiations on joining the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement within one year from the date of 
accession to the WTO. The Working Party took note of these commitments."  
31 WT/ACC/MNG/9 , dated 27  June 1996, para . 59: "The representative of Mongolia confirmed that his 
Government would seek observer status in the Committee for the Agreement on Government Procurement at 
the time of its accession with a view to initiating negotiations for me mbership thereafter. The Working Party 
took note of this commitment."  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 9 - 
 
  Arabia32 and Seychelles .33 Several of these WTO Members have requested technical assistance  
relevant to the Agreement and accession to it  (see Section 3.8  below ).  
3.30.   The Committee notes that some of the commitments mentioned have been outstanding for a 
considerable period  of time  and hopes to see engagement  or, where appropriate, a commencement 
of work , in 2020.  Technical assistance to support such work is available, where appropriate, from 
the WTO Secretariat, individual GPA Parties, regional donors  and other sources. Relevant  WTO 
Members are invited and en couraged to seek such assistance , as appropriate . 
3.8  Secretariat technical assistance and other activities relevant to GPA accessions  
3.31.   Pursuant to a standing request by the Committee34, the Secretariat in the course of the 
Committee's meetings in February , June  and October  2019 provided reports on its 2019 technical 
assistance (TA) activities relevant to GPA accessions. These consisted  of one global workshop held 
in Geneva; two regional workshops; four national seminars; and a number of other activities. The 
Secretariat also continued its collaboration with other organi zations active in this area, including the 
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the  World  Bank, the Asian 
Development Bank (ADB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) , and wit h the Commercial Law 
Development Programme  (CLDP)  of the US Department of Commerce .  
3.32.   In Geneva, the Secretariat conducted  the third edition of its flagship  5-day Advanced  Global  
Workshop on Government  Procurement in May 2019 .35 In addition to providing prac tical exposure 
to GPA disciplines and the latest policy and related developments in the sphere of government 
procurement, this Secretariat TA offering addresses the linkages between trade, government 
procurement and development in an integrated and coordin ated way, also highlighting positive 
linkages with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This activit y was delivered with 
substantive input by a number of organisations active in this field, including  the EBRD , the World 
Bank and OECD in addition to leading academic experts .  
3.33.   GPA regional workshops were organised for the benefit of : (i) Latin American  economie s in 
Mexico in March 2019 ; and (ii) Arab and Middle East ern countries in Kuwait in April 2019 . GPA 
national seminars were organised for and at the request of : (i) Indonesia, in Jakarta in July  201936; 
(ii) Afghanistan and Uzbekistan in Tashkent in July 201937; (iii) Morocco in Rabat in October 201938; 
and (iv) Côte d'Ivoire  in Abidjan also in October 2019 .39  
3.34.   Further, the Secretariat participated as a cooperating partner in t wo separate capacity -
building workshops organised in Geneva by the EBRD under the latte r's GPA Technical Cooperation 
Facility40, for the benefit of GPA -acceding WTO Members and Observers. These activities were 
organised during the Committee's meeting weeks in June and October  2019, to assist officials 
participating, on behalf of their governm ents, in GPA accession/potential accession negotiations 
and/or to provide practical exposure to the Committee meetings. Secretariat experts also 
                                                
32 WT/ACC/SAU/61, dated 1  November 2005, para . 231: "The representative of Saudi Arabia confirmed 
that, upon accession to the WTO, Saudi Arabia would initiate negotiations for membership in the Agreement on 
Government Procurement by tabling an entity offer. He also confirmed that, if the results of the negotiations 
were satisfactory to the interests of Saudi Arabia and the other parties to the Agreement, Saudi  Arabia would 
complete negotia tions for membership in the Agreement within a year of accession. The Working Party took 
note of these commitments."  
33 WT/ACC/SYC/64, dated 5 November 2014, para . 322: "The representative of Seychelles confirmed 
that, within one year from the date of acces sion, Seychelles would initiate negotiations to accede to the 
WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. The Working Party took note of this commitment."  
34 GPA/106, dated 9  December 2010, para . 30. 
35 The Workshop was held for the first time in November  2017 and then again  in September  2018. 
36 The ADB contributed to this activity.  
37 This workshop was organized in cooperation with the CLDP and the EBRD . 
38 Both the EBRD and the World Bank contributed to this activity.  
39 The AfDB and the World Bank contributed to this activity.  
40 The GPA Technical Cooperation Facility is a  facility set up by the EBRD to provide support for capacity 
building for countries in its area of operations contemplating  or preparing for accession t o, or acceding to , the 
Agreement . See GPA/126, dated 26 November 2014, para. 3.31.  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 10 - 
 
