WT/GC/W/877  
 
4 May 2023  
(23-3175) Page: 1/7 
General Council  Original: English  
 
IMPROVING THE OPERATION OF WTO BODIES TO REVITALISE THE WTO 'S  
MONITORING AND DELIBERATIVE FUNCTION  
COMMUNICATION FROM AUSTRALIA; BRUNEI DARUSSALAM; CANADA; CHILE; COSTA RICA; 
GUATEMALA; ICELAND; ISRAEL;  JAPAN; REPUBLIC OF KOREA; NEW ZEALAND; NORWAY; PERU; 
THE PHILIPPINES; SINGAPORE; SWITZERLAND; THE SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF 
TAIWAN,  PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU; AND THE UNITED KINGDOM  
The following communication, dated 3 May 2023, is being circulated at the requ est of the delegations 
of Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; Costa Rica; Guatemala; Iceland; Israel;  Japan ; 
Republic of Korea ; New Zealand; Norway; Peru; the Philippines; Singapore; Switzerland ; 
the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, K inmen and Matsu;  and the United Kingdom.  
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1.  The WTO Membership agreed at the Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12) to "work towards 
necessary reform of the WTO " to "improve all its functions "1. This paper aims to provide material to 
help identify how the Organization 's monitoring and deliberative function can be improved by 
Members. Although such work should look at both how WTO bodies function and what they discuss, 
this submission will focus on the former. It looks at po ssible ways to improve the operation of WTO 
bodies so that Members can participate as fully as possible in ongoing work. This includes potential 
improvements to the supporting framework of meetings in the WTO, promoting substantive 
engagement on WTO -relate d issues, the balance of transparency and notifications, and the handling 
of trade concerns. It recogni zes the special challenges of developing country Members, including 
least-developed country (LDC) Members, with capacity constraints.  
2.  The quality of the deliberation and policy dialogue in the WTO 's regular bodies is frequently 
dependent on the awareness and preparation of Members.  There is no doubt that the challenges to 
engage substantively in discussions are multiplying as the complexity of trade -relate d policy work 
in the WTO has expanded, for example in areas such as the interaction with health, food insecurity, 
the transition to climate neutral economies, and the role of e -commerce in trade. These challenges 
are especially acute for Members with fewer  resources, whose delegates in Geneva or in capital are 
expected to cover the activities of multiple WTO bodies at the same time.  
3.  It is also clear that in a period when WTO Members are struggling to identify common objectives 
for ongoing negotiations, an improvement of the quality of deliberation can help to unlock the mutual 
understanding that is the basis for any subsequent discussion or negotiation on the design of 
solutions to address strains in the multilateral trading system.    
4.  In keeping with the ou tcome of MC12 and ongoing bottom -up work, this paper puts forward ideas 
for discussion on practical improvements to enhance the quality of participation and debate, to 
improve transparency without increasing the overall notification burden, and on methods to engage 
on the trade concerns of Members. It is hoped that some of these ideas may provide material for a 
first set of practical reforms before MC13. It is hoped that this paper will complement and feed into 
the work already underway in WTO bodies, inclu ding on the basis of Members ' contributions, such 
as JOB/CTG/21.  
 
