RESTRICTED  
  
S/C/M/152  
 
18 April 2023 
(23-2765) Page: 1/44 
Council for Trade in Services    
 
  
REPORT OF THE MEETING HELD ON 9 MARCH 2023 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
The Council for Trade in Services held a meeting on 9 March 2023, chaired by  Ambassador Long of 
Cambodia . The agenda was contained in document WTO/AIR/CTS/ 33. 
The United States  wished to add an item  under Other Business  to update the Council on a bilateral 
issue it had  raised with Saudi Arabia in previous meetings . 
The agenda was a dopted  as modified . 
The Chairman reminded  delegations attending in virtual mode, when taking the floor, to allow a few 
seconds of streaming before starting their intervention, in order to ensure that the ir statement was 
heard in full. Additionally, for the benefit of the interpreters, he urged them to speak at a reasonable, 
moderate pace and, if possible, to provide to the interpreters, via the Secretariat, an advance copy 
of any written statements they intend ed to deliver. That would help to ensure that interventions 
were properly conveyed and un derstood when translated into the other two official languages.  
1  ITEM A: NOTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO ARTICLE S III:3  AND V:7 OF THE GATS  
1.1.  With regard to the notifications made pursuant to Article III:3 (Transparency), the Chairman  
drew the Council's attention t o the communications received from Ukraine,  in documents 
S/C/N/1126 and S/C/N/1132, the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu , in document S/C/N/1127, and the Russian Federation,  in document s S/C/N/1128 to 
S/C/N/1131.  
1.2.  The represen tative of Ukraine  said that her colleagues had intended  to participate in that 
meeting and to make that statement. Unfortunately, new missile attacks had been launched by the 
Russian Federation the previous night. The target was the civilian population of Ukraine. Kyiv, 
Kharkiv , and some other cities had been left without electricity and heating, and there were victims 
among the civilian populations, which were already confirmed.  
1.3.  Nevertheless, Ukraine reaffirmed  its strong commitment to the fundamental WTO rules, in 
particular transparency. Despite the war unleashed by Russia that had been taking place for more 
than one year already, Ukraine continue d to fulfil its notification obligations, including on services,  
and to demonstrate its readiness for further work in order to implement relevant MC12 mandates.  
1.4.  Under that agenda item, there were two notifications from Ukraine pursuant to Article III:3 of 
the GATS regarding the Law of Ukraine No. 2849-IX "On Media " and the Law of Ukraine No. 2722-IX 
"On Postal Communications ".  
1.5.  The Law of Ukraine "On Media " aimed  to ensure the exercise of the right to freedom of 
expression, the right to receive comprehensive, reliable and timely information, to ensure pluralism 
of opini ons and free dissemination of information, to protect the national interests of Ukraine and 
the rights of users of media services, to regulate media activities in accordance with the principles 
 
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat 's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  of transparency, fairness and impartiality, to stimulate a com petitive environment, equality and 
independence of the media.  
1.6.  The Law of Ukraine "On Postal Communications " define d the legal framework for activities in 
the postal sector, including the authority of the central executive bodies and the national regulator  
and the rights and obligations of postal operators and users of postal services; and regulate d the 
principles of li ability of postal operators and users of those  services.  
1.7.  Ukraine  believe d that the implementation of th ose Laws would  contribute to further 
development of services sectors in Ukraine adversely affected by the war launched by Russia, which 
continue d to demo nstrate a blatant disregard of international law and the rules -based international 
order.  
1.8.  In addition to the immense human toll, Russia 's aggression ha d led to the destruction of trade 
routes and logistics system s, the rattle of supply chains and the disruption of services supply. 
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies  had registered damage or destruction of 82,483 civilian 
infrastructure facilities, including residential buildings and houses, educational and medical 
institutions, cultural and religious bu ildings, and water and electricity networks. Those  numbers did 
not include the temporarily occupied areas, in which the real level of destruction was much higher.  
1.9.  According to the World Bank, the cost of Ukraine 's reconstruction and recovery needs due to 
Russia's war of aggression was estimated at about USD 700 billion  over the next ten years.  
1.10.  She reiterated  Ukraine 's deep gratitude to the partners for their unwavering support and 
called on WTO Members to make every effort in order to end Russia 's ability t o wage  that devastating 
war, undermine the multilateral trading system , and effective implementation of MC12 mandates on 
trade in services.  
1.11.  The representative of Canada  noted that the WTO exist ed as a rule s-based organisation and 
Russia's illegal action de monstrate d a complete disregard for the most fundamental tenets of 
international law . For more than a year , the violent actions of  the Russian forces had undermined 
the ability of another  WTO Member, Ukraine, to fully participate in the world trading syste m and the 
work of that Organisation . In that context, Canada commended Ukraine, with its recent notification , 
for continuing , despite the severe conditions , to meet its GATS  obligation s.  
1.12.  The consequences of Russia's action extend ed well beyond Ukraine's border s. There were 
many complex contributors to global food and energy insecurity, but Russia's illegal invasion of 
Ukraine  was an additional massive shock to a strained global system. Canada reminded the Council  
that without Russia 's military action  and the destruction of Ukraine 's farmland, factories and ports , 
world food prices would reflect normal market conditions.  
1.13.  Canada saw no value in engaging in discussion or negotiation with Russia at the WTO until 
Russia's leadership end ed the invasion and demonstrate d once again respect  for the rule s-based 
international order. Canada remain ed committed to the WTO and the Council , and to continu e its 
work there. 
1.14.  The representative of the European Union  thanked Ukraine for its statement and  continuous , 
active participation and support for the WTO work. A dark anniversary for Ukraine, Europe , and for 
the world  had just passed . For over a whole year, Russia ha d waged an illegal, unjustifiable and 
unprovoked war against Ukrain e, a war outside the civilised world  order , destroying millions of lives. 
And for one year, Ukraine ha d defended itself with unprecedented heroism and courage.  
1.15.  The European Union would  never  match Ukraine's sacrifice for freedom and for their common 
values  but would stand with Ukraine and would  help in any possible way , for as long as it took, 
through its support to the Ukrainian  people, their military and economy . The European Union c alled 
on Russia to immediately cease its military actions and withdraw its forces  from the Ukrain ian 
territory.  
1.16.  The representative of the United States  said that j ust over a year earlier , Putin  had begun his 
brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. R ussia continue d to inflict death and 
destruction on Ukraine and on the Ukrainian people, including that morning , while most of the people S/C/M/152  
 
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  in Geneva  were sleeping . It was a very sad day,  made sadder after update s by the Ukrain ian 
colleague on the destruction caused by Russia.  
1.17.  As the G7 leaders recently noted, the United States  condemn ed Russia's illegal, unjustifiable 
and unprovoked war , its disregard for the Charter of the UN, and its indifference to the impact that 
the war was having on people worldwide.  
1.18.  Russia's actions also contravene d the principles and values that were the foundation of the 
WTO, including other Members'  shared notions of fairness and openness . The United States  called 
upon all Members to condemn unequivocall y Putin's war of aggression, his reliance on force and 
indiscriminate violence to illegally seize the territory of another Member , and his contempt for the 
rule of law and humanitarian norms . The United States remained united with its allies and partners 
in their commitment to ensure that the Russian Government paid a severe economic and diplomatic 
price for its further invasion of Ukraine.  
1.19.  Finally, the representative shared a brief poem written by Oksana Maksymchuk , a poet from 
Lviv, which had appeared in  a 2017 collection of Ukrainian poetry : "I wake up, sigh, and head off to 
war. For the lilacs have already faded. I scrub, I slice the skin off my palm. And feed death from my 
hand. But death is not hungry, a fledgling — a cuckoo chick — begs my pardon. Don 't go, she pleads, 
There 's nothing there. I too have a soul, she says. The lilacs have faded. The orchards will bloom. 
The war will come to an end. " 
1.20.  The representative of the Republic of Korea  echoed previous speakers on the situation in 
Ukraine . The Korea n Government reaffirm ed its consistent position on the occasion of the one-year 
mark of the Ukrainian w ar and underscored  that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and 
independence of Ukraine should be respected.  
1.21.  The representative of Japan  strongly condemn ed Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Japan 
once again strongly urge d Russia to stop the aggression and withdraw its forces from the territory 
of Ukraine. Japan would  also continue to work on the two pillars of  imposing strong sanctions  against 
Russia and supporting Ukraine in cooperation with the international community.  
1.22.  The representative of Australi a condemned Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine , 
express ed her delegation's  support and solidarity for Ukraine and reflect ed on what Members were  
there to do, which was to  uphold and strengthen the rules -based order . 
1.23.  The representative of the United Kingdom  echoed previous speakers . As Members  met in the 
Council, they could not  sit by and ignore the egr egious violations of international law committed by 
one Member against another.  
1.24.  Over one year  had passed  since the start of Russia 's illegal, unjustified and unprovoked attack,  
and it was yet another dark day in Ukraine. Members could not  pretend that it was business as usual.  
Members had  seen the direct consequences of Russia 's appalling actions that day  – impeding the 
ability of Ukraine to fully participate in the work of the WTO . 
1.25.  While Russia continue d to violate international law, huma n rights and multiple commitments 
to peace and security, the United Kingdom would  work with its allies and partners across the 
multilateral system to condemn Russia 's appalling actions and to isolate it on the international stage.  
1.26.  The representative of Switzerland  condemn ed the Russian military aggression on Ukraine in 
the strongest possible terms.  The annexation of Ukrainian territories by the Russian Federation 
violate d the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine.  By proceeding with that 
annexation, the Russian Federation was violating international law.  Switzerland did not recognise 
the integration of Ukrainian territories into the Russian Federation.  
1.27.  The representative of the Republic of Moldova  wished to add Moldova's voice of support  and 
solidarity to Ukraine and to join  other Members who had condemn ed the war initiated by Russia. 
Unfortunately, Moldova was  the second most affected  country by that war. It would  continue to stay 
in solidarity with Ukraine and demand ed Russia to stop immediately and unconditionally  that brutal 
and destructive war.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  1.28.  The representative of Norway  joined others in condemning in the strongest possible terms 
the unprecedented military ag gression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The representative 
expressed Norway's concern for the severe destruction and human suffering that that illegal act of 
aggression was causing.  
1.29.  By its unprovoked, unjustified and premeditated military actio ns, and attempts to annex the 
territory of another Member, the Russian Federation had grossly violated international law, the core 
principles on which the international rule -based order was built, including the WTO, and the 
fundamental principles of the UN  Charter that had prevailed since World War II. She reiterated that 
Norway stood in solidarity, as long as it would take, with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.  
1.30.  The representative of New Zealand  joined the voices of others that had expressed solidarity 
and support for the people of Ukraine. It  was another brutal day and New Zealand call ed on the 
Russian Federation to immediately cease its illegal, unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.  
1.31.  The representative of the Russia n Federation  said that it was regrettable that certain 
delegations continue d their attempts to politici se the work of WTO bodies. Statements delivered that 
day by those Members just serve d as an instrument to promote their political agenda. If Members  
slid into politi cal discussions, the Russian Federation would  inevitably be forced to speak of more 
than 20 ongoing conflicts worldwide involving a number of WTO Members and affecting all Members ' 
trade interests.  
1.32.  It was Russia 's standing position that the WTO should rema in a professional organi sation, 
dedicated exclusively to issues of global trade in accordance with its mandate. The Russian 
Federation was  ready to engage in discussions on the issue of transparency with all interested 
delegations and provide answers to the remaining questions , if any.  
1.33.  Instead of political chatter , Members should  discuss trade and economics, which that Council 
was mandated t o handle. The Russian Federation called on Members  to focus  on the recent unilateral 
economic restrictive measures imposed against Russia , the total number of which was approaching 
3000 and continue d to grow. In the past couple of weeks that long list of m easures ha d been 
replenished by a number of new restrictive measures targeting , inter alia , major Russian banks, 
research institutes and commercial companies.  
1.34.  By applying various bans and restrictions, the authors of the sanctions did not affect only 
Russia. They had adversely affected those who want ed to continue trading with Russia under rules. 
They had added problems to many other economies around the world due to the spill-over effects. 
As a result, developing and least -developed countries had to pay a much higher price for the required 
goods and services . Those  measures were not only illegal and unjustified but  had also cause d 
enormous and irreparable damage to the global economy by provoking and aggravating the global 
economic, energy and food crises.   
1.35.  Concerning the accusations about the reasons for food insecurity , the Russian Federation 
noted  that logistic and financial services providers were under threat to be penali sed by Governments 
and refuse d to operate with Russian counterparts and shipments.  As a result , global value chains 
were disrupted and logistics operations were damaged , which was  threatening the sustainability of 
food and fertili sers export s worldwide.  
1.36.  Regarding the current price hikes , Russia was both a major producer and exporter of wheat 
and fertili sers. For instance, Russian fertili sers ensure d the production of 117 million tons of wheat 
or 440 million tons of corn worldwide, which was enough to feed about 500 million people. The 
unilateral eco nomic measures against Russia had led to an increase in transaction and transportation 
costs and as a result , food and fertili ser prices  had grown , decreasing the availability of such goods 
for those in need . 
1.37.  Unfortunately, the sponsors of the sanctions had not provide d any WTO -consistent 
justification for their illegal actions , and the Russian Federation had only heard political slogans. The 
Russian Federation understood that  they simply could not  provide any meaningful arguments in 
defen ce of their trade policies.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  1.38.  Even more preposterous were the attempts to present the situation  as if Russia itself was to 
blame for th ose unilateral sanctions. Th ose restrictive measures had been designed and introduced 
by sovereign States through their own choice and would  remain their sole responsibility.  
1.39.  The Russian Federation cautioned  that the unilateral imposition of politically biased trading 
measures clearly set the new norm that no Member was safe from unlawful treatment.  
1.40.  The Russian Federation believe d that addressing unilateral coercive measures and the 
elimination of discriminatory obstacles to trade would  positively impact international markets and 
prices and provide the opportunit y to face the current economic and food crisis.  
1.41.  The Chairman suggested  that the Council take note of the notification s and the statements 
made . 
1.42.  It was so agreed .  
1.43.  With regard to the notifications made pursuant to Article V:7 (Economic Integration), the 
Chairman  drew the Council 's attention to the communication s received from : Brunei Darussalam, 
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao P DR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet  Nam, 
in document S/C/N/1125, and Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, 
New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Viet  Nam, in document S/C/N/920/Add.2 and S/C/N/920/Add.3.  
1.44.  The representative of New Zealand  wished to comment on  the notifications contained in  
documents S/C/N/920/Add.2 and S/C/N/920/Add.3. A s 2023 CP TPP Chair, New Zealand warmly 
welcome d, on behalf of the CPTPP membership , the original signatories to the Comprehensive and 
Progressive Agreement for Trans -Pacific Partnership , Malaysia and Chile  who had now ratified CP TPP 
and had become the 9th and 10th parties to the agreement, joining New Z ealand, Australia, Canada, 
Japan, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Viet  Nam. 
1.45.  As noted in the preamble to the CPTPP, the agreement ai med to establish a comprehensive 
regional agreement that promote d economic integration to liberalise trade and investment. 
Streng thening  economic growth and social benefits create d new opportunities for workers and 
businesses, contribute d to raising living standards, benefi tted consumers, reduce d poverty, and 
promote d sustainable growth.  Malaysia 's and Chile 's ratifications would  help to achieve that goal 
together.  
1.46.  The CP TPP was open to those economies that could demonstrate that they were  able to meet 
its high standards, rules and commitments , and New Zealand was  pleased that a number of WTO 
Members  had expressed  interest in joining . 
1.47.  The Chairman  suggested that the Council take note of the notifications  and the statement  
made , and that the agreements notified be referred to the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements 
(CRTA) for consideration.  
1.48.  It was so agreed . 
1.49.  The Chairman  drew the Council's  attention to the fact that, at its meeting scheduled for 27  and 
28 March, the C RTA would consider four regional trade agreements that cover ed services trade.  The 
agreements in question were: (a) the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreeme nt between the 
United Kingdom and Japan; (b) the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union 
and the United Kingdom; (c) the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement 
between India and Mauritius; and (d) the Free Trade Agr eement between Türkiye and Serbia.  
1.50.  He then drew delegations' attention to  the Note by the Secretariat containing an "Overview 
of notifications made under relevant GATS provisions ", which Members had agreed would be updated 
annually. The Note ha d been circulated in document JOB(09)/10/Rev.13.  
1.51.  A representative of the Secretariat  said that the annual Note on notifications provided a 
statistical account of the notifications made by Members under relevant GATS provisions, updated 
to include notificati ons submitted between January and December 2022.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  1.52.  For ease of reference, the Note listed all GATS notification requirements applicable to 
Members, irrespective of whether any notifications were submitted under those Articles during the 
year in question.  
1.53.  As indicated in the Note, during 2022, 35 notifications had been made pursuant to Article  III:3 
on transparency; 10 Economic Integration Agreements had been notified under Article V:7; and 9 
notifications had been submitted pursuant to Article VII:4 on recog nition.  
1.54.  Three observations might be made based on the current update of the Note . First, the number 
of Article III:3  notifications in 2022 was considerably higher than in the previous year, but 
significantly lower than in 2019. Second, while 2021 had seen the highest number of Economic 
Integration Agreements ever notified, largely due to the Economic Integration Agreements notified 
by the United Kingdom and its trading partners, the number of notifications in 2022 ha d declined to 
the average level over the previous six years . Third, c ompared to 2021, the number of notifications 
submitted pursuant to Article VII:4 had increased markedly in 2022, continuing the trend of more 
and more notifications under that Article since 2018.  
1.55.  The representative of India thanked the Secretariat for its Note on "Overview of notifications 
made under relevant GATS provisions ". The compliance figures mentioned in the Secretariat's 
compilation continue d to be of concern.  
1.56.  In the past, India had drawn attention to the low number of notifications by developed 
Members in general, and, in particular, the dismal record in notifications of some prominent 
developed Members, who also held top ranks in global commercial services  trade.  
1.57.  Under  the discussions on WTO reform, India had recognise d the need for open, inclusive and 
transparent functioning of the Organisation.  The submission by India and the  African Group, Cuba , 
and Pakistan  on "Strengthening the WTO to promote development and inclusivit y", contained in 
document WT/GC/W/778 /Rev.5, highlight ed the need for meeting the transparency obligations as 
enshrined in the GATS.  
1.58.  Those  notifications were essential for Members to understand the full implications of the 
commitments made , including entr y-related measures affecting  the existing mode 4 commitments 
of Members. India continued to urge developed Members to lead by example in  submitting 
comprehensive, timely and accurate notifications.  
1.59.  The representative of t he Russian Federation  thanked the  Secretariat for its Note . The Russian 
Federation wished to voice its great concern regarding the overall low level of notification s under  
the GATS. That was  a major problem facing all Members, and something that they had to tackle 
together.  
1.60.  It became  obviou s from the "Overview of notifications made under relevant GATS provision s" 
that Members did not fulfil their notification obligations, thus undermining the fundamental principle 
of transparency that the WTO was grounded upon.  
1.61.  In those turbulent times, when  the global economy was still recovering after the COVID -19 
pandemic, it was of vast importance for Members  to promote trade predictability and trust, as well 
as to restore the ability of businesses, including MSMEs, to participate in global value chains m ore 
effectively and efficiently.  
1.62.  The fulfilment of GATS transparency obligations and timely submission of notifications was 
Members'  shared responsibility. Capitals need ed to take respective decisions and implement the 
necessary steps for notifications to run smoothly.  
1.63.  The representative of the United States  said that his delegation was  a strong proponent of 
transparency and notifications . The notification  standard under the GATS was unclear and not very 
useful as a tool for increasing transparency in serv ices. 
1.64.  One objective of notifications was to enhance transparency.  The United States develop ed its 
regulations in a very transparent manner and  support ed other Members adopting regulations in a 
similar way. Indeed, the United States had joined the Joint Statement Initiative on Domestic S/C/M/152  
 