  participated, upon invitation, in a number of relevant activities organised by national authorities or 
other in ternational organizations  as well as an academic conference .41  
3.35.   The Committee notes the importance of the Secretariat's technical assistance activities in 
promoting a better understanding of the GPA among WTO Members that are not yet Parties to the 
Agreement, and in facilitating  observerships and  accessions to and post -accession implementation 
of the Agreement. It appreciates the role that  the EBRD has played in supporting work on GPA 
accession by countries within its area of operations. It welcomes,  also, the growing cooperation 
between the Secretariat and donor and other partner  organizations.  
4  THE COMMITTEE'S AGRE ED WORK PROGRAMMES  
The Committee  undertook significant work  during the review period in relation to its agreed 
Work Programmes.42 The Work Programmes are intended, broadly, to: (i) promote transparency 
with respect to Parties' implementation of the Agreement; (ii) facilitate, where relevant, 
improvements in the administration of the Agreement ; and (iii) contribute, where appropriate, to 
prepa rations for the future negotiations that are called for in Article XXII:7 of the revised GPA. 
During the year,  relevant  activity focused  on the Work Programmes on Sustainable Procurement; 
the Collection and Reporting of Statistical Data; and SMEs. In each case, progress was facilitated by 
discussions in informal small groups, the results of which were subsequently reported to the 
Committee as a whole.  
4.1  Work Programme on Sustainable Procurement  
Regarding  the Work Programme on Sustainable Procurement, paragrap h 2 of the relevant 
Decision43 mandates that the Committee examine topics that include : (i) the objectives of 
sustainable procurement; (ii) the ways in which the concept of sustainable procurement is integrated 
into national and sub -national procurement policies; and (iii) how sustainable procurement can be 
practised in a manner consistent w ith the principle of "best value for money", and with the Parties' 
international trade obligations. Paragraph 3 of the Decision provides that the Committee shall 
"identify measures and policies that it considers to be sustainable procurement practiced in a  manner 
consistent with the principle of 'best value for money' and with Parties' international trade obligations 
and prepare a report that lists the best practices of the measures and policies".  
Since the initiation of this Work Programme in April  2014, s ignificant work has been undertaken  
by the Committee.44 In March 2018, the Committee asked the Secretariat to prepare a draft version 
of a final  report, based on the directions provided by the Committee.45 The requested draft report 
was circulated on 1  Octob er 2018.46 Taking  forward the work under this Work Programme  during 
the period under review , in February 2019, the Committee agreed, in small -group format, to pause  
work, for the time being, on the drafting of the report in order to further examine measures  and 
policies related to social considerations in  government  procurement. In June 2019, the small -group 
discussions continued on the basis of a n informal  reflection paper  that identified areas and potential 
questions for further examination . Parties' informal submissions on a first set of questions  were 
discussed in small -group forma t at the Committee's October 2019 informal meetings. T he 
Committee,  again  in small -group format,  agreed to consider  a second set of questions at the 
Committee's Ma y 2020 informal meetings. A further discussion on the topic is expected to take place 
at the Committee's February 2020 meetings . 
                                                
41 These included: (i) the 2019 International Public Procurement Workshop on Cross -Border Participation 
and E -Procurement  organized by the Korean Procurement Service , Seoul, Korea , April 2019; (ii) the IX . Public 
Procurement Global Revolution Conference organized by the University of Nottingham , Nottingham, UK, 
June 2019; (iii) a seminar on " Increasing transparency and integrity in public procurement in the context of the 
SDGs " organized by UNDP , Bangkok , Thailand, September 2019; and (iv) the 5th e-GP Conference of the Asia 
Pacific Public Electronic Procurement Network  organized by the ADB, Manila , the Philippines, October 2019 .  
42 See Annexes C, D, E, F and G of Appendix 2 of  the Committee's Decision of 30  March 2012 on the 
Outcomes of the Negotiations (GPA/113, dated 2 April 2012).  
43 See GPA/113, Annex E of Appendix 2, p . 444. 
44 For details, see GPA/AR/1, dated 29 November 2018, paras. 4.2 et seq.  
45 See, RD/GPA/60, dated 18 May 2018, paras 1.2 –1.3.  
46 GPA/WPS/SP/13, dated 1 October 2018.  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 11 - 
 