1 WT/MIN(22)/24  - WT/L/1135 "MC12 Outcome Document ", paragraph  3. WT/GC/W/877  
 
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  2  IMPROVING THE SUPPORTING FRAMEWORK OF MEETINGS IN THE WTO  
5.  Members face diverse challenges to participate in meetings, some of which are reflected in papers 
submitted by the LDC Group2 and by the African Group, Cuba, India, and Pakistan3. They include a 
lack of systematic forward planning of WTO bodies; scheduli ng conflicts from overlapping meetings; 
an absence of documents made available sufficiently in advance and in the three official WTO 
languages; and a lack of timely written records.  
6.  Some WTO bodies have introduced improvements to their workflows, which co uld be considered 
more widely.  Others are currently in the process of considering improvements. The recent reports 
of the subsidiary bodies to the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG), and the matrix summarizing those 
reports4, include ideas that could be taken up to improve how WTO bodies operate.  
7.  The Annex to this paper contains ideas for specific improvements, without being exhaustive, 
which Members could consider to improve working practices.  
3  PROMOTING SUBSTANTIVE ENGAGEM ENT ON WTO -RELATED ISSUES  
8.  There are opportunities to learn from practices across WTO bodies to improve how meetings 
operate. This could add value and accountability, reduce duplication, and provide forums for more 
extensive discussions. Some considerations  are below:  
• Formats of engagement: the crowded agendas of many WTO bodies are not always 
conducive to deeper dialogue on emerging trade issues.  More flexible ways to engage could 
help to stimulate a more free -flowing and interactive engagement, including c ross-cutting 
sessions by Members on topics of pressing or emerging interest, including those of interest to 
developing country Members,  including LDCs.   
 
Taking inspiration from existing practice in some committees, WTO bodies could consider 
convening more  thematic or informal sessions  to provide this kind of forum for extended 
and more free -flowing conversations on trade issues.  
 
Similarly, many issues under discussion at the WTO are multifaceted and cut across multiple 
WTO bodies and Secretariat Division s. However, the structure of WTO bodies does not 
facilitate nuanced discussions across multiple trade disciplines. Dedicated  Crosscutting and 
Joint Sessions  of two or more bodies could be considered to leverage the expertise of various 
WTO bodies, ensuring  these issues can be discussed from all relevant angles. This may free 
up agendas across the affected bodies.  
 
• Support by the Secretariat: WTO bodies have different practices in terms of analytical 
reporting by the Secretariat. WTO bodies could better lev erage analytical capacity of the 
Secretariat, including the Economic Research and Statistics Division, to facilitate and enhance 
Members ' understanding of and dialogue about Members ' trade policies in areas of interest. 
Factual, evidence -based and data -driven analysis by the Secretariat could also better inform 
Members ' deliberations of topical and emerging issues. In that regard, Members could also 
encourage the Secretariat to inform them about relevant analysis already done by the 
Secretariat or compiled from other institutions, as well as analytical opportunities when 
Members discuss prioritised issues. The work of the Secretariat should continue to be Member -
driven and  to provide a high standard of neutrality .  
 
• Stakeholders ' engagement: A range of actors usefully inform the work of WTO bodies, 
including business stakeholders (individual companies, industrial bodies, and organi zations), 
academia, non -governmental organi zations, or even individuals. "Non-government actors " 
have the capacity to make th e work of WTO bodies more evidence -based, data -driven, and 
 
2 JOB/GC/223/Rev.1  - General Council - LDC views on WTO reform discussions and proposals - 
Communication from Chad on behalf of the LDC Group – Revision . 
3 WT/GC/W/778/Rev.5  - General Council - Strengthening the WTO to promote development and inclusivity 
- Communication from the African Group, Cuba, Ind ia and Pakistan – Revision . 
4 G/C/W/824  - Council for Trade in Goods - Reports on the current functioning of the CTG and its subsidiary 
bodies - Comparison matrix . WT/GC/W/877  
 
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  better take account of on the ground realities. Similarly, opportunity to engage in WTO activity 
allows these actors to promote such work more broadly outside the Organi zation. More active 
engageme nt with these actors could therefore be mutually beneficial.  
 
While formal meetings have traditionally been a forum for Member -to-Member engagement, 
informal avenues could enhance a two -way exchange as is already the practice under some 
WTO bodies, such as  the TBT Committee (for example, thematic and informal sessions or 
other types of side -events). At a crosscutting level, bespoke channels of engagement exist 
such as the WTO Public Forum or Trade Dialogue Series, whose coverage and format could be 
extended  to increase their relevance to the WTOs ' work. Members could also further consider 
the idea of a WTO advisory council of external actors similar to those in other organi zations, 
recognizing that any decision -making will remain Member -driven.  
• Cooperation with other intergovernmental organi zations: WTO Members have granted 
observer status across various bodies to around 140 intergovernmental organi zations. 
However, there is diversity in how they attend or actively participate in the activities of each 
WTO b ody. Interaction with intergovernmental organi zations allow Members to benefit from a 
complementarity of expertise and enhance the evidence and analytical base for deliberations. 
Input of intergovernmental organi zations is particularly valuable when they s hare concrete 
experience and good practices, including success stories in developing country Members, 
including LDCs, as well as contribute to assessing the impacts and implications of trade policy 
measures and policies. Bodies could therefore explore how to revitalise or expand this 
interaction.  
  