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  Regulation to support the transparent development and administration of measures for supplying 
services. Ironically, some of those critici sing the United States fo r not notifying measures to that 
Council had blocked the certification of schedules of Members seeking to bind transparency 
obligations.  
1.65.  The United States urge d those who sought to score rhetorical political points to adopt a more 
pragmatic and practical approach to improving transparency and notifications.  The United States 
remain ed open to having a constructive discussion about ways in which notifications and 
transparency of measures that significantly affect ed trade in services might  have some value for  
Members.  
1.66.  The representative of India noted the comments of the United States and  the indication that 
there were some Members who had blocked the process  of certification . She  reminded the Council  
that there was  a process that had been clearly laid out in document S/L/84 and India was  exercising 
its rights as entailed  therein , and which had been agreed by the entire Membership.  
1.67.  The Chairman  suggested that the Council take note of the statement s made.  
1.68.  It was so agreed . 
2  ITEM B:  IMPLEMENTATION MATTERS FROM MC12 MANDATES  
2.1.  The Chairman  said that there were different elements to address under that agenda item. He 
intended to deal with them separately: first, the Council would address the report of his 
consultations. Once Members had concluded that d iscussion, the Council would move on to the two 
communications tabled by India.  
2.2.  Regarding the report of his consultations, the Chairman recalled that, as indicated at the 
December meeting of the Council, in his communication dated 8 February, he had invite d all 
interested delegations to meet with him. The purpose of his consultations was to gather inputs on 
how the Council might move forward its work on a number of implementation matters arising from 
MC12 mandates. Specifically, he had been  interested in he aring delegations' views with regard to 
the WTO pandemic response, WTO reform and the LDC Services Waiver.  
2.3.  He met with all the delegations that so requested, accounting for a total of over 70 Members, 
on 16 and 17 February. He once again thanked those dele gations for meeting with him, and for their 
constructive engagement.  The account of his consultations had been circulated in writing in advance 
of that meeting, so as to allow time for Members' consideration. It was contained in document 
JOB/SERV/CTS/9.  
2.4.  He did not plan to repeat the content of the report but wished to briefly mention his main 
takeaways with regard to the pandemic response and WTO reform. As concern ed the LDC services 
Waiver, he asked that delegations engage on that issue under the agenda it em dedicated to the 
operationalisation of the Waiver.  
2.5.  Starting with the pandemic response, there had been a significant degree of shared interest, 
amongst the Members that took part in his consultations, in engaging in a CMA -like, informal, 
information -sharing exercise in the Council . Based on that common interest, he propose d that the 
Council  organi se a series of informal information -sharing sessions modeled on the CMA exercise.  
2.6.  Each session could discuss one topic, and based on delegations' inputs the topics could be: 1) 
transport and logistics services; 2) health services; 3) tourism services; and 4) ICT and digitally 
delivered services. Each session could address the impact of COVID -19 on the relevant sector, the 
trade-facilitative measures introduced by Members, and the impact of the pandemic specifically on 
LDCs.  
2.7.  The sessions should ensure a balance of representation and have a good mix of presenters, 
from different parts of the world and levels of development, with external stakeholder participation 
and taking the interests of all Members into consideration. The holding of the sessions would of 
course not prevent Members from sharing experiences and best practices also in for mal Council  
meetings, should they so wish.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.8.  In sum, there seem ed to be an opening for Members to engage with each other informally on 
pandemic response, to exchange experiences, and learn from each other, so as to be collectively 
better prepared to deal wit h future pandemics. It was his sincere hope that delegations would  seize 
that opportunity.  
2.9.  Turning to WTO reform, most of the Members that took part in his consultations  had considered 
it helpful for the Council  to map its practices, and those of its subsi diary bodies, in a similar manner 
to what had been done in the CTG, provided, however, that that was adapted to the services context. 
Therefore, he propose d that the Secretariat be tasked to undertake such a mapping exercise, 
adjusted and simplified to tak e into due consideration the scope of work of the Council  and its 
subsidiary bodies.  
2.10.  The representative of t he Philippine s said that his delegation  had not been able to participate 
in the consultations that the Chairman had convened . He thanked the Chairman for his report and 
noted that the Philippines was  broadly supportive of its elements on the pandemic response.  The 
Philippines supported  the approach that the Chairman had  outlined , including the proposed topics . 
It had a particular interest in  transport and logistics services , and ICT and digitally delivered services.  
2.11.  On transport and logistics services , the Philippines  had created a Green Lane for seafarers  
who were critical in maintaining global supply chains . The Philippines  would also welcome  the 
participation of relevant international organisations and other stakeholders in th ose information -
sharing exercises. In the case of maritime transport, the Philippines  emphasise d the value of the 
IMO's  expertise as well as of other Members of the Join t Action Group, includ ing other international 
organisations , such as the ILO and the WHO, which had released a set of pandemic -related 
recommendations in January that year. 
2.12.  Briefly turning to WTO reform, the Philippines a lso thank ed the Chair man for the 
recommendations on reform and support ed them as suggest ed.  
2.13.  Regarding  the training for new delegates, he noted that , with regard to  notifications , the 
Secretariat 's Note on "Typology of measures notified pursuant to GATS Article III:3 " showed  
heterogeneity in terms of the amount of information provided by Members in their notifications.  
2.14.  The representative indicated that the Philippines had never notified under the GATS . Following 
informal consultations with his Capital , his sense was that there was some level of apprehension and 
unfamiliarity in completing the notification template , particularly  given the large potential scope of 
horizontal and sector -specific measures, covering laws, regulations and administrative guide lines. 
The Philippines there fore suggest ed the organisation of an information session or workshop focused 
on assisting Members , particularly developing Members,  in understanding and fulfilling the 
notification requirements.  
2.15.  The representative of China  said that his delegation  attache d great importance to the 
implementation of MC12 outcomes. China would  actively participate in future work to support the 
post-pandemic recovery and promote global economic growth.  
2.16.  China supported the proposal of organi sing a series of information sessions and noted its 
particular interest in the session on transport and logistics services. China considered logistics 
services a key sector that  had played an essential role in enhancing Members' economic resilience 
during t he pandemic. In 2020, China had submitted a proposal  at the CTS -SS, in  JOB/SERV/301 , to 
facilitate the discussion on logistics services. China would continue to engage constructively in future 
discussions on various topics.  
2.17.  China also supported the Chairm an's proposal of tasking the Secretariat with drafting a matrix 
of the functions of the Council and its subsidiary bodies. That matrix  should be simplified and 
practical, bearing in mind the difference between the CTG and CTS contexts.  
2.18.  The representative o f Viet Nam thanked the Chairman for the report on his consultations 
regarding the implementation of MC12 mandates. The report included diverse views on the Pandemic 
Response, WTO Reform, and the LDC Waiver, as well as the Chairman's objective assessments o f 
the possible way forward.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.19.  Viet Nam supported the  Chairman's  plan to have informal information -sharing sessions 
focusing on certain services but suggested that each session be organi sed within the services  clusters 
to facilitate participation of capital officials travelling to Geneva for in -person meetings and to initiate 
or feed in to related substantive discussions during the clusters.  
2.20.  Regarding WTO Reform, it was good to have the Secretariat carry out the exercise to compile 
a matrix on the functioning o f the Council and its subsidiary bodies so that Members could collectively 
review and consider further improvements.  
2.21.  With regard to training for new delegates, Viet Nam supported all ideas put on the table and 
wished to inform  Members  that the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) also provide d intensive 
training on GATS but only once every three years, which delegates from developing and LDC 
Members could take advantage of.  
2.22.  The representative of Malawi , speaking on behalf of the LDC Group , welcomed the report of 
the Chair man. She also welcomed the submissions  from India in documents  S/C/W/426 and 
S/C/W/427, which were on the agenda that day . The LDC Group would study the papers further and 
return to them in order to participate in the disc ussions. They believed that the submissions 
highlighted areas of importance to LDCs as consumers or importers of telemedicine services and 
health professional services, but also as potential exporters. The LDC Group also expressed their 
appreciation for th e Chairman's suggestions . 
2.23.  The representative of Japan  appreciated  the Chair man's leadership in addressing the 
implementation of that issue  in a transparent and inclusive manner, through consultations with 
Members. On the pandemic response, Japan supported having an information exchange and 
experience sharing on COVID -19 and services  trade. In that regard, Japan believed that it was 
important to carry  out analytical work with the engagement of external stakeholders and the 
Secretariat.  
2.24.  On WTO reform, Japan also believed that it was important to expedite the work on reforming 
the deliberative function of the Council and its subsidiary bodies as was being advanced in the CTG. 
The objective was to accumulate concrete improvements on a bottom -up basis in the Cou ncil and 
each committee and the most efficient approach for the Secretariat should be taken for that purpose . 
Japan would continue to work closely with the Secretariat and Members to enhance the reform  of 
the services -related bodies.  
2.25.  The representative of the Republic of Korea  thanked the Chairman for his consultations and 
informative report and expressed support for the Chair man's proposal o n informal information 
sharing sessions on the impact of COVID -19 on trad e in services , which his delegation was open to 
discussing   
2.26.   Korea was of the view that sharing experiences and practices was the first step to moving 
forward. The WTO was a valuable platform for Members  to understand each other's situations, 
particularly with regard  to the contri bution of e -commerce , ICT-enabled services and the health 
industry during the pandemic. Korea suggested that the Secretariat analy se lessons learned from 
the pandemic and assess services trade measures taken during the COVID -19 crisis, as a potential 
starting point for Member s' discussions.  
2.27.  As noted by the Philippines, Members should listen to various voices from experts in the 
private sector and international organisations , such as the WHO. Members could expect to find 
meaningful and effective solutions in  response to the next  unexpected global challenge through that 
experience sharing.  
2.28.  With regard to WTO reform, Korea believed that discussions should be open, inclusive, 
pragmatic, and Member -driven . For a successful reform, it was important not to impose  an excessive 
burden on Members. Korea hoped that the reform  would focus on enhancing substantially the quality 
of the Council's work. For example, it might be helpful to allocate more time and resources to 
exchanging information o n each Member's service ind ustry and improv ing understanding the 
service s trade challenges of each other. S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.29.  Korea suggested exploring evolving service s industry topics , such as digital content and 
fintech, sharing recent domestic experiences with services trade , mapping Members' services 
domestic regulations, and organis ing presentations of research undertaken  by the Secretariat . It 
might be useful to get insights and greater engagement from the private sector and other 
stakeholders. In that regard, Korea noted that the conference on Service Trade Policy in Africa  the 
previous week had been highly meaningful.  
2.30.  Regarding the matrix analysis adopted in  the CTG report,  as proposed by the Chairman,  Korea 
suggested that Members consider how to reinvigorate the work of the Counc il's dormant  subsidiary 
bodie s, including by potentially reassessing their mandate .  
2.31.  The representative of the United States  thanked the Chairman for meeting with Members  and 
producing that helpful report . On the pandemic response , the United States though t that the 
proposal for informal information -sharing sessions could be useful as long as Members focus ed on 
the pandemic response , as outlined in the Chairman's  report , and did not stray into extraneous 
matters.  
2.32.  He also c aution ed against tasking the Secretariat with providing recommendations  to 
Members . Members were  best suited in th ose sessions to have a Member -driven dialogue and to 
keep it Member -driven  at that point . The United States was c ertainly look ing forward to contribut ing 
to those  discussions and support ed the Chairman  in that regard.  
2.33.  On WTO reform, the representative indicated that the mapping exercise might be a bit 
premature. There were  stark differences between the CTS and the CTG, and it  was not clear that 
the same  approach would be appropriate in that case. For example, the Council's  subsidiary  bodies 
were less active than the CTG's , so one initial concern was that one could inject false energy into 
the Council's  subsidiary bodies  even if Members were not  proposing issues  for those bodies to 
address . 
2.34.  The representative noted that he might not have underst ood the CTG mapping exercise  well 
enough;  if a Member or the Secretariat  had a clearer vision of what that exercise entail ed, he would 
certainly appreciat e that information before agreeing to move forward . The United States also 
echoed Japan that the process be bottom -up and welcome d reform ideas coming from Members and 
in writing , as the Chairman's  report said, so that Members would be clear about what  was being 
asked .  
2.35.  On the training proposal , the United States w ould like to learn more about the curriculum 
before agreeing to those training  sessions . There were other interesting ideas in the report, such as 
the use of online tools  and it would be interesting  also to explor e that further . 
2.36.  The representative of Chinese Taipei  expressed his delegation's support for the Chair's 
constructive suggestions on the pandemic response and WTO reform. Chinese Taipei trusted that 
such dedicated informa tion-sharing exercises would be useful for Members to learn from and would 
help Members converge on how service sectors were impacted and what measures were needed for 
future preparedness.  
2.37.  Chinese Taipei also welcomed the proposal to have a matrix to revie w the functioning of the 
Council and its subsidiary bodies, noting that that would certainly help facilitate and invigorate 
further reform discussion.  
2.38.  The representative of Bangladesh  aligned with the statement delivered by Malawi on behalf 
of the LDC grou p. He thanked the Chairman for the consultation with Members and his report , and 
supported the Chairman's guidance on the way forward for implementing the MC12 mandate s 
provided by the Ministers.  
2.39.  Regarding the pandemic response, Bangladesh supported the id ea of informal sessions under 
the Council for a forward -looking information exchange and experience -sharing exercise on COVID -
19 and services trade.  
2.40.  On reform, he supported the idea of a mapping exercise such as that already conducted by  
the CTG . The subs tantive issues to be discussed under  the CTS and its subsidiary bodies might  not S/C/M/152  
 
