RESTRICTED  
  
GPA/M/88  
 
1 March  2024 
(24-1966) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Government Procurement    
 
MINUTES OF THE FORMAL MEETING OF 6 DECEMBER 2023  
CHAIR: MR. MARTIN ZBINDEN (SWITZERLAND)  
The Chair opened the meeting by noting that, in preparation for the meeting, delegations had 
received an Airgram ( WTO/AIR/GPA/30 ) setting out the proposed agenda. The proposed agenda for 
the meeting was as follows:  
 
1. Review and approval, with any amendments,  of the Committee's draft Annual Report to 
the General Council ( RD/GPA/133 ); 
2. adoption, if agreeable, of the draft Committee decision concerning GPA documents to be 
circulated in the future; ( RD/GPA/68/Add.5 ); and  
3. other business.  
The Chair informed the Committee that, b ased on his contacts with delegations, the Committee 
would  not be in a position to adopt its draft decision concerning GPA documents to be circulated in 
the future. This was because no revised version of the draft decision had been  submitted by the 
Parties . He therefore propose d to remove the adoption of the draft decision from the agenda of the 
meeting.  
 
No items of other business were proposed by delegati ons.  
 
The Committee adopted  the modified agenda as proposed by the Chair.  
1  REVIEW AND APPROVAL, WITH ANY AMENDMENTS, OF THE COMMITTEE'S DRAFT 
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL  
1.1.  The Chair recalled that a draft of the Committee's Annual Report had been circulated on 
23 November 2023 ( RD/GPA /133). A revised track -changes version incorporating updates, 
adjustments to reflect additional notifications as well as some minor corrections had been circulated 
by the Secretariat on 30 November 2023 ( RD/GPA/133/Rev.1 ). A further revised version 
incorporating, in track changes, very few minor updates and corrections had been circulated by the 
Secretariat on 4  December 2024 ( RD/GPA/133/Rev.2 ). Moreover, the  Secretariat ha d informed the 
Chair that one new notification from Montenegro would have to be added to the draft Annual Report.  
1.2.  The Committee adopted  the Report with the appropriate update to reflect Montenegro's 
notification.  
1.3.  The Chair asked the Secretariat to make the update, to finalize the form atting of the Report, 
to issue it as an unrestricted document ( GPA/AR/6 ), and to transmit it on the Committee's behalf to 
the General Council as soon as possible.  
2  OTHER BUSINESS  
2.1.  The Chair recalled that the following dates had previously been agreed upon for the 
Committee's substantive meetings in 2024:  GPA/M/88  
 
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  • Wednesday, 20 March 2024. As usual, Monday and Tuesday (18 -19 March) of the meeting 
week would  be set aside for bilateral meetings. The second information -sharing workshop 
would  be held on Thursday, 21 March 2024.  
 
• Wednesday, 9 October 2024. As usual, Monday and Tuesday (7 -8 October) of the meeting 
week would  be set aside for bilateral meetings.  
 
2.2.  For the Committee's previously planned June 2024 meetings, the Chair pointed out that the 
Committee could not go ahead a s originally planned, given that the dates coincided with the Aid for 
Trade Global Review week, which had just been fixed. The Chair would aim to identify and confirm 
a new date in the coming weeks through a written procedure. In addition to the three subs tantive 
meeting weeks, the Committee would hold its usual end -of-year house -keeping meeting in late 
November or early December.  
2.3.  Since it was the Committee's last meeting of the year, the Chair recalled that pursuant to the 
recently adopted Rules of Proced ures for the Selection of the Chairperson ( GPA/CD/ 3), the 
Committee would need to appoint its chair for 2024 at its March meetings. In this context, and to 
facilitate Parties' consideration, the Chair informed the Committee that he would be available to 
serve as  Committee chair for the next term, if the Committee so wished. That term would begin in 
March 2024 and end on the date of the first Committee meeting in 2025. The Chair mentioned that 
he might hold some informal consultations in this regard and would then  revert to the Committee in 
good time regarding the chair selection process to be conducted so that the next chair could be 
selected at the Committee's March 2024 meetings.  
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