More broadly, contemporary and emerging challenges are often multidimensional. There is 
merit in bringing together WTO Members ' expertise in trade policy and the knowledge of other 
relevant intergovernmental organi zations to help Members develop coherent and mutually 
supportive approaches. Cooperation activities, including that of the Secretariat, and outcomes 
should be reported t o WTO Members in a regular, structured, and transparent fashion.  
 
• General Council: The General Council, as the WTO 's highest decision -making body, is 
empowered to provide political direction in the intervals between Ministerial Conferences. 
Regular meeting s of the Council often include repetitive agenda items and discussions and 
meetings are largely based on prepared statements. Opportunities for more open, frank, and 
free-flowing engagement would provide more opportunities to advance conversations on how 
the WTO could address the challenges and opportunities facing the multilateral trading system, 
including how trade supports developing country Members, including LDCs,  on their 
development path. While it is and will remain incumbent on Members to include - or not - 
items on the agenda and shape the debate, the Membership could explore how to add further 
value and effectiveness to the discussions. In formal settings, Members could be encouraged 
to consider framing the agenda and tailoring interventions to bet ter help move discussions 
forward. In the same spirit and building on the recent experience of informal events 
("retreats ") and dedicated sessions (such as on e -commerce), the General Council could also 
consider making more use of flexible ways of engagement, for instance more informal and 
output -oriented configurations.  
 
• Appointment of officers: The timely appointment of of ficers to chair WTO bodies is crucial 
to the proper functioning of the WTO. However, the appointment process has suffered delays 
in recent years, notably for subsidiary bodies. An extra effort could be made to work within 
the parameters of the guidelines a greed in 2003 and have officers appointed on time.  
 
4  GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT ON TRANSPARENCY AND NOTIFICATIONS  
9.  Transparency is fundamental to the proper functioning of the multilateral trading system and 
learning from each other, and therefore a cornersto ne of WTO Members ' regular work. The ongoing 
seventh appraisal of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) includes consideration of new 
user-friendly on -line tools that would deliver efficiency gains as well as allow easier participation in 
ongoing debate s by Members with capacity constraints.  WT/GC/W/877  
 
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  10.  While transparency generates evident benefits to WTO Members, including at domestic levels, 
creating opportunities to learn, share experience and possibly improve one 's own system, it is 
inevitably also associated wi th workload and human resources, especially by developing country 
Members, including LDCs, with capacity constraints.  
11.  Recognising that the transparency challenge is complex and multifaceted, operational 
improvements could help Members contribute to and be nefit from better transparency. A list of 
possible considerations is included below:  
• Simplification:  WTO Bodies could consider how to facilitate notification -related procedures, 
including the submission of and access to notifications. Recent initiatives su ch as the 
development of the Notification Portal are welcome and could be expanded to create a digital 
"one stop shop " covering the whole lifecycle of notifications, from resources supporting the 
preparation of notifications to the presentation of informat ion on the status of notifications.  
 
• Relevance:  Transparency delivers benefits to all Members. Both the information within 
individual notifications, as well as broader analysis generated by analysing trends, is of 
relevance to stakeholders. Taking into con sideration the constraints of developing country 
Members, including LDCs, Bodies should proactively consider whether existing formats could 
be improved, including whether simplifying notification formats is possible.  
 
• Assistance to Members : Bodies could co nsider current assistance efforts, including under 
the umbrella of the Training and Technical Cooperation  (ITTC), and how to improve existing 
tools and programmes, as appropriate. They could also provide space for learning from 
success stories from various  WTO Members.  
 