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  be similar to those under the CTG and its subsidiary bodies , however, t he Council could adopt some 
easily doable practices from the CTG . Such practices might include, for exam ple, ensuring advance 
notification of the closing of the  agenda, circulation of draft agenda s, annotated agenda s, factual 
report s on the same day regarding the decision s taken under  each annotated agenda item, and 
timely circulation of the meeting minutes.  
2.41.  Bangladesh  was happy to note that an annotated agenda had been circulated 
(JOB/SERV/CTS/8) for that day's meeting, although in the form of a Communication from the 
Chairman. Bangladesh suggested that the annotation should highlight the items of th e agenda in a 
focused manner and that the numbering of the items should be uniform, either in numerical form or 
in alphabetical order, in both the proposed airgram  and the annotated agenda.  
2.42.  The representative of the European Union  thanked the Chairman for  his extensive 
consultations and his useful report. The European Union was open to engaging  on the information 
exchange on the COVID -19 impact in services sectors, but also on the role that services had played 
in responding  to the pandemic.  Members had clearly faced some similar and some specific challenges 
and had responded with similar or varied solutions. There was certainly an enormous pool of 
information that Members  could usefully exchange , in addition to work and exchanges taking place 
in other organ izations . 
2.43.  In order to facilitate  discussions among Members in the WTO , the exchanges should focus on 
trade-related issues or on those having trade impacts. The European Union  believe d that the four 
areas highlighted in the Chairman's  consultation report and the proposed way forward were balanced 
and useful.  However, as  the Council  proceed ed, the European Union  would appreciate further 
information on how the events could be organized in terms of timing and specific focus , and an 
opportunity to see the outline or agenda to  have an opportunity to comment.  
2.44.  On W TO reform and the suggestion to carry out a mapping exercise at the Council, the 
European Union supported the comment made by China  that when shaping such a n exercise , it was 
important to consider the specificities of the Council  and its subsidiary bodies. The representative 
also welcomed any further information that might be  useful, as requested by the United States . 
2.45.  The representati ve of Jamaica  thanked the Chairman for the detailed report on the 
consultations with Members to explore the implementation of MC12 mandates. There was clearly a 
high level of interest in that file from Members given the importance of service s industries, 
particularly for developing countries like Jamaica.  The C OVID-19 pandemic had had an 
unprecedented impact on the global economy causing major disruptions to sectors such as logistics 
and tourism.  
2.46.  Jamaica supported the proposal to  organize a series of infor mal information sessions. The 
areas of focus listed namely, transport and logistics services, health services, tourism services, and 
ICT and digitally delivered services , were all relevant for developing countries and had been 
adversely impacted by the COV ID-19 pandemic. It also suggested including education services, 
which had suffered immensely from the impact of the pandemic. Jamaica's assessment of the sector 
would also be in the context of the increasing practice of distance learning, which was propell ed in 
part by the experience of the pandemic. That was one of the sectors cited in the ACP Group's proposal 
submitted the previous year in the CTS -SS, in document JOB/SERV/305.  
2.47.  Those information sessions would indeed provide a space for Members to listen to national 
experiences and share how they had responded to the fallout  during the pandemic. It was important 
that there was a good mix of presentations from sectoral practitioners in developed, developing 
countries and LDCs.  
2.48.  Regarding the training for ne w delegates, it was noted that such an activity had previously  
been undertaken by the Secretariat. Jamaica  support ed recommencing th at activity as it would  help 
to build the capacity of new officers, especially those from small delegations.   
2.49.  Jamaica look ed forward to continued work in the Council as Members  sought to implement 
mandates from the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.50.  The representative of Hong Kong , China  said that, on the pandemic response , his delegation  
welcome d the Chair man's proposal and would be pleased to contribute its experiences, in particular 
on ICT and digitally delivered  services , in the coming months. Hong Kong, China a lso echo ed 
Viet Nam's suggestion to organise th ose information -sharing sessions during the services cluster 
week, if possible . 
2.51.  The representative of Switzerland  thanked the Chairman for his consultations and report, 
which provided a rich overview of Members' views and hel ped guide  the Council forward.  
2.52.  Regarding the pandemic response, Members were all aware of the challenges that the 
pandemic had posed to world trade. Members knew how those challenges had impacted their 
countries. The Council had been mandated by Ministers to continue or initiate work in order to 
analyse  the lessons learned and share the experiences gained.  
2.53.  As noted in the Chairman's report , there were perspectives from Government s, but al so from 
the private sector. Switzerland could support the Chairman's  suggestion to organize  informal 
information -sharing sessions. The proposed slate of topics could contribute to Members'  
understanding and analysis of key sectors . 
2.54.  On WTO reform, Switzerla nd thanked the Chairman for the information in his report o n his 
consultations on improving the deliberative function, and measures implemented to date, including 
streamlined scheduling of meetings and the preparation of the annotated agenda, which were  very 
appreciated. Switzerland could go along with the Chairman's  proposal that the Secretariat conduct 
a mapping of the functions of the Council  and its subsidiary bodies, as ha d been done for the CTG, 
but adapted to the specificities of the CTS.  
2.55.  The representative of the United Kingdom  thanked the Secretariat and the Chairman for the 
annotated agenda that Members had received for that Council meeting . It had been  very helpful and 
already demonstrated  that Members were  reforming by doing . 
2.56.  The Unite d Kingdom supported the Chairman's idea to apply the CTG matrix approach to the 
Council and its subsidiary bodies. The scope and range of bodies under the Council were clearly 
different from that of the CTG ; nevertheless , the United Kingdom believed that the approach was 
useful to identify best practices  across all WTO committees so as to have a cross -fertilisation of ideas 
across the WTO .  
2.57.  In response to the question of the United States, the representative understood that the CTG 
had produced  a table that identified approaches taken by the subsidiary bodies under the CTG  
regarding , for example,  annotated agendas  and the circulation of minut es. 
2.58.  On the pandemic response, the United Kingdom supported the Chairman's idea to have a 
series of informal sessions for Members to exchange information.  Like others, the United Kingdom 
would welcome further information on the timings and sequencing of topics to help Members prepare 
in advance and contribute to those discussions effectively. Members should ensure that any 
discussion was forward -looking . The United Kingdom would support the proposal to invite external 
stakeholders, including industry, to participate in those exchanges.  
2.59.  The representative of Thailand  thanked the Chairman  for his active role in conducting 
consultation s on MC12 mandate s and for his comprehensive report on the way forward . Thailand 
welcome d the proposed way forward and look ed forward to engaging  in the informal information -
sharing  sessions  on that very important topic  as well as hear ing from other Members.   
2.60.  The sessions  would  be a good opportunity to hear from relevant international organizations 
and the private sector . Thailand believed that it was crucial to reflect, based on Members'  discussion, 
in order to come up with lesson s learned afterward . 
2.61.  Thailand also supported the  Chairman's proposal on WTO reform.  
2.62.  The representative of Canad a thank ed the Chairman for his consultation s and engagement in 
the Council , and welcome d his report . In line with the MC12 outcome s, Canada saw  a role for the  
Council  to further understand how the pandemic  had affect ed trade in services.  Canada  had taken S/C/M/152  
 
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  note of the Chairman's  proposal to do a CMA -like and informal information -sharing exercise  and was 
open to such  an exercise that would focus on trade -related aspect s. It would be important to consider 
a balance d and pragmatic approach and the suggestion to organize such sessions around the cluster s 
of services meetings  was useful .  
2.63.  However, Canada echoed the European Union and other Members  in wishing to receiv e more 
information as  those sessions  took form. It also support ed the United Kingdom's  and Thailand's idea 
to consider  participation of  the private sector and international organisations . 
2.64.   Regarding the mapping exercise, Canada understood that the mapping  would  be carried out 
for the current Council 's and subsidiary bodies'  administrative or procedural work aspect s. Canada 
was open to such  an exercise as it was a  transparency initiative . Knowing what the current practi ces 
were could help inform Members'  discussion s on how the work of the committee s could be improved .  
2.65.  Taking into consideration some of the concern s expressed , Canada suggested focusing  on the 
active subsidiar y bodies and not all of the  bodies . Having more information on the pilla rs or aspect s 
include d in the mapping  might also help other delegations consider th e proposal , and as the United 
Kingdom had suggested, see how it would compare to  the CTG mapping .  
2.66.   She thanked the Chairman for the annotated agenda , which was  a decision the Council  had 
just ma de and had already been implemented  and which  had been very  useful . Finally, Canada  had 
heard the request from the Philippines for an information session on the notification process and 
that was  certainly something that Canada support ed. Transparency was key to ensur ing a more 
predictable multilateral trading  system.  
2.67.  The representative of Barbados  thanked the Chairman  for his report  and recent consultation s. 
Barbados wished to remind  Members that , as a part of the discussions in the aftermath of the COVID -
19 pandemic, the ACP group had submitted a paper to the CTS-SS, which had looked specifically at 
the sectors most affected by COVID -19 of special interest to the Group .  
2.68.  From the discussion s that Members had held until then , highlighting some of those areas and 
sharing experiences  the informal information -sharing sessions  would be of interest to Barbados . 
However, Barbados wished to note that the ACP paper  still remain ed valid within the context o f the 
CTS-SS, and wished to avoid  any potential overlap with regard to the work that was being done in 
that context . 
2.69.  The representative of Peru thanked the Chair man for the informal consultations,  which had 
been very useful , as well as for his report and the annotated agenda. Peru supported  the Chairman's 
suggestion to have a similar exercise to that of the CTG, keeping in mind the specificities of the 
Council.  
2.70.   Peru also supported  the involvement of all relevant stakeholder s in the information -sharing 
sessions , as it was very important to take into account the perspective s of the private sector  and 
civil society.  Finally, Peru also supported  the proposal of the Philippines regarding  more 
transparency , as that had always been  a concern  for Peru , and the Council had a fundamental role 
to play in that regard.  
2.71.  The representative of Australia  thanked the Chairman for his consultations, report , and 
annotated agenda. Australia associated itself with the comments of Canada in terms of issues to 
consider in taking forward each of those recommendations.  
2.72.  The Chairman  indicated  that there was  broad convergence  and suggested t hat the Council  go 
ahead with the information -sharing sessions and organise them during future services cluster s. He 
suggested to task  the Secretariat with the organisation and preparation of  the agenda s; these would  
be circulated before the sessions took place, to provide an opportunity for Members to further engage 
and provide c omments. He noted  that appropriate arrangements for the information -sharing 
sessions would  be sen t to all delegations in due course . 
2.73.  In terms of the mapping exercise , he indicated that he had heard r eservations and questions. 
He thus suggested that the C TG matrix be circulate d to all delegations  to clear up reservations and 
to enable delegations to have the full picture of the exercise. He also suggested to task the S/C/M/152  
 
