G/L/1498  
G/IT/35  
 
25 October  2023 
(23-7181) Page: 1/3 
Council for Trade in Goods  
Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in 
Information Technology Products    
 
  
REPORT TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS  ON IMPROVEMENTS IN THE 
FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMITTEE OF PARTICIPANTS ON THE EXPANSION  
OF TRADE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This report has been prepared under the responsibility of the Chairperson of the Committee of 
Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products (ITA  Committee, or the 
Committee), Mr  Don Spedding, at the request of the Chairperson of the Council  for Trade in Goods  
(CTG)  (JOB/CTG/29  and JOB/CTG/33 ), with a view to reporting on the discussions that have taken 
place in the ITA  Committee on improving its functioning.  The report was adopted by the 
ITA Committee at its meeting of 19 October  2023.1 
2  PROCESS AND PROPOSALS  
2.1.  In October  2022, the Chairperson of the ITA  Committee  (Mr Hazrul Imran AZAHAR) , at the  
request of the Chairperson of the CTG,  prepared , under his own responsibility and with the 
Secretariat's assistance, a report describing the current functioning of the Committee , circulated as 
document  G/L/1461 -G/IT/W/55 , dated 1  December  2022.  
2.2.  The ITA  Committee held an initial discussion to identify possible areas for improvement in the 
functioning of the Committee  under the interim Chairperson ship of Mr  LOH Jia  Jie, which had taken  
place at the Committee's formal meeting of 29  March  2023.2 Upon the request of the Chairperson, 
and with a view to advancing those discussions in the most efficient manner, the Secretariat 
prepare d and circulated a table in document  JOB/IT/33 . This table was used to frame the 
Committee's discussions at its informal meeting of 14  July. These discussion s were reflected in the 
Chairperson's summary report  of this informal meeting , which was circulated in 
documen t JOB/IT/34 , dated 20 July 2023.  
2.3.  Based on the outcome of the se discussions, a communication entitled "Current St atus of Work 
Following the Informal Meeting of 14  July 2023" , was prepared and circulated by the Chairperson, 
in document  JOB/IT/35 , dated 9 August  2023. A revised table containing the following four  columns 
was included in the document:  
– A list of areas for possible improvement , based on the consolidated list of next steps 
prepared by the Chairperson of the CTG (c olumn  1); 
 
– a description of the current practice of the ITA  Committee in each of these areas 
(column  2); 
 
– comments under the Chairperson's own authority , and some proposals (column  3); and  
 
– an overview of the status of discussions following the ITA Committee's informal meeting 
of 14 July 2023 (column  4). 
 
 
1 The Chairperson circulated his report in document  G/IT/W/57 , dated 29  September  2023; this report 
was subsequently adopted by the ITA  Committee as the Committee's own  report to the CTG at the 
ITA Committee's formal meeting of 19  October  2023.  
2 Document  G/IT/M/78 , paragraphs  10.1-10.32 . G/L/1498 • G/IT/35  
 
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  2.4.  Those items for which support was expressed during the meeting were reflected in bold in 
column  4 of the table. In addition, the Chairperson proposed that the Committee use written 
procedures to  formally endorse two of the elements , namely : 3(a):  Extending the minimum time 
required for circulating the airgram and list of proposed agenda items ; and 4(a):  Introducing the 
eAgenda on a trial basis.  
2.5.  In this context, a communication entitled "Written procedure for the adoption of proposals by 
the Committee" was circulated in document  JOB/IT/36 , dated 31 August  2023, which proposed that 
the two  follow -up actions mentioned above be adopted. No objection had been received in writing 
by close of business on Tuesday, 12  September  2023, and the proposals were therefor e deemed to 
have been adopted by the Committee. The decision by the Committee was circulated in 
document  G/IT/34 , on 26 September  2023.  
2.6.  Furthermore, t he Chairperson  in JOB/IT/35  indicated that the intention was to move forward 
immedia tely on the other elements in column  4 on which support had been expressed . In some 
instances, this meant continuing with current practice. These elements  from the revised table were 
as follows : 1(a) Support for the Secretariat to organize regular introduc tory sessions on past work 
done in the Committee and updates on current work ; 1(b) Support for the Secretariat to prepare a 
manual describing the main procedural and substantive aspects of the work of the Committee in a 
similar style to manuals being prepared for other Committees ; 2(d) Support for holding 
dedicated/joint sessions on cross -cutting issues on an ad hoc basis as needed ; 3(e) Support for the 
Secretariat to circulate any oral reports by the Chair and Secretariat after informal meetings; 
Support for the Secretariat to circulate any presentations and accompanying remarks after informal 
and formal meetings ; 3(f) Support for the Secretariat to circulate documents, including research and 
analysis, as early as possible before meetings ; 3(g) Support  for the Secretariat to include hyperlinks 
to documents and references cited in documents ; 3(i) Support for the Secretariat to circulate factual 
summary reports of informal meetings by the Chairperson ; and 4(b)  Support for maintaining the 
hybrid format of meetings unless there is a WTO -wide decision to the contrary . He also proposed 
that the revised table continue to be used as the basis for further discussions in the ITA  Committee , 
as necessary . 
3  IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMITTEE  
3.1.  As a result of these discussions, the ITA  Committee agreed to implement 11  changes with a 
view to improving its functioning, including two changes where formal decisions had been taken by 
the Committee , and nine changes where the Secretariat had been requested either to introduce 
changes to the way in which it supported the work of the Committee , or else to continue current 
practice . 
3.2.  The improvements in the work of the Committee include  the following : 
General area  Improvements in the functioning of the ITA  Committee  
1. Assistance to delegates  • Support for the Secretariat to organize regular introductory 
sessions on past work done in the Committee and updates on 
current work.  
• Support for the Secretariat to prepare a manual describing the 
main procedural and substantive aspects of the work of the 
Committee.  
2. Planning and organization of 
meetings  • Support for holding dedicated/joint sessions on cross -cutting 
issues on an ad hoc  basis, as needed.  
3. Work Procedures  • Proposal adopted by the Committee  for extending the minimum 
time-frame for circulation of the airgram (convening notice) 
and proposed list of agenda items to 15  days in advance of 
each formal meeting, instead of the previous  practice of 
10 days.  
• Support for the Secretariat to circulate any oral reports by the 
Chair and Secretariat after informal meetings . 
• Support for the Secretariat to circulate any presentations and 
accompanying remarks after informal and formal meeti ngs. G/L/1498 • G/IT/35  
 
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  General area  Improvements in the functioning of the ITA  Committee  
• Support for the Secretariat to circulate documents, including 
research and analysis, as early as possible before meetings.  
• Support for the Secretariat to include hyperlinks to documents 
and references cited in documents.  
• Support for the Secretariat to circulate factual summary 
reports of informal meetings by the Chairperson.  
4. Use of Digital tools  • Proposal adopted by the Committee  for introducing the 
eAgenda on a trial basis.  
• Support for maintaining the hybrid format of meetings unless  
there is a WTO -wide decision to the contrary.  
 
4  NEXT STEPS  
4.1.  The Committee will continue to consider ways to improve its functioning , on an ongoing basis , 
as proposed by delegations , and as relevant.  
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