• Reaping the benefits of transparency: The extent to which Members discuss the content 
and analysis of notifications differs across bodies. WTO bodies could explore whether engaging 
informally could enable better learning from each other. Th e Secretariat may provide support 
with a view to for instance identifying patterns or analysing challenges and opportunities.  
 
• Recognising the TPRB as a platform for transparency  and exchanges of information during 
global emergencies like the 2008 -9 financial crisis, the recent pandemic, or the food insecurity 
crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine, Members in the TPRB are discussing potential reforms. 
As part of that discussion,  Members could discuss the TPRB being convened during 
international crises when there is a need for urgent sharing of trade -related information, as 
well as how information could be better shared in such situations.  
 
5  IMPROVING THE DIALOGUE ON TRADE CONCERN S 
12.  Although terminology differs across WTO Bodies, exchanges on a Member 's measures or policies 
are part of the agenda of many WTO Bodies insofar as other Members raise questions or concerns 
in terms of their implementation and related compliance with WTO a greements. Over time, this 
dimension of work has expanded and now constitutes the bulk of the agenda in a number of WTO 
bodies. For a variety of reasons, some of these "trade concerns " keep being raised for a long time 
and/or across multiple WTO Bodies but  without any reported progress. In this respect, consideration 
of adjustments to the operational arrangements around discussion of these concerns could include:  
• Agenda sequencing: as already the case in some, WTO Bodies could consider improving the 
sequencing of trade concerns agenda items (e.g. first address new agenda items where 
appropriate, followed by recurring items requiring discussion and/or action).  
 
• Informing debates:  Members are best equipped to engage when they have background 
information  and can trace previous discussions. Facilitating access to such information is 
particularly valuable for Members with capacity constraints. This could include circulation of 
annotated agendas or leveraging existing or new digital tools - such as the e -agenda, ePing 
platform, the Trade Concerns Database, and the Q&A system (e.g., Ag -IMS).  
 WT/GC/W/877  
 
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  • Learning from experience : Members decide whether to include trade concerns or questions 
on the agenda of a body, and may cease to do so, for a variety of reasons. Relevan t WTO 
Bodies could explore whether appropriate and useful to be informed of the issues resolved. 
More broadly, only in a few Bodies does the Secretariat analyse trends of issues considered. 
WTO Bodies could explore whether this factual analysis may be usef ul to inform their work 
and trade policy discussion more generally. The Secretariat and chairs should continue to 
exercise impartiality and neutrality regarding the substance of any trade concerns expressed 
by Members.  
 
6  CONCLUDING REMARKS  
13.  The various sugge sted ways of promoting engagement in the substantive work of WTO bodies 
can reinforce each other, are not mutually exclusive, and will not necessarily be appropriate for each 
and every WTO body in the same way. For instance, the different ways of improving  participation in 
meetings could be discussed also as ways of adding value to meetings more broadly. Likewise, 
several ways of facilitating transparency may also improve the dialogue on trade concerns. The 
inclusion of ideas in this paper is not indicative  of the co -sponsors support for them in every WTO 
body, rather as a means of idea generation and discussion of how to improve the WTO 's overall 
functioning for the benefit of all Members.  
14.  By suggesting ideas for supporting Member 's effective participation  in the work of WTO bodies 
and for promoting engagement in their substantive work, this paper aims at promoting dialogue and 
the functioning of WTO bodies overall. It is anticipated that WTO bodies including Councils and 
subsidiary bodies will discuss this  paper and its Annex as a series of suggestions to draw from in 
their own ongoing deliberations for procedural WTO reform. This should take place alongside 
discussion of other complementary contributions from WTO Members on similar topics. It is also 
anticipated that this should be an ongoing discussion. WTO bodies may wish to trial particular ideas 
to see if they work and report -back to their oversight body or Council to share experiences and 
ensure collective improvement.  
15.  It is important to note that man y of the ideas presented in this paper (and its Annex) would not 
require a General Council Decision to implement. Rather, this paper is designed to provide a platform 
for engagement by Members throughout the WTO and its various bodies.  
 