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  Secretariat to prepare the matrix, but further to Canada's point, not for the Council  and all its 
subsidiary bodies , but as a starting point,  for the Council  and its most active subsidiary body. 
Discussion s could then be taken up on that issue at the following Council  meeting.  
2.74.  Regarding  the tr aining  for new delegates , the Chair man reminded Members that that was not 
a Council -mandated training event , but an activity organised and conducted by the Secretariat. He 
also heard that a training o n notifications could be useful to delegation s. He sugge sted that the 
Secretariat take note and incorporate that issue into its training programme.  
2.75.  It was so agreed .  
2.76.  The Chairman moved  to the second element  under that agenda item, namely the two 
communications submitted by India. The first one, titled "The role of Telemedicine Services in 
response to the pandemic ", was contained in document S /C/W/426, and the second one , titled 
"Building a pool of health professionals to respond effectively to pa ndemics/ natural disasters ", was 
contained in document S /C/W/427. 
2.77.  The representative of India thanked the Chairman for his efforts and his report , as well as the 
circulati on of the annotated agenda, which ha d been very useful. India already had suggestions for 
the dedicated discussions as a follow -up to his report.  
2.78.  In pursuance of the Ministerial Declaration  on the WTO response to the COVID -19 pandemic 
and preparedness for future pandemics adopted by the Membership at MC12 , which , inter alia, 
underlined the critical role of services in ensuring resilience during COVID -19 and future pandemics , 
India ha d made two submissions : one on building a pool of health professionals to respond effectively 
to pandemics and natural disasters, contained in do cument S/C/W/42 7; and another delving into 
the role of telemedicine services in response to the pandemic, contained in document S/C/ W/426.  
2.79.  The COVID -19 pandemic had overwhelmed the capacity of domestic healthcare systems, and 
the availability of health pr ofessionals had become challenging. Social distancing measures  had 
made in -person consultations on medical issues  very challenging.  
2.80.  During the pandemic, several countries had taken  measures to facilitate the adoption of 
telemedicine. The Indian Government  had launched eSanjeevani , a web-based platform that 
integrate d registration queue management, generation of e-prescriptions, short message service , 
and e -mail notifications.  
2.81.  So far, the eSanjeevani  had crossed an astounding milestone by clocking 100 million tele -
consultations. That platform had facilitated healthcare access across countries, especially in rural 
and isolated communities. It was designed for scale and low -cost uptake by health providers a nd 
patients.  
2.82.  Further, the Government launched the COVID -19 vaccine intelligence network, called CoWIN, 
a state-of-the-art digital solution for one of the world's largest COVID -19 vaccination programmes. 
India offered the technological prowess of the CoWIN  platform as a digital public infrastructure freely 
to all countries in the fight against COVID -19. India had so far achieved the historic milestone of 2.2 
billion doses of vaccinations.  
2.83.  India had also launched the Aarogya Setu App aimed at COVID -19 contac t tracing, self -
assessment and informing the citizens about best practi ces and relevant advisories pertaining to the 
containment of COVID -19. That open-source  app was readily available, packaged for developers.  
2.84.  During the pandemic, measures had also been  taken by Members to reduce demands on 
public healthcare system s, which India had briefly captured in its submission. As borne out by the 
WTO TISMOS  data, cross-border trade in medical services , i.e., mode 1, was  the most suitable mode 
in pandemic -like situations as it had increased by 14% , while mode s 2 and 4, which were the 
traditional mode s of supply of such services , had fallen sharply in 2020 . However,  cross-border trade 
in medical services remain ed much below its potential.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.85.  As Members were  aware, cross -border trade and telemedicine face d a number of challenges, 
including those related to regulatory bottlenecks, mutual recognition coverage under insura nce 
schemes, digital capability in terms of digital skills and infrastructure, etc etera.  
2.86.  Deliberation on the lessons learn ed and sharing of best practi ces and experiences by the 
Membership could help build effective solutions for bridging the digital divi de and addressing 
regulatory barriers that prevent ed the expansion of cross -border supply of telemedicine services.  
2.87.  International collaboration between Members was needed to facilitate a reliable and sustained 
cross-border supply of telemedicine services as a credible tool to deal with future pandemics. On the 
way forward, given the importance of that issue and the specific questions posed by India and the 
suggestions that might  come up from Members, India proposed  having  a dedicated discussion in the 
Council, along with a workshop or a seminar, to share information, experiences and views on that 
matter.  
2.88.  Regarding  the second submission, on building a pool of health professionals to respond 
effectively to pandemics and natural disasters , contained in docume nt S/C/W/427, at the global 
level, the COVID -19 pandemic had presented a unique situation where surpluses and shortages of 
health -related  resources existed simultaneously.  
2.89.  The pandemic came in waves , affect ing different regions of the world at different times. The 
same trend  had been  witnessed within large nations too . While natural disasters might  differ from  
pandemics in terms of the time period or the localised geographical impact, the occurrence of such 
disasters and their severity were on the rise. Thus, both situations necessitate d coordinated action 
across geographies for the management, mitigation and eventual recovery  of such events .  
2.90.  To the extent that th ose crises did not affect all geographies at the  same time and with the 
same severity, such coordinated action and burden -sharing became  easier. A critical element of 
response to such crises was the availability and deployment of health professionals.  
2.91.  Despite the significant potential that foreign heal th professionals possess ed to respond to a 
surge in demand for services in another country, the uptake of their services remain ed limited , owing 
to the way relevant regulations were managed. Members might explore the idea of establishing a 
globally recognised pool of trained health professionals, which could be drawn upon by a country in 
need of th ose resources during a crisis.  
2.92.  That collective burden -sharing arrangement would be in the spirit of internatio nal solidarity 
during situations such  as pandemics or natural disasters. Establishing such a pool of resources would , 
inter alia , require skill mapping, matchmaking , and augmenting supplies by temporarily relaxing 
regimes at both the regional and global le vels.  
2.93.  A critical element to facilitate the deployment of such a global pool of health resources was 
the development of a multilateral framework or norms, and further recognition of professional 
qualifications in coordination with relevant international or ganisations. That would be a crucial step 
in building preparedness for pandemics and natural disasters.  
2.94.  Such professionals might  also be granted special mobility rights or exemptions from general 
movement restrictions. Multilateral solidarity in times of crisis was essential for an effective response 
to pandemics and natural disasters . It was  both ethically desirable and practically conceivable in 
that context.  
2.95.  Further, India stress ed the need for prompt compliance by Members on notification 
requirements and proactive engagement in the Council , including by way of a standing item to 
facilitate mutual recognition.  
2.96.  For better preparedness to deal with future pandemic -like situations, there was a need to 
strengthen  the implementation of GATS  disciplines . India stress ed that  it was imperative for the 
Membership to formulate a coordinated response for building a pool of health professionals and 
facilitating recognition to ensure a continued supply of critical services during pandemics and 
disasters.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.97.  Given t he importance of that issue and the specific questions posed by India and the 
suggestions that might  be raised by  Members, India propose d holding a dedicated discussion in the 
Council , along with a workshop or a seminar to share information, experiences an d views on that 
matter . 
2.98.  The representative of t he United States  thanked  India for providing th ose papers in writing  in 
advance of the meeting in order to study them and prepare . The United States recognise d the 
enormous potential for telehealth to transfor m traditional aspects of healthcare delivery and saw the 
necessity  regarding the tremendous surge in telehealth services in the United States during the 
pandemic .  
2.99.  As the country -specific examples highlighted in the paper  showed , those changes had 
occurred  domestically. The paper  identifie d the range of reasons  well. There had not been a similar 
growth in trade in telehealth services . The paper  was appropriately  careful  in listing th ose reasons 
under the broad banner of  "Challenges ", because the challenges of licensing , health insurance 
portability, professional liability, and other regulatory challenges were not trade restrictions as 
considered in the GATS  context, but existed primarily as healthcare issues . 
2.100.   The United States did not believe that a discussion on telehealth  would  be productive if it 
was cast as a trade  issue. Members should work with their health regulators to find more appropriate 
fora for engaging on topics that were fundamentally about improving health outcomes, not  trade 
outcomes.  
2.101.   Regarding  the paper related to health professionals, India's proposal to task the WTO to 
build a pool of health professionals to respond to  pandemics and natural disasters rest ed on a 
premise that the lack of mutual recognition of foreign  health professionals was a "critical  barrier " in 
dealing with pandemics and that the WTO was the best forum for creating such a pool, and that "for 
better preparedness to deal with future pandemic -like situations, there is a need to strengthen 
implementation of GATS disciplines ". 
2.102.   The United States did  not agree with th ose premises. To start , the GATS  did not appear to 
be particularly relevant to that problem. The provision of health professionals to work abroad in 
response to a pandemic or natur al disaster was typically provided as part of foreign assistance, in 
which the health professionals either volunteer ed through a government or NGO or were paid 
through their own countr ies' assistance programmes. That was  not commercial trade  and, as such , 
not a GATS  issue.  
2.103.   As for the issue of recognition, the United States  did not agree that it was a critical barrier . 
As Members had made clear, the maintenance of licen sing requirements for professionals, including 
health professionals, was not a trade barr ier subject to the GATS  disciplines , as deference was  given 
to the regulatory imperatives of the health and welfare of the population.  
2.104.   As the paper mention ed, a common response in emergencies was for the regulators to 
autonomously waive certain requirements in coordination with other processes they might  have for 
autonomously recognising foreign qualifications . That authority was flexible and could be 
implemented quickly and planned in coordination with ot her Members .  
2.105.   MRAs  might  facilitate that process, but they were not necessary for that process, and their 
absence did not represent a "critical  barrier ". If MRAs were critical for delivering health outcomes in 
an emergency, Members  might expect health auth orities to pursue them on their own merits. If they 
did not, the United States did not view that trade considerations should dictate the approach. To be 
clear, the United  States did not  support creating a standing item and it would be premature  to 
elevate either of th ose to a dedicated discussion or workshop or seminar.  
2.106.   The representative of Mauritius  indicated that all Members had been faced  with 
unprecedented challenges with the breakout of the pandemic, with many being unprepared  and 
many  lacking the capacity to effectively address th ose challenges. The proposals by India and the 
various questions  put at the end of their papers  would truly help Members in their re flections for 
eventual actions and preparedness in a similar situation in the future.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.107.   Telemedicine was not yet a common feature in Mauritius , however, it was u nderst ood that 
telemedicine was indeed very helpful in ensuring that patients were not deprived of health services 
and advice despite the various sanitary measures that had been imposed in some countries. 
However, that  sector was not equally developed in all countries.  
2.108.   Similarly, the lack of health professionals  was a major constraint  in responding to the sudden 
surge in demand for the services  of such professionals. However, Mauriti us noted t he importance 
and relevance relating to the equivalence and recognition of qualification s, the need to understand 
how such a pool of professionals would  operate , and h ow the related logistical challenges could be 
addressed. Mauritius  looked forwa rd to further discussions on the two proposals submitted by India.  
2.109.   The representative of China  thanked India for submitting two proposals to implement the 
Ministerial Declaration on the COVID -19 response. China  noted that the two proposals highlight ed 
the implications and challenges of telemedicine and the establishment of a professional talent pool 
in responding to COVID -19 and natural disasters.  
2.110.   The two areas deserve d in-depth discussion. China attache d great importance to the 
development  of telemedicine and was trying to use digital technology to improve the accessibility, 
affordability and efficiency of health resources. In recent years, the Chinese  Government  had 
introduced many policies to support telemedicine services, which ha d gaine d momentum to develop 
rapidly and constantly meet the needs of the people.  
2.111.   For example, in February that year, China had released the "Plan for the Overall Layout of 
Building a Digital China " to promote the country 's digital development. It include d the objectives of 
building digital health infrastructure and regulating Internet diagnosis and treatment, as well as 
Internet hospitals in the future. During the pandemic, remote ICU monitoring through 5G 
technology, one -to-many real -time monitoring, real -time ward rounds, remote guidance and visits 
had significantly reduced cross -infection between doctors and patients and  achieved good results.  
2.112.    Given the complex and technical nature of India 's proposals, with many areas covered such 
as medical and drug r egulation, insurance services and mutual recognition of qualifications, his 
Capital need ed more time to assess them in depth and would  further comment in the following 
Council  meetings.  
2.113.   The representative of the Philippines  thank ed India for its contributi ons to the 
implementation of the MC12 Declaration on the response to the COVID -19 pandemic. He wished to 
provide  some initial comments on the two proposals . He also noted that the Simply Services seminar 
on "Trade in Services  for Better Health Systems " held the previous day had provided useful 
information on trends within the sector , which had seen  a sharp downturn during the pandemic. The 
Philippines looked forward to receiving further information  and related materials such as the slides 
used at  that seminar.  
2.114.   With respect to the telemedicine proposal, the Philippines were supportive of efforts to create 
conditions conducive for telemedicine, which could also cover the interpretation and analysis of 
medical tests, as well as pharmacovigilance. Th e Philippines had pending legislation on telemedicine 
and electronic health systems  and would see value in an exchange of experiences on regulatory 
frameworks, including the predictability and security of data flows, as well as insurance portability 
for mode 1.  
2.115.   The Philippines  had witnessed an  eight-fold increase in the use of telemedicine applications 
compared to pre -pandemic levels, with the Government partnering with telemedicine providers to 
offer free consultations during the height of the pandemic. The Philippines was also keen  to discuss 
how telemedicine services were being integrated into the value chain of healthcare services, 
including diagnostics and the logistics  and delivery of medicines.  
2.116.   The Philippines also thank ed India for its submission o n building a pool of health 
professionals to respond effectively to pandemics or natural disaster s. On that note, the 
representative mentioned  that the Philippines'  emergency medical assistance team, which had been 
deployed to Türkiye in the  aftermath of the recent and devastating earthquake, was able to treat 
more than 1000 patients , and that the Philippines itself had already  benefited from international 
support following similar disasters.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.117.   However, the Philippines concurred with the commen ts by the United States on that point: 
it supported India's objective of improving recognition of health professionals and would be open to 
supporting further analytical work by the Secretariat on that issue.  
2.118.   As other delegations had mentioned  in the Gene ral Council , the Philippines concurred w ith 
the assessment that the certification of new commitments  contained in the Reference Paper on 
Service s Domestic Regulation had positive spillover  effects in facilitating health services supply 
among Members.  The P hilippines noted that that sector was highly regulated and complex , and 
might  benefit from cross -cutting engagement with other international organisations such as the ILO 
and WHO. In the Philippine's  case, cooperation ha d largely been reflected in bilatera l labour 
agreements, with the exception of one bilateral free trade agreement that ha d a specific mode 4 
focus on healthcare.  
2.119.   However, it was also important to recognise  that the movement of health professionals from 
developing countries to developed ones  had been straining healthcare systems in countries of origin 
and would thus require a balanced approach , an issue that was now being considered in the 
pandemic treaty negotiation s. For example, the Philippines had 115,000 nurses that had gone 
abroad during the period of 2015 to 2022, but at the height of the pandemic, the Philippines was 
one of those countries that were forced to impose a deployment ban.  
2.120.   Lastly, the Philippines suggest ed that the gender perspective be equally considered on that 
issue, given that women represented 70% of the global healthcare workforce during the pandemic.  
2.121.   The representative of Bangladesh  welcome d both submissions from India and deeply 
appreciate d India's efforts for constructive discussions on the importance of telemedicine services 
and the necessity of a pool of health professionals to address the challenges of future pandemic s or 
natural disaster s. 
2.122.   Health -relate d services were very important and r elevant for the works of the Council . The 
delegation of Bangladesh support ed India's efforts for exploratory discussions through the guiding 
questions listed at the end of both papers. Bangladesh look ed forward to working with India and 
other Members.  
2.123.   The representative of Nepal , delivering that statement on behalf of H.E. Ambassador Mani 
Prasad Bhattarai , thanked  India for its submission of the two important proposals on telemedicine 
service s and building a pool of health professionals.  
2.124.   A pandemic was a  global challenge because it might  appear anytime , at any place , and might  
easily radiate throughout the world. It would  not allow plenty of time to think and take necessary 
action. There were still many cases of C OVID-19, and the virus might appear in another form. As 
Ministers at MC12 had mandated Members  to work on the necessary preparedness for the future, 
Members had to expediate the necessary work.  
2.125.   Through its proposals , India ha d shared its experience in the areas of telemedicine and the 
pool of health workers  and had put questions for further discussions.  It would  be better to hold in-
detail  explanatory discussion s in the Council  on those issues, to provide Members with an opportunity 
to share their own experiences in th ose areas and build common views to take necessary action 
under the WTO framework. Nepal would engage constructively.  
2.126.   The representative of Canada  noted that it was important that Members  continue d to review 
and build on the lesson s learned  and challenges e xperienced during the COVID -19 pandemic in order 
to enhance their collective and national responses to possible future pandemic s. That was why 
Canada had supported the information session s proposed by the Chairman, which were a more 
comprehensive approach,  and also covered health service s. Therefore, Canada did not s ee the need 
for a dedicated session at that point.  
2.127.   On the specific role of telemedicine services in respon se to the pandemic, while the use of 
telemedicine had increased during the pandemic, th ere were multiple challenges to the provision of 
such services on a cross -border basis, not least in terms of  the regulatory framework s that Member s 
had put in place to ensure and protect patient health, continuity of care and afford legal protections 
and recourse mechanisms.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.128.   While there might  be scope for increased cooperation to address regulatory diversity, such 
as formulating standardised international guidelines for the delivery of cross -border telemedicine , 
as suggested by India, that fell well  outside the scope of the Council and the WTO . Member s could 
instead focus their attention on other areas of services trade policy that could  support the increased 
use and uptake of telemedicine services. That could include examining ways to facilitate trade in 
computer and related services, e -commer ce and digital trade , for example . 
2.129.   The representative of the Russian Federation  thanked  India for bringing that issue to the 
attention of the Council . The issue of expanding the use of telemedicine technologies was one of the 
priorities of the current acti vities of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.  
2.130.   At the same time , there was a need to take measures for the harmoni sation of legislation 
for the organi sation of  the cross-border provision of medical car e. When organi sing and delivering 
health c are across borders using telemedicine technologies, a number of issues would  need to be 
addressed, including:  legal support of the cross -border cooperation of medical workers, including 
mutual recognition of medical conclusions based on the results of cons ultations with the use of 
telemedicine technologies ; defining the forms of medical workers ’ liability for the results of cross -
border consultations with the use of telemedicine technologies;  developing requirements for the 
content and quality of informatio n provided for cross -border consultations using telemedicine 
technologies .  
2.131.   Concerning the pool of workers, the experience of combating COVID -19 in the Russian 
Federation ha d shown that approving special conditions for the admission of medical workers to 
provide medical assistance in situations such as the COVID -19 pandemic, alongside the creation of 
