RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/CTG/32  
 
7 June 2023 
(23-3903) Page: 1/9 
Council for Trade in Goods    
 
COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS  
MC12  IMPLEMENTATION MATTERS – IMPROVING THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CTG  
Current Status of Work Following the  
Informal Meeting of 31 May 20231 
This document has been prepared under the responsibility of  the Chairperson of the Council for 
Trade in Goods , Amb. Adamu Mohammed ABDULHAMID  , with a view to reflecting  the current status 
of work on the discussions for the improvement of the functioning of the CTG  following the meeting 
of 31  May 2023, and follows the same approach as  document  JOB/CTG/2 8. This document is for 
information purposes only  and is without prejudice to the position of Members on these discussions.  
 
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1 The contents of this document were also circulated in document  ICN/CTG/ 10/Suppl.1.   
  JOB/CTG/32  
 
- 2 - ANNEX  
IMPROVING THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CTG  
Current Status of Work Following the Informal Meeting of 31  May 2023  
Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
1. Assistance to capital -based and Geneva -based delegates  
a.1 Regular introductory sessions on the 
functioning of the CTG  and its subsidiary 
bodies (with the content and organization to 
be provided by each subsidiary body).   The Secretariat is in the process of developing 
a draft introductory session on the functioning 
of the CTG to be presented to Members at the 
informal me eting of the Council which is 
scheduled to take place on  
19 September  2023.  
a.2 Request the G eneral Council  to consider 
horizontally introductory sessions for  all 
regular WTO  bodies.  Further discussion required . It was 
observed that CTG  subsidiary bodies 
are actively discussing this issue as 
part of their efforts to improve their 
function s, and that the CTG will 
receive updates on the outcome of 
these discussions at a later stage. 
The Council would then revert to the 
issue of whether and how the issue 
could be best presented to the 
General Council .   
b. Development of a manual describing the 
functioning of the CTG   The Secretariat reported that a draft has 
already been prepared describing the different 
aspects of the functioning of the CTG with a 
view to including it in a new dedicated section 
of the WTO  webpage . It is foreseen that a 
similar approach could be taken by the 
subsidiary bodies. Next September, the 
Secretariat will present a concrete proposal to 
Members.    
  JOB/CTG/32  
 
- 3 - Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
2. Planning and organization of meetings  
a. Improved planning of meetings (for the 
entire Organization), including the date on 
which the agenda closes  Further discussion required with a 
view to improving the sequencing of 
the work of the Council with the 
meetings of the subsidiary bodies . It 
was proposed that trade concerns 
should only be discussed during the 
second and third  meetings of the 
year, which would leave more time 
during the first  meeting of the year 
for the Council to discuss 
administrative and other general 
issues, including the overall status of 
notifications in document  G/L/223, 
and holding thematic sessions based 
on Members ' proposals. The 
Chairperson requested the 
Secretariat to prepare a draft text to 
operationalize the proposal  so that it 
can be considered at the next 
informal meeting of the CTG.  At the request of Members, the former  
CTG Chair already informed the Chairperson 
of the General Council of the concerns raised 
by Members at the CTG and, in particular, the 
problems faced when mee ting dates are 
changed after their announcement. The 
CTG Chair should also mention to the GC  Chair 
that the WTO should: (i)  fix the dates of all 
meetings on an annual basis, in cluding those 
of the GC; and (ii)  require each body that 
changes a meeting date to explain in writing 
to Members the reasons for such change.  Agreement reached at the Council's formal 
meeting of 3 -4 April 2023 that: 
"Members wishing to propose the inclusion of 
an agenda item for a formal meeting of the 
Council for Trade i n Goods should, no t less 
than 15 calendar days prior to the date of the 
meeting, either include it in the eAgenda or 
inform the Secretariat in writing of their 
intention. If the deadline falls on a 
non-working day, it will be moved to the 
previous business  day."  
b. Calendar of meetings (introduction of an 
automatic alert mechanism)   Secretariat to inform Members  of the changes 
that are currently under way to improve the 
calendar of meetings in the WTO  website and 
have a "walk through" of these changes  once 
they are introduced .  
c. Cluster related meetings to facilitate 
increased value for capital -based attendance   Members to raise the issue directly in the 
context of the relevant Committees so they 
can decide accordingly .  
d. Dedicated cross -cutting and joint sessions 
of two or more bodies to expand consideration 
of linked topics    It was noted that this was already a possibility 
and that it should be implemented on a 
case-by-case basis, based on concrete 
proposals by Members.    
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- 4 - Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
3. Work procedures  
Formal meetings  
a. Agenda setting (order in which trade 
concerns are listed, e.g.  start with the new  
ones) Further discussion required on how 
the trade concerns should be ordered 
within the two  new subsections that 
were introduced in the Agenda (new 
and previously raised trade 
concerns): in alphabetical order, on a 
first come first serve d basis, or any 
other or der.  Agreement reached at the Council's formal 
meeting of 3 -4 April 2023: 
"The Secretariat is instructed to include a new 
subsection in the agenda to separate new 
trade concerns  and place them before 
previously raised trade concerns. " 
b. Possible introduction of an annotated 
agenda (i.e. providing background and other 
information on the issues to be discussed  at 
the meeting)   The Secretariat will develop a draft template 
for a CTG annotated agenda, based on the 
CMA, TBT and SPS  models, to be consulted 
with Members. The contents of the annotated 
agenda should be strictly limited to factual 
information. Once feedback has been received 
and the template is adjusted, Members will 
decide whether it can be used on a trial basis  
at a formal meeting of the CTG .  
c. Trade concerns  (how to improve the 
effectiveness of discussions ?) Further discussion required .    
d. Possible improvements to the 
minutes/reports of formal meetings  Further discussion required . The 
Secretariat explained why the 
CTG minutes had changed from 
reported to verbatim style , and 
presented three  possible options to 
Members: (i) reported style; 
(ii) verbatim style, based on a 
Committee example; and (iii) a 
"two-step" approach like the one 
used by the TRIPS  Council.     
  JOB/CTG/32  
 
