RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/513  
 
  
26 February  2020 
(20-1367) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBU TIONS FROM MEMBERS A ND OBSERVERS   
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 20 19 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This memorandum summarizes the situation with respect to  Members ' and Observers' 
contribution s as at 31 December 201 9. It also provides information and recommendations regarding 
the situation of Members  and Observers  subject to Administrative Measures and Members  following 
a payment  plan as at 21 February  2020. 
2  MEMBERS ' STATUS OF CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 201 9 
2.1.  The WTO received a tota l amount of CHF 197.0 million  from Members in 201 9. This amount 
comprises of annual contribution s for 201 9 and payment of arrears in contributions  for previous 
years . 
Figure 1 Total a nnual receipt  (in MCHF ) 
 
Table 1 Members' contributions received in 201 9 
Receipt per contribution year  MCHF  
2019 contributions representing 92% of assessed contributions  179.9  
2018 contributions (received in 2019)  16.1 
Contributions for periods prior to 2018 (received in 2019)  1.0 
Total  197.0  
Table 2 Members' outstanding contributions as at 31 December 201 9 
Outstanding contribution s per period   MCHF 
Outstanding contributions for 201 9 15.6 
Outstanding contributions for 201 8 1.6 
Outstanding contributions for periods prior to 201 8 7.0 
Total  24.2 
198.8 198.3
191.1201.8
178.4203.6
197.0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019WT/BFA/W/513  
 
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  2.2.  The outstanding  Members'  contributions amount ed to CHF 24.2 million  at the end of 201 9, due 
from 44 Members . 
Figure 2 Members' outstanding contributions at year -end (in MCHF ) 
 
 
3  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO A DMINISTRATIVE MEASUR ES  
3.1.  As at 31 December  2019: 
a. Twelve  Members were subject to Administrative Measures for a total amount outstanding 
of CHF 8.0 million , representing 33% of the total amount outstan ding. 
Table 3 Members under Administrative Measures  as at 31 December 201 9 
Cat. I ( 5) Cat. II ( 1) Cat. III ( 6) 
Democratic Republic of the 
Congo  Congo  Antigua and Barbuda  
Liberia   Burundi*  
Senegal   Guinea -Bissau*  
Yemen   Niger  
Zimbabwe                                  Sierra Leone*  
  Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of  
*  Members not compliant  with payment plan  terms  as their agreed 201 8 contribution  towards clearing 
arrears is still outstanding.            
3.2.  Status a s at 21 February  2020: 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Members subject to Administrative Measures is 
updated with the  annual assessed contributions.  
b. Twenty  Members are subject to Administrative Measures with a total amount outstanding 
of CHF 11.4 million including 20 20 contributions .  
c. Of the Members under Category III, four agreed payment plans for their arrears in 
contribution but none of these Members are currently complying with the agreed terms.  
d. In January 20 20, the Director -General wrote to the  relevant M inisters of all Memb ers under 
Administrative Measures  in order to urge their countries to liquidate their arrears.  
31.0
27.6
25.3 25.4 25.9
23.725.925.1
22.0
19.323.7
16.533.8
25.724.2
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019WT/BFA/W/513  
 
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  4  OBSERVERS ' STATUS OF  CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 201 9 
4.1.  The WTO received a total amount of  CHF 443,398 from Observers in 201 9. 
Table 4 Observers' contributions received in 201 9 (in kCHF)  
Receipt per c ontribution year  CHF  
2019 contributions representing 48% of assessed contributions  326 
2018 contributions  (received in 201 9) 117 
Contributions for periods prior to 201 8 (received in 201 9) 0 
Total  443 
 
4.2.  The outstanding  Observers'  contributions amount ed to CHF 818,284 at the end of 201 9. 
Table 5 Observers' outstanding contr ibutions as at 31 December 201 9 (in kCHF)  
Outstanding per contribution year  CHF  
Outstanding contributions  for 201 9 290 
Outstanding contributions  for 201 8 88 
Outstanding contributions for periods prior to 201 8 440 
Total  818 
 
• Ten Observers ha d no outstanding balance  as at 31 December 201 9; 
• Thirteen Observers ha d an outstanding balance amounting to CHF 818,284 . 
• Two Observers were inactive.  
  WT/BFA/W/513  
 
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  Figure 3 Observers' o utstanding contributions as 31 December 201 9 (in MCHF ) 
 
 
5  OBSERVERS SUBJECT TO  ADMINISTRATIVE MEAS URES  
5.1.  As at 31 D ecember  2019: 
a. Five Observe rs were subject to Administrative  Measures for a total amount outstanding of 
CHF 616,503, representing 75% of the total amount outstanding.   
Table 6 Observe rs under Administrative Measures  as at 31 December 201 9 
Cat. I ( 2) Cat. II ( 1) Cat. III ( 2) 
Comoros  Somalia  Libya  
South Sudan   Sao Tomé and Principe  
 