conditions for their prompt professional development in terms of access to information on the 
specifics of diagnostics, treatment and prevention, was an essent ial tool in ensuring the reserve of 
medical workers.  
2.132.   Thanks to  those measures, in the Russian Federation more than 550 ’000 medical workers 
had been additionally involved in providing medical care to patients with COVID -19. A possible 
proposal could be the establishment of rapid information exchange channels between WTO Member s 
on measures taken to address challenges such as the COVID -19 pandemic  that would  also contribute 
to enhancing transparency.  
2.133.   The representative of Egypt  thank ed India for its submissions on the "Role of Telemedicine 
Services " and "Building a Pool of Health Professionals ". Egypt was of  the view that sharing best 
practices and  experiences by Members on related topics contribute d positively to an effective 
response to the pandemic and deliver ed on the mandate by Ministers with  regard to  the WTO 
response to the COVID -19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics.  
2.134.   India's  subm issions were being studied back in  Capital to see how Egypt could  contribute 
effectively to th ose discussions, which could help in building knowledge about challenges related to 
the mentioned issues.  
2.135.   Finally, the representative  thank ed the Chairman f or his informative report on 
"Implementation matters from MC12 mandates " and welcome d the constructive engagement on the 
proposed informal information sessions on the topics mentioned by the Chairman. Egypt was looking 
forward to receiving further details on th ose information sessions.  
2.136.   The representative of Jamaica  thanked  India for the two submissions , contained in 
document s S/C/W/426  and S/C/W/ 427. On the submission regarding the role of telemedicine in 
response to the pandemic, Jamaica  noted the interesting experiences from different countries and 
the global trends regarding cross -border trade in telemedicine services.  
2.137.   The submission also present ed several challenges with trade in telemedicine services. Th ose 
challenges, such as limited digital c apabilities and regulatory issues, were adequately reflected in 
document S/C/W/426 . Other issues include d the ability to hold healthcare professionals accountable, 
the comfort level of patients to move away from the traditional physical administration of h ealth 
care, as well as the ability of telemedicine systems to counter the use of th ose systems for criminal 
purposes.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.138.   Those challenges had to  be addressed if developing countries were to leverage the potential 
benefits of telemedicine services. Members ha d to approach the discussions from the perspective 
that administration of medical care had to be guided by established health regulations and that the 
systems operate d within the framework of WHO guidelines for the administration of healthcare.  
2.139.   Members al so had to  approach the discussions from the perspective that many of the 
telemedicine initiatives adopted were meant to be short -term responses to an unfamiliar emergency 
health situation. That mean t that many of th ose initiatives would  either continue or be rolled back 
for patients ' safety until the regulatory and legislative frameworks were brought up to speed with 
those developments.  
2.140.   Although not yet fully widespread, telemedicine 's use in Jamaica was becoming popular 
particularly sin ce the onset of the pandemic, giving rise to the need for standardised practices to 
regulate the sector. Jamaica stood ready to engage in such discussions.  
2.141.   In the previous month , Jamaica had launched the JS 359:2022 Jamaican Standard 
Specification for Tel emedicine, which provide d the framework through which telemedicine might  be 
safely practised while upholding the integrity of the medical profession. Persons accessing virtual 
healthcare in Jamaica would  now have greater confidence that the services being delivered were of 
a high standard.  
2.142.   The standard enable d registered medical and other health and allied practitioners to use 
telemedicine tools in their daily practice, taking into consideration the importance of protecting 
patient information. The standar d cover ed the provider -patient relationship; issues of liability and 
negligence; evaluation, management and treatment; informed consent, continuity of care; referral 
for emergency services; medical records; privacy and security of patient records and excha nge of 
information; prescription and reimbursement; and health education and counselling .  
2.143.   Those were the steps which  Jamaica was t aking but they would  be fine -tuned as it moved 
forward in th ose areas. Jamaica  believe d that the WTO could  be a space for Members to exchange 
information and best practices, especially as they relate d to the issues of cross -border trade in 
telemedicine.  
2.144.   On the submission regarding building a pool of health professionals, Jamaica took note of its 
content , including the outlined s trategies and approaches. The issue of availability of healthcare 
workers was an important one for Jamaica. Both documents would  be shared with Capital for further 
review.  
2.145.   The representative of the European Union  thank ed India for its two communications 
circulated in the previous  week, which addressed specific issues to the response and preparedness 
for possible future pandemics , notably the role of telemedicine services and building a pool of health 
professionals.  
2.146.   The European Union was still examining th ose proposals, particularly assessing the trade -
related elements and what role the WTO  could play  in discussing them and delivering on them. Thus, 
the European Union would just offer some preliminary comments  at that stage . 
2.147.    Regarding  the communication on telemedicine services, the European Union  acknowledge d 
the growing provision of telemedicine services during the pandemic and the challenges associated 
with it, many of which were of regulatory nature, addressing important risks.  
2.148.   However, as the Council focussed only  on trade -related elements and as it would  be moving 
forward with the Chairman's p roposal on the information exchange sessions, trade -related elements 
of the provision of telemedicine services could probably fit in those s essions . Instead of a dedicated  
session , those information exchanges could then better inform what further discussion s at the 
Council  could be useful on that and other sectors proposed by the Chairman .  
2.149.   The European Union also took the opportunity to stres s that if Members  wished  to speak 
about telemedicine services, they should also consider its key enablers, notably computer and 
related services and telecom services, and how to facilitate them. For the European Union , that 
discussion ha d a clear  market access component as well.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.150.   Regard ing the communication on health professionals, ensuring mobility of health 
professionals was indeed an essential part of the pandemic response . The Ministerial Declaration on  
WTO response to the COVID -19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics , adopted at MC12 , 
already noted the critical role of services, including health services, in ensuring resilience during 
COVID -19 and future pandemics.  
2.151.   The European Union noted th e proposal in the communication by India  on how to establish 
a pool of global health  professionals , which went  significantly further and would require further 
clarifications . In principle, drawing on professional resources  in a sector in which some Members 
already experienced acute shortages raise d questions that require d further assessment .  
2.152.   The European Union's  initial assessment was that a number of issues mentioned in the 
communication, such as skills mapping or matchmaking, were not trade issues per se. The European 
Union therefore wonder ed if other organisations that include d dialogues among regulators in that 
area were not better suited to discuss and consider possible future actions.  
2.153.   The European Union thanked India for putting th ose ideas  forward , including those that 
enhance d transparency of implementation of existing GATS  provisions, namely in relation to mutual 
recognition agreements. The European Union looked forward  to receiving further information and 
discussion.  
2.154.   The representative of Switzerland  thanked India for its Note on the role of telemedicine 
services in the response to the pandemic and for its presentation. The analyses carried out to date 
in Switzerland with regard to "lessons to be learn t" from the pandemic in medical services focused 
on the increased digitalisation of patient information, but also its storage, transfer and the ethical 
issues related to those  topics.  
2.155.   One of the overall objectives of the current e -health strategy was the imp lementation of 
digital applications within the health system. That objective aimed  to promote, among other things, 
mobile health, including certain telemedicine services, such as telemonitoring. The issues were 
currently being examined at the national leve l. Switzerland was open to the proposal to organise a 
dedicated discussion.  
2.156.   Switzerland  thanked  India for its communication on the creation of a pool of health 
professionals. Switzerland was still considering that. It also consider ed that the complexity an d 
uniqueness of each health crisis ma de it difficult to predict the specific needs of each crisis. It was  
difficult to assess the effectiveness of such a mechanism in relation to the considerable resources 
involved in setting it up.  
2.157.   Switzerland echoed  the comments of the European Union  and Canada. As mentioned by the 
United States, S witzerland could not  support at that stage the proposal to create a permanent 
agenda item on mutual recognition.  
2.158.   The representative of Sri Lanka  thank ed India for its two submi ssions under that agenda 
item in documents S/C/W/426  and S/C/W/ 427. 
2.159.   Telemedicine had played  an important role during the pandemic. Therefore, it was important 
to have an in -depth discussion on the barriers in the provision of telemedicine, most of which had 
been recogni sed in the submission by India. Members  should continue their discussion on that 
important subject.  Sri Lanka believed that the guidin g questions in the proposal by India would 
provide a good basis for Members ' discussion.   
2.160.   It would be very important to have an in -depth discussion on the proposal by India to 
formulate a multilateral and coordinated response for building a pool of health professionals to 
respond effectively to pandemics and natural disasters. Therefore, Sri Lanka  suggested continuing  
the discussion on that subject in the Council.  Sri Lanka would engage constructively on that proposal.  
2.161.   The representative of Singapore  thanked  India for its papers. Based on Singapore 's 
experience, telemedicine significantly relieved the load on national healthcare system s. However, 
cross-border supply of telemedicine had to be  managed judiciously.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.162.   For example, while regulatory requirements could restrict supply, as the paper highlighted, 
such requirements were centred on ensuring  patient safety and trying to diversify medical 
capabilities. Members had to  ensure that patients ' well-being remain ed at the core by ensuring that 
they were optimally diagnosed and treated by recognised  and qualified professionals .  
2.163.   Regarding the second paper, the movement of healthcare professionals was a highly complex 
issue. It was more than an issue of demand and supply. For example, different countries had 
different healthcare systems, different healthcare practi ces, and even different languages. In m any 
countries , the movement of healthcare professionals could  also be a politically sensitive issue.  
2.164.   The representative of the United Kingdom  reaffirmed its support to the MC12 Ministerial 
Declaration on the pandemic response, which underlined the critical  role of services in ensuring 
resilience during COVID -19 and future pandemics and post -pandemic economic recovery.  
2.165.   The United Kingdom thanked India for its communications. It was right that Members should 
discuss those under the Council as the most appropr iate forum . That said, the United Kingdom was 
still considering India's  communications within the broader context of the Ministerial Declaration, 
and in accordance with the mandate of the WTO, where the United Kingdom would share some of 
the similar concer ns raised by the United States, Canada and the European Union on the specific 
trade-related aspects .  
2.166.   The representative of Japan  appreciate d India's  submissions  and attached great  importance 
to follow ing up on the MC12  declaration on the pandemic  response  to the COVID -19 pandemic . In 
that regard , Japan welcome d the submissions by India and would  constructively discuss  those . At 
the same time , there were numerous points that Members had to take into consideration and Japan 
needed  more time to study  them. 
2.167.   The representative of Australia  joined others in thanking India for th ose two interesting 
papers that address ed a really broad set of policy issues that Members were facing post pandemic . 
She underscore d Australia's  commitment to a pandemic response as outlined at MC12 .  
2.168.   The proposals on  a pool of health professionals and telemedicine services  cut across the 
work of many global organisations, including the  WHO. Australia support ed the suggestion from the 
United States  for a deeper focus on the GATS and trade -related issues that the Council would be the 
best place to address, and that would be a first  good step before moving to any decision points on 
a standing agenda item or a dedicated session.  
2.169.   Australia also support ed the suggestion of the European Union  to consider the intrinsically 
linked computer  and telecommunications services that were critical to delivering th ose services , as 
well as the data flow issues mentioned by t he Philippines , all of which were clearly within the scope 
of the GATS.  
2.170.   The representative of Barbados  thank ed India for its presentation. The presentation had 
certainly given Members  a better understanding of the proposals that had been set forth and the 
possible work that could be undertaken within  the WTO on th ose two areas.  
2.171.   She noted that  telemedicine  was one of the areas that were included in the ACP paper that 
Barbados had h ighlighted in its previous intervention. From that paper, Barbados saw a variety of 
discussions that could emerge on that particular area and the European Union had already  talked 
about the interlinkages within various services sectors.  
2.172.   There  were, beyond that , even more considerations that could  be brought into the 
discussion, particularly those that would be of interest to  developing countries and LDCs . Barbados 
was therefore looking  forward to further engagement on that issue, including on how to frame the 
discussion and the forum under which Members  should undertake the discussion.  
2.173.   The representative of Indonesia  thank ed India for submitting the two papers in regard to  
the implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on COVID -19. While Indonesia  still need ed time to 
study the two papers both in Geneva and in Capital, the representat ive offered some initial 
responses.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.174.   The COVID -19 pandemic ha d led to a significant increase in the use of telemedicine all over 
the world, especially in Indonesia , as people ha d been seeking alternative ways to access healthcare 
services while minimising the risk of exposure to the virus.  
2.175.   According to a report by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the use of telemedicine in the 
country increased by more than 200% during the pandemic as more people turned to virtual 
consultations with doctors and healthcar e professionals. That growth in telemedicine ha d been 
facilitated by the Government's  support of digital healthcare services, including the introduction of 
regulations that allow ed healthcare providers to offer telemedicine services.  
2.176.   The pandemic ha d also led to an increase in the number of telemedicine providers in 
Indonesia, with several new companies  entering the market to meet the growing demand for future  
healthcare services. Th ose providers had been offering a range of services, including virtual 
consultations, remote monitoring and online prescription services.  
2.177.   Despite the growth in telemedicine during the pandemic all over the world, Indonesia 
believed  that there were still challenges to its widespread adoption, such as limited Internet 
connectivit y in some areas in developing countries and LDCs  and a lack of awareness about the 
benefits of telemedicine among the general public.  
2.178.   However, Indonesia  believe d that , with the continued support from the Government and the 
increasing adoption by healthcare providers and patients alike, it was likely that telemedicine would  
continue to grow even after the pandemic ha d subsided. Indonesia  believe d the momentum was 
strong enough to continue  the discussion , although the format might be determined along the way . 
2.179.   The representative of  Cambodia  thank ed India for introducing  the two communication s in 
document s S/C/W/426 and S/C/W/ 427. Given that those two communications  were so complex in 
nature , Cambodia needed some time to review t hem with Capital.  
2.180.   The representative of India thank ed all Members for their valuable comments, suggestions , 
and sharing of their own experiences, which had been noted . India looked forward to further 
discussions . 
2.181.   Telemedicine could address global health equity problems, thus accelerating the 
achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on Good Health and well -being, 
which was part of the 2030 agenda. Telemedicine complement ed the physical healthcare systems 
and its use across borders could help enhance access, reduce costs and relieve healthcare systems 
around the world  that were  strained with constraints , including shortages of doctors in pandemic -
like situations.  
2.182.   Deliberation s on lessons learn ed and sharing of best practi ces and experiences by the 
Membership could help build effective solutions in addressing barriers , obstacles and challenges that 
prevent ed the expansion of cross -border supply of telemedicine services.  
2.183.   International collaboratio n between the Membership was needed to facilitate reliable and 
sustained cross -border supply of telemedicine services as a credible tool to deal with future 
pandemics.  
2.184.   The pandemic ha d also brought into focus the role that foreign health professionals could 
play in ensuring a continued supply of critical service s. In pursuance of the Ministerial Declaration 
and to better address the current or future pandemics and disasters, it would be imperative for the 
Membership to formulate a multilateral and coordinat ed response for building a pool of health 
professionals and facilitating recognition to ensure continued supply of critical services.  
2.185.   India looked forward to a dedicated discussion in the Council, along with workshops, 
seminars to share information, experiences and views on that matter.  
2.186.   The Chairman  noted  that there still seem ed to be divergences regarding  the two papers 
submitted by India. He suggested that Ind ia continue outreach on th ose two papers with all 
interested delegations, to fully understand the scope of the paper s and, if needed, India could bring 
those back at the next meeting as appropriate.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  2.187.   He suggested that the Council take note of the statements made .  
2.188.   It was so agreed . 
3  ITEM C: OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE LDC SERVICES WAIVER  
3.1.  The Chairman  said that , as indicated under the previous agenda item, the consultations he had 
held in February also addressed the MC12 implementation matters related to the LDC Services 
Waiver. His report, contained in JOB/SERV/CTS/9, provided an account of what he had heard from 
Members on that issue.  
3.2.  At that juncture, he noted Members ' willingness to support the plight of the LDCs and to work 
with the LDC Group to f ulfil the relevant MC12 mandate, but also their call for the LDCs ' written 
proposal on that issue to be submitted as soon as possible.  
3.3.  He reminded Members  that, at the December meeting of the Council, Members had agreed to 
task the Secretariat with the pr eparation of a methodological Note on how to improve LDCs ' services 
export data. The Note was contained in document S/C/W/428.  
3.4.  A representative of the Secretariat  explained that , as agreed at the Council  meeting in 
December, the Secretariat had prepared a short Note outlining a possible approach to improving 
LDCs' services export data.  
3.5.  The participation of LDCs in global services exports remained negligible over the years and had 
dropped further due to t he COVID -19 pandemic. There was a need for the LDCs to diversify their 
services base to increase their share in trade.  
3.6.  The Dedicated session in 2019 and the webinar in 2021 had flagged important data gaps at a 
disaggregated  services level, and the lack of  bilateral trade statistics, making it impossible to assess 
whether trade took place through the preferences notified under the LDC services Waiver.  
3.7.  Scaling up data collection in LDCs was essential. Surveys were needed to collect and compile 
statistics by  services sector, mode of supply, and by partner. The Note contained suggestions on 
how to proceed. The data improvement project could be completed in three to five years.  The 
contours and specifics of the project could be explored in an informal event org anised by the 
Secretariat, which could bring together delegates and capital -based representatives of Central Banks 
and National Statistics Offices to discuss and help define the way forward. The Secretariat was ready 
to assist the LDC Group in the developm ent and execution of the project.  
3.8.  The representative of Canada  noted that her delegation believed that it was  very valuable to 
have services trade  data for LDCs and agreed with the presentation . That had been an issue that  
had been flagged  for some time an d Canada had  been supporting further work on that, including 
through the Aid-for-Trade initiative . 
3.9.  That was why Canada was supporting the proposal  overall and also had  consulted with 
authorities. Statistic Canada would appreciate an opportunity to comment on the proposal, but  
needed sufficient time given  the complexity of the project. Canada would continue look ing at the 
proposal and provide specific comment s in due course . 
3.10.  The representative of Malawi, speaking on behalf of the LDC Group , indicated that the LDC 
Group was working internally on a communication to contribute to the post -MC12 work mandated 
under paragraph 8 of the MC12 Outcome Document. She recalled that that paragraph had been  
negotiated by Ministers based on drafting propos als submitted by the LDC Group.  
3.11.  The LDC Group  welcome d the Secretariat 's ideas in document S/C/W/428.  That was  a good 
start. They hoped to meet with the Secretariat to elaborate further on the details. In the meantime, 
she offered a few comments and a few clarifications the Group was  seeking.  
3.12.  The LDC Group took good note of the background on LDC 's share of world trade in services 
and the difficulties in the data. Those difficulties were not specific  to LDCs alone but  were more acute 
in the case of LDCs. It  was particularly illuminating when consider ing the impact during the COVID -S/C/M/152  
 