- 5 - Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
e. Oral reports by the Chairperson and the 
Secretariat to be shared shortly after the 
meeting   It was noted that the oral reports delivered by  
the Chairperson in the context of a formal 
meeting could be distributed through  the 
eAgenda, thereby enabling delegations to 
quickly obtain a copy  of it. The Chairperson 
proposed that the Council test this approach 
and revert to  the issue if necessary.   
f. Documentation:     
f.1.1 Online availability of all documents 
in all three WTO  languages for 
consideration during the meeting.    Proposed course of action:  With a view to 
allowing delegations adequate time to prepare 
for the meetings, it  was proposed that 
documents with a document  symbol should be 
circulated sufficiently in advance of meetings 
so that they could be translated and made 
available throug h Documents Online . 
f.1.2 Online availability of all 
presentations in all three WTO  languages 
for consideration during the meeting.    Proposed course of action:  With a view to 
allowing delegations adequate time to prepare 
for the meetings, it was proposed that the 
Council should encourage both Members and 
the Secretariat to ensure that all presentations 
are circulated and made available online 
(i.e. under the RD  document series) prior to 
the meetings . 
f.2 E nsure that all references to 
documents (document symbols) include a 
hyperlink to Documents online   The Secretariat is already assessing how best 
to implement this request and will report back 
on progress made.   
f.3 In addition to the circulation in writing 
of the report that is annually prepared 
compiling information on the status of 
notifications (G/L/223  series), request the 
Secretariat to also present it orally and 
provide a factual analysis of the contents 
of this information.  Issue added as a result of the 
discussions. Further discussion 
required.  See also 2.a.     
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- 6 - Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
Informal meetings  
g. Organization of informal meetings, 
including the possible alignment in procedures 
with formal meetings  Further discussion required on how 
to reflect the need for timely 
circulation of convening notices and 
relevant documents , as well as to 
cater for urgent cases . Some 
Members proposed that the 
convening notices should be 
circulated at least 15  days before the 
meeti ng and that all documents 
should be made available sufficiently 
in advance of the meeting with a 
view to providing delegations with 
adequate time to prepare for the 
discussions.    
h. Reports by the Chairperson summarizing 
the outcome of informal meetings (circulation 
sufficiently in advance of the formal meeting 
to take account of comments from Members), 
including reminder of next meeting date(s)  Further discussion required.  The 
Chairp erson noted that the use of the 
word "summary" may be causing 
some issues . In addition, he noted 
that the main need that had been 
expressed was having a short 
document describing in factual terms 
and without attribution the outcomes 
and next steps to be followed , with a 
view to allow ing Members  to be 
prepared for follow -up discussions . 
For other Members, the main 
purpose of meeting in informal mode 
is to provide the space for frank 
exchange s, and it would thus not be 
appropriate to reflect details or 
attribute positions.    
i. Possible use of thematic sessions, e.g. to 
facilitate information sharing and informal 
dialogue (supported by an annual agenda 
item to provide dedicated time to potential 
Member -driven thematic sessions)   It was noted that this was already a possibility 
and that it should be implemented on a 
case-by-case basis, based on concrete 
proposals by Members.    
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- 7 - Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
Other  
j. Preparation of a "style manual" identifying 
best practices implemented by some 
Committees   The proponents clarified that, in the context of 
the CTG, they were referring to an explanation 
of the document symbols used by the CTG.  
The Secretariat will include this explanation as 
part of the "manual describing the functioning 
of the CTG" (item  1.b)  
4. Use of digital tools  
a. eAgenda (Note: implementation on a 
preliminary basis under way)   Further to the testing of the new eAgenda 
system for the CTG  that concluded recently , 
Members provide d feedback  and suggested 
using it, on a trial basis, at the next formal 
meeting of the Cou ncil. The Secretariat will 
proceed accordingly.  On 10  February  2023, the Council agreed, 
through written procedures, to a Decision on 
the "Introduction of the eAgenda  in the work 
of the CTG on a Trial Basis". 
See document  G/L/1481 . 
b. Maint ain virtual participation option for 
formal and informal meetings to facilitate 
capital -based officials'  participation   There is broad support for maintaining virtual 
participation in meetings. However, it was 
noted that this is a horizontal issue beyond the 
CTG, which depends on the overall budget of 
the Organization.   
c. eRegistration (modifications to improve 
communication with Members; identification 
of capital -based officials with responsibilities 
related to WTO  bodies)   The Secretariat informed Member s that it is 
currently developing an "eDelegate" platform 
that will allow both Geneva and capital -based 
delegates to manage all their preferences and 
subscriptions to WTO  applications in 
one place. The system is currently being 
discussed in -house with a view to presenting 
a prototype for comments at the next informal 
meeting of the Council in September.    
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- 8 - Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
d. Trade concerns database (possible 
adoption by the CTG)    Agreement reached at the Council's formal 
meeting of 3 -4 April 2023:  
"The Secretariat is instructed  to integrate the 
CTG data on trade concerns into the Trade 
Concerns Database, subject to budgetary 
constraints. As the project progresses, the 
Secretariat will consult with Members on 
potential adjustments, such as how to link  
trade concerns  raised at the CTG with  STCs 
raised in other bodies. " 
e. Notifications portal and online 
notifications     
e.1 Notifications portal   The Secretariat explained that it will be 
introducing a new functionality to allow 
Members to submit their notifications under 
this platform . Where online systems already 
exist, the platform would  redirect delegates  to 
such systems . The new system will also 
provide more information  to Members  in terms 
of the status of processing of the notifications 
(i.e. from receipt and until they are circulated 
officially ).  
e.2 Online notifications   The Secretariat explained that creating an 
online platform to submit a specific notification 
had to  be proposed and approved under the 
relevant Committee overseeing th e relevant  
requirement. It also noted that this had 
budget ary implications.   
f. WTO Calendar of meetings   See 2.b. above.    
  JOB/CTG/32  
 