5.2.  Status a s at 21 February  2020: 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Observers subject to Administrative Measures is 
updated with the annual assessed contributions . 
b. Eight Observ ers are subject to Administrative Measures with a total amount outstanding 
of CHF 909,753 including 2020 contributions.  
c. In January 20 20, the Director -General wrote to the relevant Ministers of all Observers 
under Administrative Measures in order to urge their countr ies to liquidate their arrears.  
6  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO PAYMENT  PLAN S 
6.1.  The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members in 
Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of instalment payments aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.  
6.2.  Payment plans for t hree Members  have expired in 2019 : Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti and 
The Gambia . 
6.3.  The Members following a payment  plan had total arrears amounting to  CHF 3.4 million  at the 
end of 201 9. These Members are  Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea -Bissau  and 
Sierra  Leone.  
7  RECO MMENDATION  
7.1.  The Committee invites  the General Council to urge Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures to liquidate their arrears . 
_______________  
0.840.891.131.24
1.041.16
1.07
0.98
0.560.520.59 0.58 0.590.650.82
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019WT/BFA/W/513  
 
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  ANNEX  1 
ADMINISTRATIVE MEASUR ES FOR MEMBERS AND OBS ERVERS IN ARREARS  
 
Category  Administrative Measures  
I After one but less than two full years  assessed contributions remain outstanding at 
the end of the year:  
1. Representatives of Members will not be nominated to preside over WTO bodies .  
2. Documentation will not be posted to delegations in Geneva nor to the Members' 
and Observers' capitals.  
3. At the beginning of each year, the Director -General will notify the Ministers of 
the Members and Observers responsible for the WTO of the applicable 
administrative measures.  
4. The Director -General will contact , annually , the Minister of the Members' and 
Observers' responsible for the WTO, or any other official at the appropriate 
level emphasizing the question of arrears.  
5. The Secretariat will report annually to the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration on the imp lementation of administrative measures.  
6. Members and Observers will be subject to specific reporting at the General 
Council meetings.1 
II After two but less than three full years  assessed contributions remain outstanding 
at the end of the year, in addition to the measures of Category  I: 
1. The access of the WTO Members' web site will be discontinued.2 
2. The ability of Members to act on the recommendations by the Committee on 
Budget, Fi nance and Administration to the General Council on financial matters 
will be removed.  
3. Observers will be denied access to training or technical assistance.  
4. The Chairs of the accession working group of Observers will remind the 
delegation of Observers, durin g their working group meeting, of their financial 
obligations.  
III After three full years  assessed contributions remain outstanding at the end of the 
year, in addition to the measures of Categories I and II:  
1. Members and Observers will be designated as Inactive Members and Inactive 
Observers, respectively.  
2. Inactive Members will be denied access  to training or technical assistance other 
than that necessary to meet their WTO Article XIV -2 obligations.  
3. The accession working groups do not meet either formally or informally.  
WTO will suspend its request for annual contributions from Inactive Observe rs.  
Request for annual contributions will resume the year the Observers are not 
anymore designated as Inactive.3 
4. Inactive Members and Observers taking the floor in the General Council will be 
identified as such.  
 
  
 
1 See General Council procedures.  
2 Applicable to Members and Observers. Under current policy, Observers have a differentiated access to 
documents posted on the Members' Website.  
3 To be enforced starting 1 January 2013.  WT/BFA/W/513  
 
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  GENERAL COUNCIL PROC EDURES FOR MEMBERS AND OBSERVER S 
SUBJECT TO ADMINISTR ATIVE MEASURES  
 
 
At the beginning of each calendar year,  the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration will notify , to the General Council , the list of Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures, wit h a recommendation that these Members and Observers be urged to 
liquidate their arrears.  
 
At the end of each meeting of the General Council , the Chairman of the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration will provide information with regard to  which Members and 
Observers are under Administrative Measures. The Chairman of the General Council will request 
Members and Observers in Categories II and III to inform the Secretariat as to when the payment  
of arrears may be expected.  
 
Each year  the Dire ctor General will report on the results of his contacts with Members’ and 
Observers’ authorities on the issue of arrears.  
 
 
* * * * * * *  
 
 
SPECIAL PROVISIONS F OR THE SUSPENSION OF  ADMINISTRATIVE MEAS URES  
FOR INACTIVE MEMBERS  AND OBSERVERS4 
 
 
The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members in 
Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of instalment  payment s aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.5 
 
Those Members with pre -1988 arrears , that were assessed at the minimum contribution , 
may benefit from a reduction in those arrears to the level of the 1989 minimum contribution. For 
each full payme nt of an annual contribution between 1988 and 1994, any contracting party with 
pre-1988 arrears may cancel an equal number of assessments for 1987 and ea rlier years upon 
payment  of the  1989 minimum contribution amounting to CHF  19,137. The difference betwe en a 
pre-1988 assessment and the payment  of CHF  19,137 would be funded by the Miscellaneous Income  
of the  WTO.6 
 
The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Observers 
that are in Category III on 1 January 2013, which agre e to, and abide by, a defined schedule of 
installment payment s aimed at liquidating all arrears.   
 
 
__________  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4 Notwithstanding  the WTO Financial Regulations (WT/L/156/Rev 2).  
5 Amend earlier decisions of the General Council  in 1988 ( C/M/22 6) and 1994 (C/M/273) to reflect the 
reduced number of categories.  
6 As approved by the General Council in 1994 (C/M/273).