- 25 - 
 
  19 lockdowns : the growth in LDC s' shares started to decline during that period, as did global trade 
compared to 2019.  
3.13.  At the same time, while web -based services grew, LDCs had not been able to benefit much 
due to infrastructural and technological gaps. LDCs had also been particularly impacted by the 
obvious declines in tourism services, where LDCs were most dependent in terms of services exports.  
3.14.  On the points made in the communication about "the lack of bilateral services trade data in 
both LDCs and other countries, making it virtually impossible to assess whether trade takes place 
through the preferences notified under the LDC services Waiver. ", the LDC Group  argued that that 
was also the case in services trade  generally  and the ability to link actual market access to services 
commitments across the Membership.  
3.15.  Nevertheless, the LDC Group agree d with the premise concerning bilateral data and that w as 
why they wanted  to make progress by exchang ing information  among themselves  on what their 
suppliers and consumers in preference -providing Members were doing.  
3.16.  There were a few examples showcase d in the Council  workshops on the Waiver . However, the 
LDC Group  believe d that  a systematic invitation to trade associations and regional business councils 
might help to gather information and build a narrative beyond the trade statistics.  
3.17.  The LDC Group  applaud ed the improvements made over the years in the Secret ariat regarding 
the collection of data specific to LDC exports, by sector and mode of supply. However, they would 
like to unpack some of what was elaborated in the communications on the way forward.  
3.18.  At the LDCs ' recent retreat, they heard from one of their regional business councils. The Group  
had invited them to share experiences.  The Secretariat could reach out to the Regional Economic 
Commissions  across the LDC regions as well.  
3.19.  For example,  there had been interesting panels  during the recent seminar on  "Services Trade 
Policy in Africa – Leveraging regulatory surveys for trade negotiations and policy " held on 27 
February 2023. The Secretariat might draw on the services data and surveys utili sed by the Regional 
Economic Commissions in Africa to assist in developing a narrative that might be relevant to the 
situation on the ground and the utili sation of the preferences notified at the WTO. That could  also 
be an option in the case for other LDC regions.  
3.20.  The LDC Group also wished to know to what extent the wo rk by the World Bank and the WTO 
Secretariat on the s ervices trade policy surveys and the related Services Trade Restrictions Index  
(STRI) could be adapted to the work envisaged in the Secretariat Note in document  S/C/W/428 . 
3.21.  Regarding the suggested surveys in paragraph 8 of S/C/W/428, funding of consultants to 
conduct surveys in LDCs was proposed.  However, it would need to be ensure d that the relevant 
government agencies and the consultants were local to the LDCs  so that  they were building 
awareness and reinforcement within LDCs concerning the data needed to track LDC activity obstacles  
in services.  
3.22.  The LDC Group expected to consult further with the Secretariat on its submission and to 
unpack the challenges it perceived as well as solutions the Group  could identify. Any elaboration on 
the approach at that meeting  would be welcomed as well.  
3.23.  Regarding  paragraph 10, the LDC Group  wished  to understand why mode 3 was considered 
difficult to gather information  on. They understood that subsidiaries of foreign companies in LDCs 
could be an important source of data.  Were there still problems with  the Foreign Affiliates  Statistics 
(FATS) when it came  to LDCs? What about foreign direct investment (FDI) data?  
3.24.  Regarding  paragra ph 13, the LDC Group  worried about the  expected timeframe. The clock 
was ticking on the Waiver itself. If it took five years to complete the work, the Waiver would  be close 
to expiring.  Could  the work be staged so that outputs could come forward during the  five years, 
instead of waiting for completion in three to five years? Would it be prudent for Members  to review 
the 2011 Waiver itself and consider making it permanent?  S/C/M/152  
 
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  3.25.  The representative of Bangladesh  aligned with the statement delivered by Malawi on behalf 
of the LDC Group. Ministers  had reaffirmed the Nairobi decision on LDC Services Waiver in 
paragraph  8 of the MC12 Outcome Document.  The LDCs had been requesting a fuller and  more 
meaningful operationali sation of th at decision.  
3.26.  Bangladesh welcome d the Note presented by the Secretariat on "Improving LDC 's Services 
Export Data ", contained in document S/C/W/428. The Note capture d that "the combined supply and 
demand shock of COVID -19 resulted in estimated travel  revenue losses of over USD 26 billion for 
2020 and 2021 ". In 2021, the LDCs' share of services trade was negligible, at 0.5%, down from 
0.7% in 2019. In addition, the Note pointed out that "LDCs were not able to take advantage of 
growth opportunities brou ght about by increased services digitalization due to lack of infrastructure, 
skills, and a digital divide. "  
3.27.  The analytical work by the Secretariat on LDC services data was immensely helpful and 
Bangladesh  request ed the Secretariat to continue that task. It was always highlighted that many 
LDCs, as exporter s of services, lack ed the necessary infrastructure  to collect and collate services 
export data.  
3.28.  In that connection, LDCs need ed support to bui ld the necessary infrastructure. On the other 
hand, LDCs were not solely responsible  for the lack of data. Trade should include both export s and 
import s. The importing countries also had to maintain and provide bilateral data on the import of 
services from LDCs. Such an arrangement could actually help minimise the  data scarcity for LDCs 
services trade.  
3.29.  Bangladesh believe d that the LDCs Collective Request (S/C/W/356 and Corrections) could 
serve as a primary tool to identify priority services sectors for any future survey. However,  the 
proposed timeline to complete t he data improvement project was somewhat difficult accept. If 
another three to five years were needed only to finish the improvement project and then to 
operationali se the services Waiver, LDCs would  have little time to benefit from the Waiver, which 
was valid until 2030.  
3.30.  Bangladesh request ed updated information from the preference -providing countries on their 
consumers receiving or contracting LDC services. Bangladesh underscore d the need to assess best 
practices in facilitating the use of the LDC prefere nces, as instructed by the Ministers at MC12.  
3.31.  Bangladesh hope d that the preference -providing Members would  improve their schemes or 
programs where necessary, to ensure more LDC participation in services trade and to make that 
decision truly effective for the LDCs.  On that issue, Bangladesh look ed forward to working 
constructively with Members.  
3.32.  The representative of  India said that M inisters had given clear instructions to review and 
promote the operationali sation of the Waiver at MC12 . She thanked t he Secretariat for its Note, 
contained  in document S /C/W/ 428, which was  currently being examined.  
3.33.  India look ed forward to the submission proposed by  the LDC Group. India 's efforts and 
initiatives regarding the LDC service Waiver had been well acknowledged at that forum. India 
remain ed ready to constructively engage on that issue and look ed forward to meaningful 
engagement with Members on the same.  
3.34.  The representative of Switzerland  thanked the Secretariat for preparing the Note, which 
recalled the challenges faced by LDCs and their low level of participation in trade in services. The 
lack of trade data hindered a better analysis of trade flows and trade  opportunities that LDCs could 
take advantage of.  
3.35.  As mentioned by Canada, the Secretariat 's proposal was currently being consulted with the 
authorities. In connection with Bangladesh 's intervention, Switzerland would raise the issue with the 
Swiss National  Bank and the Federal Statistical Office.  
3.36.  In a question to the Secretariat, the representative noted that despite the difficulties in 
gathering specific trade data, in paragraph 7 of the Note, the Secretariat presented aggregate figures 
for LDCs ' share in  services trade. What source had the Secretariat use d for those figures?  S/C/M/152  
 
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  3.37.  LDCs further benefitting from global services trade was an important issue for Switzerland. 
Switzerland was happy to read in the Chairman 's report that the LDC  Group was preparing a 
submission and looked forward to receiving that document.  
3.38.  The representative of China  thank ed the Secretariat for the Note. As always, China attache d 
great importance to the LDC services Waiver and would  continue to fulfil its commit ments in that 
regard. China s upport ed the increasing participation of LDC s in the multilateral trading system . China 
encourage d more information sharing on the implementation and effectiveness of the LDC services 
Waiver and  encourage d LDCs to further share  their difficulties in exporting services  at the Council . 
3.39.  The representative of the United States  thank ed the Secretariat for the Note,  which include d 
some interesting and useful ideas worth considering.  He also thank ed the representative of Malawi , 
speaki ng on behalf of the LDC  Group , and looked  forward to reviewing  the forthcoming paper .  
3.40.  The United States was also looking forward to providing views on the Secretariat 's proposal 
for the project that was still being discussed in Capital. However, in the meantime, the United States 
believed that  the idea of a one -day hybrid workshop on improving statistical capacity building was 
interesting and was open to exploring that  further . 
3.41.  The workshops might be a good opportunity to share best practi ces and experiences in the 
collection of  services data by various experts . His delegation would consult further on bringing 
experts from the United States in that area. In addition , as that was  relevant for LDCs and the 
broader Membership , the paper reference d the Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade by the O ECD, 
UNCTAD, WTO and IMF . The United States w ould support having a presentation on that handbook  
at a future Council  meeting.  
3.42.  The representative of the Europea n Union  reiterate d the importance of both developed and 
developing countries assisting LDCs in strengthening their economies, including their services trade. 
As stated previously, the European Union stood  ready to engage in discussions on the 
operationali sation of the LDC services  Waiver  and ensure its effective implementation.  
3.43.  The European Union  appreciate d the ideas and proposals from the LDC Group, including the 
reactions  at that meeting  by Malawi on b ehalf of the LDC Group . She thank ed the  Secretariat for the 
very useful N ote on improving LDC services export data , which captured in a brief manner the state 
of play and set out ideas for possible next steps.  
3.44.  The European Union was  assessing that Note in  more detail but believed that overall,  the 
proposed  focus on the priority list of sectors stemming from the Collective Request was a  pragmatic 
way forward and would welcome  the LDCs' view on that . The European Union also  agree d that 
focusing on modes 1, 2 and 4  was appropriate , and a t the same time, acknowledg ed that capturing 
mode 4 might be rather challenging . It would thus welcome any information or thoughts  from the 
Secretar iat on the possibilities of gathering statistics on that mode . 
3.45.   Regarding the proposal for an informal event , if Members were to proceed with the project , 
any event in any format that would help to prepare and shape that project  could useful ly involv e 
National Statistical Offices. The European Union was  interested to learn more about what was the 
best timing  and focus of that event.  
3.46.  The representative of the United Kingdom  thanked the Secretariat for its helpful 
methodological note. She acknowledge d the need to improve data collection methods for LDC 
services exports. Like others, the United Kingdom was  still looking into some of the challenges 
identified and review ed the interesting suggestions by the Secretariat to  obtain reliable LDC services 
export data.  
3.47.  She reaffirm ed the United Kingdom 's commitment to ensuring the effective operationalisation 
of the LDC services Waiver and  looked  forward to receiving the written submission from the LDC 
Group in due course.  
3.48.  In reply to the question raised by Swit zerland concerning the data sources for LDCs services 
trade, the representative of the Secretariat  noted that the data was publicly available  as all numbers S/C/M/152  
 