  4.2  Work Programme on Collection and Reporting of Statistical Data  
Regarding the Work Programme on Collection and Reporting of Stat istical Data, paragraph 1 
of the relevant Decision47 calls for the Committee to : (i) review the collection and reporting of 
statistical data by the Parties; (ii) consider the potential of harmonizing them; and (iii) prepare a 
report of the results.  Since th e initiation of this Work Programme, significant work has been 
undertaken  by the Committee.48 
Based on earlier submissions by Parties, i n the course of the Committee's meetings in 
June 2018, the Committee asked the Secretariat to prepare and circulate a com pilation of all 
responses. The Secretariat circulated the requested compilation in Octobe r 2018.49 Taking  forward 
the work on this Work Programme during the period under review, in June 2019, a Party circulated 
a reflection paper identifying possibilities for further progress. In the course of the Committee's 
discussion in June  and October 2019, the small -group discussions focused on the reflection paper. 
A further discussion on the topic is expected to take place at the Committee's February 2020 
meetings . 
4.3  Work Programme on SMEs  
Concerning  the Work Programme on SMEs, paragraph 1 of the relevant Decision50 provides 
that the Committee shall review measures and policies for SMEs that the Parties use to assist, 
promote, encourage or facilitate participation by SMEs in government  procurement and prepare a 
report of the results of the review. Since the initiation of this Work Programme in April  2014, the 
Committee has conducted significant wor k51, and i n September 2018, two delegations informally 
circulated to interested delegations a draft final report.  
Taking  forward the work on this Work Programme during the period under review, the small -
group discussions continued on the basis of the draft final report. The small -group discussion s are 
expected to continue  at Committee's February  2020 meetings .  
4.4  Other Work Programmes  
Paragraph  1 of the Decision establishing the Work Programme on Exclusions and Restrictions 
in Parties' Annexes provides that the Committee shall initiate a Work Programme with the overall 
objectives of : (i) enhancing transparency with respect to the scope and effect of exclusions and 
restrictions specified in Parties ' Annexes ; and (ii) providing information relating to exclusions and 
restrictions t o facilitate negotiations provided for in Article XXII:7 of the revised GPA. Since the 
initiation of the Work Programme on Exclusions and Restrictions in Parties' Annexes in April 2014,  
the Committee undertook  significant work  and the Committee considers t hat the exchange of 
information already conducted pursuant to this  Work Programme has been useful .52  
More generally, with respect to all of the Work Programmes discussed above, the Committee 
considers that its work has been useful in enhancing transparency  on Parties' practices  and as a 
contribution to preparations for the eventual further renegotiation  of the Agreement that is called 
for in Article XXII:7 of the revised Agreement. Parties that have not yet provided their relevant input 
to the Work Programm es are cordially requested to do so.  It looks forward to further engagement, 
as appropriate, on these Work  Programmes in 20 20. 
Other Work Programmes foreseen at the conclusion of the GPA renegotiation in 2012, for 
example on Safety Standards in International Procurement; Review of the Use, Transparency and 
the Legal Frameworks of Public -Private Partnerships, and their Relationship  to Covered Procurement; 
the Advantages and Disadvantages of Developing Common Nomenclature for Goods and Services; 
                                                
47 See GPA/113,  dated 2 April 2012,  Annex D of Appendix 2, pp. 442-443. 
48 For details, see GPA/AR/1, dated 29 November 2018, paras. 4.5 et seq.  
49 GPA/WPS/STAT/29, dated 5 October 2018 , and GPA/WPS/STAT/29/Rev.1, dated 5 November  2018.  
50 See GPA/113,  dated 2 April 2012, Annex C of Appendix 2, pp. 439-441.  
51 For details, see GPA/AR/1, dated 29 November 2018, paras. 4.7 et seq.  
52 For details, see GPA/AR/1, dated 29 November  2018, paras. 4.11 et seq. as well as GPA/141, dated 
29 November 2016, para . 4.4. and GPA/145, dated 16 November 2017, para . 4.3. Parties desiring additional 
information concerning any Parties' exclusions and restrictions may so request under the terms of paragraph 4 
of the same Decision, or pursuant to their general rights as Parties to the Agreement.  GPA/AR/2  
 
