G/L/1441  
 
15 November  2022 
(22-8491) Page: 1/2 
    
 
REPORT (20 22) OF THE COMMITTEE OF PARTICIPANTS ON THE EXPANSION  
OF TRADE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS  
1.1.  The Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products, 
hereinafter referred to as "the Committee", was established pursuant to the provisions of the 
Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (WT/MIN(96)/16), hereinafter 
referred to as "the Ministerial Declaration", and the provisions for the Implementation of the 
Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (G/L/160), in order to carry out 
the provisions of paragraphs  3, 5, 6, and 7 of the Annex to the Declaration.  
1.2.  The Committee's rules of procedure provide for observer status to WTO Members th at are not 
participants to the Ministerial Declaration, and governments that are observers to the Council for 
Trade in Goods. Requests for observer status by international intergovernmental organizations are 
considered on a case -by-case basis. The Internat ional Trade Centre (ITC) and the Organi sation for 
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have been granted observer status, and the World 
Customs Organization (WCO) has been granted observer status to meetings where issues of 
HS classification and HS  amendments are included on the agenda.  
1.3.  The Committee has held two formal m eeting s and one  informal meeting in 2022. The 
Committee's formal meetings were held on 6  April and 11  October and t heir minutes are contained 
in document s G/IT/M/7 6 and G/IT/M/77, re spectively . The Committee also held an informal meeting 
on 20  September  2022 regarding the possible hosting of a dialogue session by IT  industry 
representatives during the Public Forum.  
1.4.  Ms Katarzyna Stecz (Poland)  (Chairperson of the Committee for 202 1) chaired the Committee's 
work until 27  May 2022. On 30  May 2022, through a written procedure, the Committee elected by 
acclamation Mr Hazrul Imran Azahar (Malaysia) as Chairperson for the period of 2022 -2023.  
1.5.  As of 11  October, t he total number of WTO  Members that are participants to the Ministerial 
Declaration is 8 3. The Committee has consistently reviewed the status of implementation, a 
summary of which is provided in document  G/IT/1 and its revisions.1 
1.6.  At the Committee's meeting of 6  April, the Chairperson informed the Committee that 
three  governments in the process of WTO  accession, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan, Belarus, 
and Bosnia and Herzegovina, had requested to join the ITA. All three  draft ITA  Schedules had been 
circulated to ITA  Participants for their consideration and approval. A number of delegations stated 
that they did not support Belarus' participation to the ITA.  
1.7.  At the Committee's meetings in April and October  2022, a discussion regarding the United 
Kingdom's participation in the ITA contin ued. 
1.8.  A trade concern regarding Indonesia's i mplementation issue s was raised at the Committee's 
meeting in April and reiterated at its meeting in October . 
1.9.  The Committee continued its deliberations on the Non -Tariff Measures (NTMs) Work 
Programme in 202 2. Regarding its work on the EMC/EMI  Pilot Project, the Committee note d that, 
 
1 The latest update of the document was circulated in document  G/IT/1/Rev.59 on 25  March  2022. A 
Member expressed concern with certain aspects of the document and requested that the document be 
amended.  G/L/1441  
 
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  among  current participants, 43 had provided survey responses . The Committee encouraged those 
that had not yet done so to provide the information without any further delay.  
1.10.  On classification divergences, with regard to the possible HS2007  classification for the 
remaining 22  "Attachment  B" items, the Secretariat ha d so far  received comments from 
21 delegations, which were compiled in document  G/IT/W/40 and its Addenda and Supp lements.  
The Committee encouraged delegations that had not yet provided their comments to do so as soon 
as possible in order to arrive at a common classification for these products within the existing 
HS nomenclature.  
1.11.  On product coverage, the Committee too k note of the reports and updates from those 
participants that were engaged in the 2015  ITA Expansion (WT/L/956 and WT/MIN(15)/25) and its  
implementation.  
1.12.  Regarding new participants, as a result of Lao  PDR's participation to the ITA and 
ITA Expansion Agree ments, modifications to its Goods Schedule (circulated in 
document s G/MA/TAR/RS/662  and G/MA/TAR/RS/663 ) were certified in documents  WT/LET/1564 
and WT/LET/1565.  
1.13.  An ITA  Information and Dialogue Session with IT Industry Representatives  was held on 
Wednesday , 28 September, on the margins of the Public Forum. Four  industry representatives2 
delivered presentations on semiconductor global value chains and shared the experiences and 
perspectives of their specific companies regarding the benefits of the ITA. At i ts meeting of 
11 October, the Committee listened to the feedback of Participants on the  ITA Information and 
Dialogue Session with IT Industry Representatives . 
__________  
 
 
2 Mr John Neuffer, President and CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA); 
Mr Mario  Palacios, Senior Director of Government Affairs and Head of International Trade Policy of Applied 
Materials; Mr  Edward Brzytwa, Vice President of International Trade of the Consumer Technology Association 
(CTA); and Mr  Jay Chittooran, Director of International Policy at Samsung .