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  shared at that meeting were contained in the WTO publication s or WTO statistical database s: 
https://stats.wto.org/ . 
3.49.  Those numbers  were the S ecretariat 's estimates , based on data that was reported by the 
LDCs themselves . That meant that  the data was partly sourced from  National Statistics , partly from 
the IMF , and then the Secretariat filled all the data gaps.  
3.50.  There was availability of a  basic level of disaggregation  for a good number of LDCs , but more 
disaggregated information  was missing . For each item in the extended Balance -of-Payment services 
classification , including  some  of the  subsectors of export interest to LDCs , there  was hardly any 
reported data. Thus, the Secretariat could capture information only based on the data that was 
available at that moment .  
3.51.  However, the  data available for individual LDCs might  not capture the true reality of the ir 
export potential , which was why surveys were needed . In addition, statistical business register s 
might not be updated and there might be some i nformality in the services sector  that could not be 
captured . The Note also pick ed that point up.  
3.52.  In reply to the question raised by Malawi , on behalf of the LDC Group, concerning the absence  
of mode 3, the representative noted that mode 3 was the most complicated mode  to capture . To 
meas ure mode s 1, 2 and 4, B alance -of-Payment statistics  was the main data source  for all countries . 
Thus, the numbers on the WTO website were largely based on those three modes , with some sector -
specific exceptions, such as construction.  
3.53.  Foreign Affiliates St atistics (FATS) were needed to measure mode 3 but they were  not 
available  for most countries , mainly  for advanced countries , and the level of data disaggregation 
varied  across them.  Thus, to start with, the proposal mention ed that focusing on modes 1, 2 and 4 
would be easier .  
3.54.  Further to another question by Malawi on whether data from multinational enterprises or 
statistics on foreign direct investment could be used to measure mode 3, the representative 
explained that multinational enterprises  owned by LDCs in other countries  were themselves 
exporters of services  through mode 3. Therefore, while thinking about the export side, relevant data  
would come from  enterprises controlled by LDCs in other countries and the services they suppl ied 
locally. That might not be a priority given the dearth of LDC investment abroad .  
3.55.  Secondly , data on investment could provide complementary information but not for measur ing 
mode 3 . There was no data on LDCs ' outward FDI flows as they were  not investors in services . It 
was better to concentrate on resident to non-resident transactions in the Balance -of-Payment 
statistics .  
3.56.  Statistics on foreign direct investment were different from Foreign Affiliates Statistics. FDI 
statistics focused  on financial flows where as the focus in FATS was on activities of the branches of 
multinational  enterprises  established abroad  and the service s they suppl ied there. The 
representative concluded that she would be happy to discuss further with the LDC Group and other  
Members  interested in that topic.  
3.57.  The Chairman  thanked the  Secretariat for its N ote and for propos ing to organise a briefing 
session or a workshop on data collection. Further to the  broad support expressed, he  suggest ed that 
the Secretariat proc eed in organising such a  data collection workshop .  
3.58.  He suggest ed that the Council take note of the statements made and  said that the Council 
would revert to that item at its next meeting.  
3.59.  It was so agreed . 
4  ITEM D: WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE  
4.1.  The Chairman  recalled that, at the last meeting, the Council had agreed to task the Secretariat 
with the preparation of a compilation of the experiences shared by Members under the Work 
Programme  in the Council . The Note was circulated in document  S/C/W/425.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  4.2.  A representative of the Secretariat  briefly explained that the Note compiled the experiences 
shared by Members under the Work Programme in the Council. It covered the information 
contributed since 19 February 2021, when the then -Chairman of the  Council  had issued a Note 
providing an overview of the information related to digital capabilities shared by Members.  
4.3.  As delegations could see, the experiences shared were very varied, addressing topics such as 
the evolution of domestic e -commerce activi ties; cybersecurity and personal data protection; the 
role of e -commerce in promoting business development, including of MSMEs; public digital 
infrastructure or rural e -commerce.  
4.4.  The representative of China  thanked  the Secretariat for following up on his delegation 's 
proposal and for its  efforts in compiling the experiences shared under the Work Program me on 
Electronic Commerce . He believe d that that would help Members to gain a better understand ing of  
each other 's experiences and best practices.  
4.5.  China support ed the reinvigoration of the Work Program me on Electronic Commerce as 
mandated by MC12 through intensified dedicated discussions as well as discussions in relevant WTO 
bodies including that Council. China  encourage d other Members to continue t he information 
exchange and join discussions on e -commerce issues at the WTO.  
4.6.  China ha d actively engaged in the previous two dedicated discussions  under the General 
Council . On consumer protection in e -commerce, China had shared  its experience on legislat ion, law 
enforcement and consumer protection remedies, as well as international cooperation on enforcement 
agencies. On the digital divide, China had shared experiences on domestic initiatives of "digital 
poverty alleviation " and "digital inclusion for the  benefits of the people ", as well as some international 
cooperative activities with the aim of assisting developing Members to bridge the digital divide.  
4.7.  China support ed continuing the discussion on digital divide -related issues under the WTO 
framework, in cluding in the Council . That would help address developing Members ' concerns and 
promote the inclusive development of trade.  
4.8.  Recently, the Chinese Government  had issued the "Plan for the Overall Layout of Building a 
Digital China ". The document point ed out the direction for promoting China 's digital development in 
the future. China welcome d the WTO play ing a greater role in international digital cooperation and 
bridging  the digital divide. China look ed forward to working together with all Members to act ively 
engage in the discussions to promote the sound development of the digital economy.  
4.9.  The representative of the Philippines  was fully supportive of the ongoing work under the aegis 
of the General Council  to revitalise the e -commerce Work Programme , and in particular its 
development dimension. The Philippines looked forward to the two forthcoming sessions and thanked  
the Secretariat for its Note, which was very useful in assessing previous discussions in t he Council .  
4.10.  The Philippines also believed that a  discussion on financial technology , covering digitali sation 
of universal banks, the emergence of digital banks or neobanks  and the adoption of digital wallets 
could enrich discussions related to the e -comme rce Work Programme within the Council  or its 
subsidiary bodies and the proposals that had been tabled in the CTFS.  
4.11.  The Philippines, like many of its regional peers, ha d recently issued licences to digital banks, 
with six banks gaining approval in August 2022. That was  consistent with its aim to digitise 50% of 
all retail payments that year, along with integrating 70% of adult Filipinos into the formal  financial 
system. That would represent an increase from 56% of Filipinos who had a financial account in 2 021, 
which was already up significantly from 29% in 2019.  
4.12.  Clearly, an unintended benefit of the pandemic had been to accelerate the utilisation of digital 
payments. The full implementation of the Philippine Quick Response standard for all payment service 
providers  would also take place  that year , enhanc ing the reliability of electronic payment s.  
4.13.  The Philippines believed that a n exchange of experiences in that space would benefit Members 
in understanding rapidly evolving regulatory policies and measures , which were facilitating the 
increased adoption of e -commerce.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  4.14.  The representative of Jamaica  thanked  the Secretariat for its compilation of the experiences 
shared by Members under the e -commerce Work Programme since February 2021 in response to a 
request fro m Members . 
4.15.  The Work Programme on Electronic Commerce was important for Jamaica. His delegation was 
therefore encouraged by the high level of engagement from Members in the dedicated discussions 
being held under the Work Programme  in the General Council . The previous  two sessions , which had 
focused on online consumer protection and the digital divide had provided valuable insights from the 
experiences shared by Members . Jamaica had also heard very concrete recommendations from 
Members on the role of the WTO , primarily its convening role.  
4.16.  The COVID -19 pandemic ha d given impetus to businesses and consumers to move online and 
to Governments to faster embrace e -commerce and digital technolog ies, but it ha d also exacerbated 
and highlighted pre -existing digital divides, bottlenecks and deficiencies. Having gone through the 
COVID -19 experience, the Government of Jamaica ha d been allocating funds through the 
Development Bank of Jamaica, to financ e micro, small and medium -sized enterprises (MSMEs), with 
solutions aimed at increasing e -commerce.  
4.17.  Those include d the installation of online payment systems and other e -commerce facilities, 
cross-border e -commerce and trading and digital food ordering.  During the pandemic, the 
Government , in collaboration with the private sector , had developed the E -commerce National 
Delivery Solution (ENDS) which was a registration portal for compliant businesses to operate during 
the curfew hours. The platform provided businesses of various sizes the ability to utili se an online 
storefront, payment, and delivery solutions to facilitate business continuity during the curfew hours 
instituted to combat the spread of COVID -19. 
4.18.  While there were many ongoing efforts and initia tives being undertaken in Jamaica, it was 
evident that there was still extensive work to be done in helping MSMEs to develop e -commerce 
strategies and the overall development of Jamaica 's digital infrastructure to boost more online and 
e-commerce related a ctivities.  
4.19.  It was for that reason  that Jamaica continue d to underscore the important role of the WTO in 
supporting developing countries in keeping with its mandate , and the need to strengthen 
collaboration with other International Organisations, multilate ral banks , and the private sector.  
4.20.  The representative of Singapore  thank ed the Secretar iat for compiling the relevant 
information , which serve d as a useful basis for Members to follow and  understand the discussions 
until then  so that they could chart the way forward and ensure that discussions were meaningful.  
4.21.  That would complement some of Ambassador DWARKA -CANABADY 's efforts to revitalise the 
Work Programme. The themes had been generally well chosen and enable d Members to share 
experiences and learn  from each other 's mistakes and successes. Singapore looked  forward to 
continuing some of th ose discussions even after the four dedicated sessions.  
4.22.  One concrete suggestion for the future was to identify specific topics from earlier thematic  
discussions an d conduct discussions with other relevant stakeholders, including International 
Organisations and private sector players.  
4.23.  Singapore was grateful for the opportunities to share its digital transformation experiences at 
the dedicated sessions and at Council and looked forward to contributing further to the Work 
Programme. As the Ambassador of Singapore had shared earlier in the General Council  meeting,  at 
the upcoming dedicated session  Singapore would be sharing its experiences in digital economy 
agreements and how they could serve  as useful frameworks to develop regulatory capacity from the 
perspective of a small developing Member.  
4.24.  Singapore also  thank ed Members who would  be participating in the Singapore -WTO Third 
Country Training Programme on E-Commerce the following week, where issues of interest to 
developing and LDC Members  would be covered , including digital trade principles and best practi ces, 
to create a digitally and enabled society and government.  S/C/M/152  
 
- 31 - 
 
  4.25.  The repr esentative of Indonesia  express ed its support for the ongoing Work Programme on 
e-commerce. Indonesia  believe d that e -commerce ha d the potential to significantly increase 
economic growth and create  new opportunities for small and medium -sized enterprises i n developing 
countries.  
4.26.  Indonesia b elieve d that every Member was committed to promoting a fair and transparent 
global regulatory environment for e -commerce that would  benefit all Members. Thus, Indonesia 
encourage d the Council to continue its efforts to enhance the understanding of e -commerce and its 
implications for i nternational trade and to develop appropriate  policies and  guidelines to promote its 
growth and development.  
4.27.  Indonesia  was of the  view that the discussions that had been held at the dedicated discussion 
on e-commerce in the General Council were very usefu l and need ed to continue to gain momentum 
in order to reinvigorate the Work Programme on e -commerce.  
4.28.  Given the broad scope of e -commerce, Indonesia was  also of the view that the scope and 
issues of discussion at the meeting need ed to be broadened in the f uture to listen and share good 
experiences among Members on various issues and to utilise that momentum to also listen to views 
from various parties outside the WTO.  
4.29.  Furthermore, Indonesia  emphasise d the importance of  ensuring that the Work Programme on 
e-commerce took into account the unique circumstances and needs of developing countries, 
especially those with limited technological infrastructure and  resources in that regard . Indonesia 
called for increased technical assistance and capacity -building progra mmes to support the 
participation of th ose countries in the digital economy.  
4.30.  Indonesia appreciate d the initiative by Singapore in organising a workshop on e -commerce 
and encourage d other Members who had the capacity to do the same to enhance the capacity of 
stakeholders in their respective countries.  
4.31.  In conclusion, Indonesia was committed to working collaboratively with other Members to 
advance the e-commerce agenda and promote sustainable and inclusive  economic growth through 
digital trade.  
4.32.  The representative of Malawi , on behalf of the LDC Group , thanked the Secretariat for the 
compilation of excerpts in the period 2021 -2022, contained in document S/C/W/425 . They wished 
to consult with the Secretariat on the interventions made by the LDC Group in the Council  on the 
LDC submission in the General Council, under the e -commerce Work Programme  (WT/GC/W/787  of 
2019) , an item which was  also on the agenda of the Council . 
4.33.  Where the LDC  Group ha d made such interv entions, the Council  should not be treated as a 
silo because the submission was in the General Council . Members  had also had workshops in the 
Council  where LDCs were featured sharing their experiences in e-commerce -related services.  
4.34.  The representative of New Zealand  welcome d the increased engagement taking place under 
the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce and thank ed the Secretariat for compiling the paper 
on experiences shared in that Council.  
4.35.  New Zealand looked  at the digital divide as an issue that could be addressed through digital 
inclusion policy. That was a priority for the New Zealand Government, both domestically and when 
negotiating trade agreements . That was  also a theme that came  across in the Secretar iat 
compilation, which detail ed a number of policies aimed at promoting participation of SME s 
specifically , or aimed  towards financial inclusion, where financial services obviously had a relevant  
part to play.   
4.36.  New Zealand  consider ed that digital trade could play a unique role in promoting inclusive 
development and trade for all people, including indigenous peoples, women, rural communities and 
MSMEs . New Zealand remain ed committed to the reinvigoration of the Work Programme on e -
commerce and look ed forward  to contributing constructively to th ose areas of work.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  4.37.  The representative of India thanked  the Secretari at for the compilation on the experience 
sharing by Members on the very important area  of e-commerce. India ha d been a votary of the 
rejuvenation of the Work Programme on e -commerce as per the mandate in document WT/L/274 .  
4.38.  India had welcomed the General Council  meetings in dedicated  session s to discuss issues 
related to the Work Programme and had participated enth usiastically in th ose discussions.  Since the 
last Council meeting , India ha d presented its papers on digital public infrastructure in promoting e -
commerce and on consumer protection.  
4.39.  On digital public infrastructure , India 's experience of the past few yea rs had shown that an 
inclusive digital architecture could  bring about socioeconomic transformation. India ha d developed 
digital public infrastructure whose basic architecture ha d in-built principles based on open source, 
open APIs, and open standards  which were interoperable and public .  
4.40.  She touch ed upon some examples of the digital public infrastructure that India had brought 
in, which truly bridge d the digital divide in several areas. Firstly, Aadhaar , which was a  12-digit 
unique identity number that could be obtained voluntarily by the citizens of India based on their 
demographic profile, biometric and demographic data, and that could be used by an e -commerce 
consumer or a customer or a seller for reliable authenticat ion.  
4.41.  Secondly, bank accounts called  Jan-Dhan accounts. "Jan Dhan " mean t people 's own money 
in their own accounts. In less than three years since the programme started in 2015, 460 million 
individual accounts were opened during that period. Just to give a sense of scale : 460 million 
accounts would probably be more than the total population of most of the Members sitting in that 
Council meeting, with the exception of the two most populous Members.  Of th ose 460 million 
individual accounts , 56% of the account holders were women , 67% of the accounts were in rural 
and semi -urban areas. The citizens were getting those  banking services right at their doorsteps.  
4.42.  The "JAM" trinity  stood  for the combination of the Jan -Dhan accounts, the Aadhaar -based 
authentication a nd the Mobile number . India 's JAM trinity had significantly reduced the financial 
divide using digital infrastructure and ha d led to a digital payment revolution in the country.  
4.43.  Next was India's unified payment interface, which accounted  for 40% of global digital real 
time payments. So, when there were hundred digital transactions happening, 40 of those were 
happening in India.  As for the absolute number s of the digital transactions, India 's transactions 
exceed ed the entire transactions of the United States, Canada, Europe,  and China taken together. 
That had been made possible as India had introduced the digital public infrastructure and scaled it 
up with security and with assurance.  As Members k new, e-commerce could not  work without digital 
payment s and digital authentication.  
4.44.  Next was the "One Nation One Ration  Card", another example of digital public infrastructure . 
That had been instrumental in ensuring food security for 800 million Indian ci tizens during the 
pandemic who  had received free food claims from the Government.  
4.45.  Another digital public infrastructure was C oWIN, which the representative had  already 
mentioned at that meeting  and in the submission on telemedicine , on the integrated platform for 
vaccination.  
4.46.  Another  example was  the open network for digital commerce, which was under development 
and was an initiative to promote open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and service s 
over digital or electronic networks.  
4.47.  India had also taken  note of the paper, which had been submitted by the organisation of the 
East Caribbean States and  congratulate d them for the detailed information in their paper  that 
include d a concept similar to the digital public infrastructure.  
4.48.  The other important topic was consumer protection. In the previous three years, India ha d 
done a considerable amount of work on consumer protection in e-commerce . It was important to 
have a system where the consumer disp ute redressal system g ot quick results. In that regard, India 
had decided to make the entire process electronic in the first stage. Most of the consumer e -
commerce transactions were small value transactions. So , if there was  a lawyer in the process and S/C/M/152  
 
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  it was a court -driven process, the cost of addressing such disputes would be many times the remedy 
the person was seeking.  
4.49.  Therefore, India had started a portal, called  "EDaakhil ". "E" meant  electronic and "Daakhil " 
mean t to submit or to claim  in Indian native language . In that case, all submissions or claims were 
on the electronic platform. Surprisingly , within a few months of its launch, the number of registered 
users on the portal ha d touched 100,000 . Of those 100,000  registered users, complaints were lodged 
for 25,000, a nd almost one fourth  had been admitted  as complaints. For most of them, within 60 
days, th ose disputes were getting resolved and e -customers  were getting their remedy in  the form 
of cash transfers from t he companies  concerned .  
4.50.  The e-commerce entity had to redress the complaint within one month of filing so that if it 
was not settled, the consumer ha d the right to upscale and go to the higher redressal authorities. 
That was the time-delay dimension that India had tried to address through that portal. India had 
also tried to address the cost dimension of getting the consumer his or her rights. It had p rescribed 
that no fee was payable by the consumer for availing of the process  if the claim amount was up to 
US$ 650.  
4.51.  Further, India put responsibility on the mandatory acknowledgement of consumer complaints 
by the e -commerce entity, and the acknowledgement ha d to be given by the e -commerce entity 
within 48 hours. That ensure d that t here was action on the complaint which ha d been registered.  
4.52.  India had also c ome up with a new standards framework relating to e -commerce protection  
in the previous year . Everyone had heard, at some point in time, of fake or deceptive reviews on e -
commerce sites, and that was one important topic that could be handled at a global level and for 
which  India ha d come up with standards.  Initially , those standards were voluntary and applicable to 
every online platform which publishe d consumer reviews. India had gi ven standards  and methods  
for how e -commerce sites should verify the review provider. The guiding principles of th ose 
standards were integrity, accuracy, privacy, security, transparency, accessibility, and 
responsiveness.  
4.53.  As mentioned  earlier, the  details  of the  Open Network for Digital Commerce could be seen at 
https://ondc.org/ . At present , it was in its development phase and India believe d that it could 
revolutionise the e -commerce space , just as India had revolutionise d digital payments through its 
unified payment interface.  
4.54.  The representative of Hong Kong, China  welcome d the paper compiled by the Secretariat and  
the workstream carried out under the Work Programme through the General Council F acilitator 
process, especially the dedicated sessions organised so far.  
4.55.  Hong Kong, China  looked forward to engaging constructively with Members and other 
stakeholders in the forthcoming  months and diving deep into specific topics such as exploring  making 
the Moratorium on customs duties or electronic transmissions permanent, or at least securing its 
further extension.  
4.56.  The representative of the Republic of Korea  thanked India for sharing information and 
experiences and the Secretariat for its compilation of the e -commerce experiences shared by 
Member s. 
4.57.  Following up on the MC12 Decision, Korea was committed to reinvigorat e the Work 
Programme on Electronic Commerce, and address ing the discussion on cross -cutting issues, 
including the Moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmission s. 
4.58.  In that respect, Korea had participated as a co -sponsor in the communication  in document  
WT/GC/W/855. Korea was  of the view that the themes suggested in that communication also 
highlight ed the development dimension as set out in the MC12 Decision.  Korea attache d importance 
to digitali sation's positive impact on trade facilitation, as the ongoing upward trend in e -commerce 
transactions c ontinue d in the post -pandemic period.  
4.59.  In the dedicated discussion on digital divide, Korea  had shared its experiences of a digital 
infrastructure initiative that aim ed to promote the digital transition of the economy. In parallel, S/C/M/152  
 