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  and the Advantages  and Disadvantages of Developing Standardized Notices53; will be taken up as 
and when the Committee considers this to be us eful and timely.  Similarly , regarding the possibility, 
pursuant to paragraph 3 of the Decision on adoption of work programmes  (GPA/113, Appendix 2 , 
Annex B, pp. 438), to periodically review the list of work programmes and make appropriate 
adjustments , the Committee will avail itself of this possibility  if and when it consider s this  to be 
useful and timely.  
5  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE AGREEMENT  
This Section  of the Report summarizes information relating  to the notifications under the 
Agreement, including with res pect to: (i) the thresholds applicable under the Agreement; (ii) the 
notification of national implementing legislation; (iii) statistical reporting; (iv)  consultations and 
dispute settlement; and (v) modifications to the Agreement's Appendices.  
The Committee takes note of the notifications made in the course of the reporting period and 
encourages delegations that have not yet provided re levant notifications to do so  as soon as possible . 
5.1  Thresholds  
In accordance with the Decision on Modalities for  Notifying Threshold Figures in National 
Currencies54, since the last Annual Report,  seven  Parties ( Australia ; Hong Kong, China ; Israel;  
Korea;  Montenegro;  New Zealand; and  Chinese Taipei ) have provided information on their respective 
threshold figures expressed in national currencies ( see Table 1 below).  
Table 1: The Thresholds in Appendix I of the Agreement as Expres sed in National 
Currencies  
Party  Symbol  Date  Period of validity  
Australia  GPA/THR/AUS/1  13/06/2019  From 05/05/2019 to 31/12/2019  
Hong Kong, China  GPA/THR/HKG/2  03/12/2019  From 01/01/2020 to 31/12/2021  
Israel  GPA/THR/ISR/ 2 15/07/2019 From 01/0 4/2019 to 31/ 03/2020 
Korea, Republic of  GPA/THR/KOR/1 31/01/2019 From 01/01/201 9 to 31/12/20 20 
Montenegro  GPA/W/336/Add.15  03/12/2018  From 01/01/2015 to 31/12/2017  
New Zealand  GPA/THR/ NZL/1 28/10/2019 From 01/01/201 9 to 31/12/20 20 
Chinese Taipei  GPA/THR/ TPKM /1 19/12/2018 From 01/01/201 9 to 31/12/20 20 
5.2  Notification of national implementing legislation  
Pursuant to Article XXII:5 of the revised Agreement55, notifications have been  received from 
two Parties (the European Union regarding Armenia and Japan ) (see Table 2 below).  
Table 2: National Implementing Legislation  
Party  Symbol  Date  
European Union (comments on 
GPA/LEGIS/ARM/2, dated 21/09/2018)  GPA/LEGIS/ARM/3  15/01/2019  
Japan  GPA/LEGIS /JPN/1 18/04/201 9 
GPA/LEGIS /JPN/2  18/04/201 9 
5.3  Statistical reporting  
Article XVI:4 of the revised GPA56 require s Parties to collect and provide, on an annual basis, 
statistics on their procurements covered by the Agreement. During the period under review, ten 
Parties (Hong Kong, China; Japan;  Korea;  Liechtenstein; Montenegro ; Norway; Singapore; 
                                                
53 See GPA/113, Annex G, and GPA/113, Annex B, respectively.  
54 GPA/1, dated 5  March  1996, Annex  3. 
55 See also Article  XXIV:5(b) of the 1994 Agreement .  
56 See also Article  XIX:5 of the 1994 Agreement .  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 13 - 
 