- 9 - Issue  Next informal meeting  Actions to be taken by the Chairperson 
or the Secretariat  / Other conclusions 
that do not require an action by the 
Council  Proposed course of action /  
Agreeme nts reached  by the Council   
g. WTO website     
g.1 Improved consistency; add time stamps 
for website updates   With a view to responding to the call from 
some Members to have improved consistency 
in the WTO  website, t he Secretariat noted that 
it is currently assessing the status of the 
sections for the different bodies with a view to 
trying to harmonize certain elements . On the 
time stamps, the Secretariat  noted that 
several features in the page were dynamic 
(i.e. auto matically updated from different 
sources) so it was not p ractical or useful to 
have a time stamp for all changes.   
g.2 Improve the search function   The Secretariat explain ed that it is currently 
exploring what the newest technologies could 
do in order to improve the search function in 
the different domains (e.g. documents online, 
WTO webpage, etc.) in a way that satisfies 
Members' needs. It also noted that this had 
budgetary implications.   
g.3 A llow for personalization and central 
management of user options across the 
different WTO  webpages   See section 4.c (eRegistration).   
h. WTO Digital Tools Overview Session (hold 
regular sessions)  It was noted that, in case the 
proposal on the sequencing is 
adopted (item  2.a), this session 
could be held during the first annual 
meeting of the Council . There appears to be convergence towards 
holding a session at least once per year, which 
should be recorded and made available to 
Members. It was also noted that any 
budgetary impac t should be taken into 
account.   
i. Development of basic productivity apps 
for mobile phones (delegate directory, 
Secretariat directory, meeting calendar, 
meeting room reservation)  Further discussion required .   
 
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