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  WT/GC/W/877  
 
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  ANNEX  
POTENTIAL PROCEDURAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FUNCTIONING OF WTO BODIES  
Planning and preparing for meetings  
WTO bodies could review existing practices to consider any of the following improvements:  
 
• Understanding the role and purpose of WTO bodies: WTO bodies, with the assistance 
of the Secretariat, could set up  a dedicated webpage to host training conducted by WTO 
bodies in addition to WTO ITTC e -learning. Regular introductory sessions by individual WTO 
bodies on the regular functioning of work (and storing these online for Members) could also 
be helpful;  
 
• Identification of delegates by WTO bodies: steps could be taken to improve use of the 
e-Registration system, in addition to an independent contact list maintained by each WTO 
body. This would facilitate contacts and interaction between participants;  
 
• Awareness of expected contributions from Members (not necessarily linked to 
meetings):  regular training on substance and/or notifications for submission  to the WTO 
body could be scheduled.  Automatic reminder emails of pending notifications and upcoming 
deadlines could also help Members to prepare contributions;  
 
• Avoiding overlapping meetings: the Chairs, supported by the Secretariat, could help 
ensure  ongoing coordination across WTO bodies for setting meeting dates to keep a proper 
sequencing of meetings and to avoid overlapping meetings. Ongoing maintenance of the 
annual calendar of meetings for all WTO bodies would also be useful for Members to plan 
participation and anticipate possible conflicting meetings;  
 
• Awareness of upcoming meetings, regular agenda items and deadline for inclusion 
for the next meeting: a number of steps could help Members preparing early for meetings, 
for instance: automatic remin der emails of the date of the next meeting and when the 
agenda closes; calendar invites that include links to meeting documents; issuance of a draft 
Airgram before the final Airgram is circulated; circulation of oral reports by Chairs or 
Secretariat in adv ance of meetings; and use of the e -Agenda platform;  
 
• Understanding of purpose and expectations for  each agenda item: agendas could be 
annotated to provide context to regular items with links added that trace previous 
discussions or factual information prov ided by Members; specialized databases could be 
created or maintained to manage information collected by each WTO body as is done for the 
General Council ePortal;  
 
• Time for review of documents to be discussed: the timing of the circulation of 
documents has  a direct bearing on the quality of Members ' engagement. When documents 
are circulated early enough, Members are better able to engage. With this in mind, WTO 
bodies could explore requirements that reports and presentations be made available by the 
time ag enda closes / [x] days before the agenda closes as well as requirements that 
translated documents be available before meetings. WTO bodies could also consider an 
increased time period between the agenda closing and the meeting date;  
 
• More consistent opport unities for capital -based participation:  The hybrid format of 
many meetings increases the opportunities of capital -based participation. The virtual option 
for formal and informal meetings should be maintained. Planning for meeting "clusters " could 
facilita te increased value for capital -based in -person attendance.  
 
Support for the follow -up work stemming from meetings  
Sustaining a dynamic workflow in WTO bodies depends on appropriate participation and follow -up. 
However, it is recognized that while the numbe r of meetings in the WTO is on the rise, with new 
issues being identified and implemented, the resources of most delegations do not keep up with the WT/GC/W/877  
 
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  increasing responsibility by Members to take part in WTO meetings. WTO bodies could review 
existing practices to consider any of the following improvements:  
 
• Awareness/reminder of meetings outcomes: Many Members have capacity constraints 
preventing attendance at all WTO meetings. Avenues should be explored for delegates to be 
informed of the results and any follow -up from a meeting, even if they did not attend. For 
instance, Chairs could circulate, on their own responsibility, a factual email on the key 
outcomes of a meeting, highlighting agreed follow -up items and including a reminder of a 
next meeting date. Chairs or the Secretariat could circulate oral reports provided during the 
meeting in advance of the minutes. WTO bodies could also encourage the circulation of 
documents not shared in advance of the meeting as well as the timely circulati on of minutes;  
 
• Access to statements delivered during meetings:  accurate reporting of meetings 
facilitates follow -up. The use of e -tools like the e -Agenda platform to permit electronic 
submission of statements by Members, both to expedite the circulation o f minutes and to 
share them with other Members, could be encouraged.  
 
 
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