  Switzerland ; Chinese Taipei and  the United States ) have provided statistical reports (s ee Table 3 
below).  
Table 3: Statistics on Procurements Cover ed by the Agreement  
Party  Symbol  Date  Legal Basis  Period covered  
Hong Kong, 
China  GPA/STAT(18)/HKG/1  19/07/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2018 
Japan  GPA/STAT(17)/JPN/1  05/04/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2017 
Korea, Republic 
of GPA/142/Add.12  06/06/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2016 
GPA/STAT(17)/KOR/1  06/06/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2017 
Liechtenstein  GPA/STAT(18)/LIE/1  09/10/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2018 
Montenegro  GPA/STAT(17)/MNE/1  10/09/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2017 
GPA/STAT(18)/MNE/1  10/09/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2018 
Norway  GPA/STAT(17)/NOR/1  28/10/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2017 
GPA/STAT(18)/NOR/1  28/10/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2018 
Singapore  GPA/142/Add.11  01/05/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2016 
Switzerland  GPA/STAT(17)/CHE/1  03/12/2018  Article XIX:5 of the 
Agreement (1994)  2017 
GPA/STAT(18) /CHE/1  28/08/2019  Article XIX:5 of the 
Agreement (1994)  2018 
Chinese Taipei  GPA/STAT(18)/TPKM/1  03/06/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2018 
United States of 
America  GPA/123/Add.8  29/10/2019  Article XIX:5 of the 
Agreement (1994)  2013 
GPA/STAT(17)/USA/1  29/10/2019  Article XVI:4 of the revised 
GPA 2017 
5.4  Consultations and dispute settlement  
No matters were raised during the reporting period under Article XX of the revised Agreement57 
(Consultations and Dispute Settlement).  
5.5  Notifications relating to the Appendices to the Agreement58 
5.5.1   Notifica tions relat ing to Appendices I of the Agreement  
Since the last A nnual Report, three  Parties (Australia , Japan  and Korea ) have notified proposed 
modifications to Appendix I of the revised Agreement  pursuant to Article XIX:1 of the revised 
Agreement  and Article XXIV:6 of the 1994 Agreement  (see Table 4: Modifications to Appendix I 
Notified under Article XIX:1 of the Agreement  and Table 5: Modifications to Appendix I Notified under 
Article XXIV:6 of the 1994 Agreement ). 
                                                
57 See also Article  XXII of the 1994 Agreement . 
58 See also GPA/W/326, dated 19  March 2014 - Committee on Government Procurement - Approval and 
issuance of updated loose -leaf schedules to the revised Agreement - Note from the Secretariat; and 
GPA/W/327, dated 11  April 2014 - Committee on Government Procurement - Certification of updated loose -leaf 
schedules to the revised Agreement - Appendices II -IV - Note from the Secretariat.  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 14 - 
 
  Table 4: Modifications to Appendix I Notified under Article XIX:1 of the Agreement  
Party 
proposing 
modifica -
tions  Proposed Modifications  Certification  Status and  
Remarks  
Doc Symbol  Date  Effective 
Date  Symbol   
Australia  GPA/MOD/AUS/
1 22/10/2019    Outstanding. The end of the 
objection period will be on 
6 December 2019.  
Japan  GPA/MOD/JPN/  
102 22/11/2019    Outstanding. The end of the 
objection period will be on 
6 January 2020.  
Korea, 
Republic of  GPA/MOD/KOR/  
20 06/06/2019  21/07/2019  WT/Let/1445  The proposed modification has 
become effective, as no objection 
was received within 45 days.  
Table 5: Modifications to Appendix I Notified under Article XXIV:6 of the 1994 
Agreement  
Party 
proposing 
modifica -
tions  Proposed Modifications  Certification  Status and  
Remarks  
Doc Symbol  Date Effective 
Date Symbol   
Japan  GPA/MOD/JPN/  
103 22/11/2019    Outstanding. The end of the 
objection period will be on 
22 December 2019.  
5.5.2   Notifications relat ing to Appendices II to IV of the Agreement  
During the reporting period, there has been no notification  relating to Appendices  II to IV of 
the Agreement .  
  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 15 - APPENDIX: ACCESSIONS  TO THE AGREEMENT  
Appendix Table 1: The United Kingdom's Accession to the GPA in its Own Right  
Communication 
from Subject  Comments/Questions 
from GPA P arties  Symbol and date of 
comments/ questions  Replies to 
comments/questions 
from acceding 
country  
Secretariat  GPA/ACC/GBR/20  (24/01/2019 ) and GPA/ACC/GBR/20/Rev.1  
(06/02/2019 ) - Draft Decision of the Committee on UK's accession 
to the GPA     
United Kingdom  GPA/ACC/GBR/21 (14/06/2019) - Request of extens ion of  the 
period of deposit  of its Instrument of Accession to the Agreement 
on Government Procurement     
Secretariat  GPA/ACC/GBR/22 (14/06/2019) - Draft Decision of the Committee 
on Government Procurement     
Secretariat  GPA/CD/2 (28/02/2019 ) and GPA/CD/2/Add.1  (26/06/2019 ) - 
Decision of the Committee on UK's accession to the GPA     
Appendix Table 2: The Republic of North Macedonia's accession to the GPA  
Communication 
from Subject  Comments/Questions 
from GPA P arties  Symbol and date of 
comments/ questions  Replies to 
comments/questions 
from acceding 
country  
Republic of North 
Macedonia  GPA/ACC/MKD/1 (31/03/2017) – Replies to  the C hecklist of Issues 
for Provision of Information  Canada  GPA/ACC/MKD/1 1 
(31/01/2019 )  
Republic of North 
Macedonia  GPA/ACC/MKD/4 (28/02/2018) – Initial Of fer Canada  GPA/ACC/MKD/10  
(31/01/2019 )  
New Zealand  GPA/ACC/MKD/12  
(23/04/2019 )  
Japan  GPA/ACC/MKD/13  
(17/09/2019 )   
  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 16 - Appendix Table 3: The Kyrgyz Republic's Accession to the GPA  
Communication 
from Subject  Comments/Questions 
from GPA P arties  Symbol and date of 
comments/ questions  Replies to 
comments/questions 
from acceding 
country  
Kyrgyz Republic  GPA/ACC/KGZ/27 (21/06/2018) – Revised Final Offer  European Union  GPA/ACC/KGZ/30  
(15/01/2019)  GPA/ACC/KGZ/31  
(08/02/2019)  
Ukraine  GPA/ACC/KGZ/32  
(19/02/2019)  GPA/ACC/KGZ/3 5 
(03/06/2019)  
United States of America  GPA/ACC/KGZ/33  
(22/02/2019)  GPA/ACC/KGZ/34  
(11/04/2019)  
Kyrgyz Republic  GPA/ACC/KGZ/36 (24/06/2019) – Law on Public Procurement of 
3 April 2015 No. 72 , as amended     
Appendix Table 4: China's Accession to the GPA  
Communication  
from  Subject  Comments/Questions 
from GPA P arties  Symbol and date of 
comments/ questions  Replies to 
comments/questions 
from acceding 
country  
China  GPA/ACC/CHN/51 (21/10/2019) - Sixth Revised Offer     
  GPA/AR/2  
 
- 17 - Appendix Table 5: The Russian Federation's accession to the GPA  
Communication 
from Subject  Comments/Questions 
from GPA P arties  Symbol and date of 
comments/ questions  Replies to 
comments/questions 
from acceding 
country  
Russian 
Federation  GPA/ACC/RUS/1 (07/06/2017) and GPA/ACC/RUS/Rev.1 
(25/09/2018)  - Initial offer and edited version  Ukraine  GPA/ACC/RUS/24  
(25/02/2019 ) GPA/ACC/RUS/25  
(27/06/2019 ) 
Ukraine  GPA/ACC/RUS/28  
(17/10/2019 ) – 
Comments and 
questions on 
GPA/ACC/RUS/25   
Ukraine  GPA/ACC/RUS/23  
(25/02/2019 ) GPA/ACC/RUS/26  
(27/06/2019 ) 
Ukraine  GPA/ACC/RUS/27  
(17/10/2019 ) – 
Comments and 
questions on 
GPA/ACC/RUS/26   
Appendix Table 6: Kazakhstan's accession to the GPA  
Communication 
from  Subject  Comments/Questions 
from GPA Parties  Symbol and date of 
comments/questions  Replies to 
comments/questions 
from acceding 
country  
Kazakhstan  GPA/150 (02/12/2019)  and  
GPA/ACC/KAZ/1 (02/12/2019)  – Application for accession     
 
 
__________