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  Korea ha d been making efforts with its digital inclusion policy to close the gap that still exist ed for 
various reasons within the country.  
4.60.  As a country with the highest proportion of expendi ture in digital ODA among OCED member  
states, Korea would  continue to contribute  to narrow ing the global digital gap.  
4.61.  The representative of the United States  wished to share  a few comments on the e -commerce 
Work Programme, for which Members  had had good discussions on horizontal issues with a strong 
focus on development. He also thanked I ndia and other Members who  had introduced papers that 
had helped to f ocus those discussions.  There was a lot of great input from Members at that meeting 
and he expec ted and hope d that would  continue.  
4.62.  The only problem  he saw was that Members were a victim of their own success. So many 
interesting topics had been raised in each discussion until then  that it  had been hard sometimes to  
grasp  the discussion . However, that was a good problem to have,  and the United States was  looking 
forward to discussing ways to move the Work Programme on after Members  had finish ed the current 
slate of topics.  
4.63.  He like d the idea that Members had  heard today , to invite outside speakers , including  
International Organisations , to give their perspectives on issues Members had already discussed. 
The horizontal discussions at the G eneral Council had  been very productive and the United States  
suggest ed that, if there were discrete aspects worth taking up in more detail at the Council level, 
probably the most productive way was for Member s to point out the specific issues that they wished 
to raise as they related to  the relevant Committee mandate.  
4.64.  The representative of the European Union  welcome d the interest of Members to engage in the 
implementation of the MC12 Decision on e -commerce, and in particular , intensifying engagement 
on the development -related issues . The Work Programme  had indeed an  essential role to play in 
address ing the interaction between digital trade and development  and to facilitate the integration of 
developing countries in the digital economy.  
4.65.  The European Union appreciate d the ongoing discussions in the dedicated sessions of the e -
commerce Work Programme , which  had been very useful and constructive and had allowed Members 
to share their valuable views on the broad topics put forward by the Facilitator , namely consumer 
protection and digital divide . 
4.66.  Hopefully,  some of the common priorities and challenges noted in those meetings could 
provide a good basis for further work and the European Union  looked forward to discussing the next 
two themes in March and April in those dedica ted sessions.  
4.67.  She thanked the S ecretariat for the compilation of the experiences shared by Members in the 
Council in previous y ears. That overview was  useful as Members  advance d the dedicated discussions 
in the horizontal setting and possibly considered  what services -specific issues the Council  and other 
subsidiary bodies in other areas could do complement ary work  on. 
4.68.  The Chairman  suggested that the Council take note of the statements made and  said that the 
Council would revert to that item at its next mee ting.  
4.69.  It was  so agreed . 
5  ITEM E: UPDATE OF THE SECRETARIAT BACKGROUND NOTE ON MODE 4 – REQUESTED 
BY INDIA  
5.1.  The Chairman  indicated that the item had been added to the agenda of the Council at the 
request of the delegation of India.  
5.2.  As had been emphasised by her delegation on several previous occasions, the representative 
of India reiterated its request for an update of the Secretariat Backgro und Notes on all four modes 
of supply and also supported Secretariat work on inter -modal linkages.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  5.3.  In paragraph 10 of the MC12 Outcome Document, Ministers had acknowledged "the need to 
facilitate the increasing participation of developing Members, includin g LDCs, in global services trade, 
including by paying particular attention to sectors and modes of supply of export interest to them ". 
Therefore, updating the Secretariat 's Background Note on Mode 4, a mode that was relevant for 
developing and LDC Members ' services export interests, gained further justification in light of the 
guidance provided by Ministers at MC12.   
5.4.  Specifically for mode 4, India had identified some of the possible areas that could be updated 
in the 2009 Note, which it had presented in pre vious Council meetings.  She reiterated that, while 
India welcomed the proposal by the United States on the issue of inter -modal linkages, that should 
not substitute  her delegation 's request to update the separate modal Background Notes. India was 
of the vi ew that having an inter -model linkage Note made no sense without first updating the modal 
Notes.  India remained engaged on the issue.  
5.5.  The representative of Bangladesh  thanked India for the initiative  and fully support ed the 
proposal for updated Notes by the Secretariat to better understand the current situation and 
commitments by Members on th at issue. Unfortunately, th at request ha d been pending for a long 
time in the Council . Bangladesh simply  did not understand the pr oblem to agree to th at request. 
That was just a request for a factual report.  
5.6.  As India ha d pointed out, in paragraph 10 of the MC12 Outcome  Document , Ministers  had 
acknowledge d the need to facilitate the increasing participation of developing Members, inc luding 
LDCs, in global services  trade and paying particular attention to sectors and modes which were of 
special interest to them . Bangladesh  had already explained that mode 4 had special  importance for 
LDC's.  
5.7.  Bangladesh also support ed the suggestion by the United States on the preparation of a separate 
Note by the Secretariat on the interlinkages between the modes of supply. Bangladesh welcome d 
any future discussion among Members on th at issue and register ed his interest to be a part o f that 
conversation. He looked forward to engaging with Members on th at important topic.  
5.8.  The representative of the United States  thanked India and Bangladesh for their interest in the 
update of the Background Note s and said that his delegation did not hav e a new position . He 
reiterated that there was little utility in having the Secretariat update its 2009 Note, most of which 
focused on describing mode  4 categories, levels of commitments and MFN exemptions. However, 
the United States had suggested a possib le new paper to examine intermodal linkages , indicating 
that it would be a better use of valuable Secretariat research resources other than revisiting old 
papers.  
5.9.  The Chairman  thanked Members for the exchange and encouraged them to continue to engage 
with each other. He reiterated that he remained at Members ' disposal to facilitate discussion s if they 
so wished .  
5.10.  He then suggested that the Council take note of the statements made.  
5.11.  It was so agreed . 
6  ITEM F: MEASURING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM – PILO T STUDIES FROM THE  
UNWTO – REQUESTED BY COSTA RICA  
6.1.  The Chairman  indicated  that the item had been added to the agenda of the Council at the 
request of the delegation of  Costa Rica . 
6.2.  The representative of Costa Rica  explained that his delegation attached great importance to 
the relationship between trade and sustainability and str ongly believed in the contribution that the 
WTO and trade could make to address the challenges facing the world, in particular those related to 
climate change and environmental protection.  
6.3.  In that context, his delegation 's attention had been drawn to the work that the World Tourism 
Organisation had been undertaking to measure the sustainability of tourism, a sector that was of 
great interest to all WTO Members and in particular to developing countries, many of whom were S/C/M/152  
 
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  most acutely confronted  with the effects of climate change. It was also a sector that had been hit 
hard during the COVID -19 pandemic.  
6.4.  For those  reasons, Costa Rica had requested the inclusion of th at item on the agenda , which it  
considered relevant for the work of the Council , and had invited the World Tourism Organisation to 
present the work it had carried out in th at field. The WTO had conducted  pilot studies of countries 
such as Costa Rica, addressing different aspects of sustainability and how th e tourism  sector could 
contrib ute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.  
6.5.  A representative of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation ( UNWTO ) thanked the WTO 
for the opportunity to present and Costa Rica for making th at important conne ction. Costa Rica was 
indeed a pione ering country when it c ame to measuring the sustainability of tourism.  
6.6.  In that group of trade experts, there was no need to say how important tourism was in trade. 
In 2019, the pre -pandemic year , international tourism amounted to approximately 7% of total trade , 
and to about 28% of trade in services . Those  impressive figures got reduced by the pandemic to 
2.7% of total trade and about 12% of services exports in 2021 .  
6.7.  In the words of Joseph Stigli tz "what we measure affect s what we do, and  if we measure the 
wrong thing, we will  do the wrong thing ". Statistics were about mobilising the  power of data to make 
better decisions in the interest of the public good. In a world that was increasingly saturat ed with 
data of all kinds, it  was more important than ever to have data that one could trust.  
6.8.  Statistics provide d information that was independent, impartial, transparent and  that was  
methodologically sound and elaborated with scientific principles. Stati stical outputs were produced 
to optimise relevance, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility,  and comparability of the data.  
6.9.  So, in tourism, what would be the object of that measuremen t? According to the internationally 
agreed definition and endorsed by the Un ited Nations, tourism was a social, cultural,  and economic 
phenomenon , related to the movement of people. It ha d an impact on the economy, on the natural 
and built environments, the local  population at the places visited  and on the visitors themselves.  
6.10.  Sustainable tourism  was usually considered tourism that made optimal use of environmental 
resources, tourism that respect ed the social, cultural authenticity of host communities and tourism 
that ensure d economic benefits across the board. Statistics on those  three aspects of tourism  would 
thus be needed .  
6.11.  When looking  at the data that was commonly available on tourism, there w as a gap between 
what was needed and what was available. That had become increasingly important  with the 
pandemic , which had shown what happened when tourism was not there. People went out of work 
and millions of tours and  businesses were at risk.  
6.12.  Even be fore the pandemic, over -tourism was a big concern in many places. One saw in some 
crowded city centres how residents rebelled  against the tourism model that they found did not  
properly take into consideration  their well -being.  
6.13.  Tourism c ould provide valuab le income to sustain livelihoods and protect natural, cultural and 
heritage sites , but it could also lead to degradation . Polluted beach es or congested city centre s were 
not very competitive tourism destination s. So, it was clearly also in the interest of the tourism sector 
itself to maintain and sustain the basis for its prosperity.  
6.14.  Concerning the work of UNWTO i n the area of measurement s, statistics were essentially an 
agreed way of measuring something. There were very technical aspects to statistics but  measuring 
something in one way or another  affected the results, which  had strategic and political implications 
in countries . It was important for people to agree  so that one could benchmark and compare the 
data lat er on. UNWTO accompan ied those  processes of consensus building and the technical research 
and development process.  
6.15.  There were two statistical standards that currently exist ed when it came to tourism 
measurement : the international recommendation for touris m statistics that focus sed on measuring 
the flows of visitors, their expenditure and the tourism industries that cater ed to their demand ; and S/C/M/152  
 
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  the Tourism Satellite Account, which focus ed on deriving the economic contribution of tourism to  
GDP and value -added.  
6.16.  There was an international effort underway to develop a framework that integrate d not only 
economics but also more social and environmental aspects of tourism  in the statistics . The idea was 
for th at statistical framework for measuring the sustainabil ity of tourism to become the next 
international standard in tourism measurements endorsed by the UN.  
6.17.  The former Director -General of Eurostat, Walter Rade rmacher , had said: "Data is any data 
that is  given, but statistics are produced ". With statistics , there was a clear intention to provide 
meaningful information  on an issue.  
6.18.  The statistical process went from raw data to basic statistics, more sophisticated accounts, 
indicators , knowledge , and finally to decision. Every step was a further re finement of data , and  
standards pla yed a crucial role in moving along that process to make the data increasingly 
meaningful  and comparable. They provide d a common language for measuring the key aspects of 
tourism in a way that was credible  and nested withi n the way that countries  measure d everything 
else in their economies , societies  and environment, and in a way that was comparable between 
countries  and at different territorial scale s, i.e.,  international, national and subnational.  
6.19.  Regarding the statistica l framework, the economic system was nested within the social 
system, and then further nested within the environmental system . That showed how interconnected 
those different systems were. On the economic side, the framework measured things  more from a 
sustainability perspective : e.g., e stablishments, business demographics, investments in tourism . On 
the social side : e.g., employment and decent work, education and skills, culture and h eritage, 
perception and attitudes of visitors and host communities . On the environmental side : e.g.,  water 
and energy consumption , waste and emission generation, use of land , biodiversity  and ecosystems.   
6.20.  Not all aspects  contained in the framework would  be equally relevant in all countries, nor at 
all spatial levels. The framework function ed as a kind of menu for stakeholders to implement in a 
modular approach according to their circumstances and priorities. The whole programme on 
measuring the sustainabili ty of tourism  contain ed the development of that framework in the technical 
sense , but the development of the consensus -building effort  was aligned with the way that the UN 
establishe d the development of statistical systems worldwide .  
6.21.  At the same time , UNW TO also support ed the  implementation  of the framework  in countries 
through the development of pilot studies.  There was also the need to develop  compilation guidance 
to translate  the conceptual approach to more practical guidance for countries ; capacity building and 
technical assistance ; and the development of indicators and setting  up of an international dataset 
that would compile all information produced by countries according to th ose new standards.  
6.22.  With respect to the institutional setup, it  was important to note that that wa s nested within 
two important stakeholder groups : the UNWTO constituency, which was mainly the Ministries in  
charge of tourism  and the national statistical institute s. There was a working group of experts that 
had been set up to lead that process, which was an interdisciplinary and multi -stakeholder group of 
experts that brought  together  statisticians, policymakers, and experts in tourism statistics , 
environmen tal accounting,  and social statistics.  
6.23.  Some examples of selected policy instruments which  had recognised the importance of the 
MST were the European Parliament Resolution  on a strategy for sustainable tourism , the G20  Leaders 
Declaration and important wor k carried out in the Pacific when it came  to developing a common 
tourism policy framework and an underpinning statistical strategy that was based on that new 
framework.  
6.24.  It was also important to d evelop pilot studies  and test that framework for feasibility  and policy 
relevance : on the one hand, test ing whether it was technically feasible to implement the framework 
in countries with  different levels of statistical development ; on the other hand, test ing whether the  
implementation of  that framework brought the data  that stakeholders and policymakers need ed.  
6.25.  During those tests , the lessons were feeding the framework under development. Overall, 
UNWTO  had noticed that it was possible to measure , in a comparable way , the breadth of eleme nts S/C/M/152  
 
- 38 - 
 
  that comprise d the sustainability of tourism from the environmental, social,  and economic side with 
the single integrated frameworks.  
6.26.  Regarding some  example s of piloting work that ha d been carried out : in Costa Rica one 
interesting  finding was that nature-based tourism alone amount ed to about 1.4% of GDP, of which 
half was generated in only five subnational destination s. In Egypt, in the accommodation industry, 
inbound tourism use d more energy, but domestic tourism use d more water . In Austria, tourism 
provide d € 2,300 tourism income per capita, which might explain the relatively high acceptance rate 
of the population  for tourism. In  the Philippines, domestic tourism account ed for th ree times  more 
water and energy  than inbound tourism. In the Netherlands, the surprising finding was that while 
tourism contribute d to 4% of the  total economy -wide value added, it contributed comparatively more 
environmental taxes than other industries : it was also found that the biggest polluters  paid the least  
environmental taxes and that most of the taxes came  from SMEs . Some  of those pilots were 
contained in the publications that could be  download ed through the QR code  in the presentation . 
6.27.  In sum, it was possible , through the implementation of a commonly agreed framework , to 
derive information that was more comparable and more meaningful, and that allowed to benchmark 
performance to communicate more credibly, also beyond tourism  and trade ci rcles, and to check, 
ultimately, whether action on the ground really was contributing to broader sustainability and policy 
objectives.  
6.28.  The representative of Costa Rica  thanked UNWTO  for their very interesting presentation, in 
particular showing how tourism was related to and could contribute to the Sustainable Development 
Goals. As the speaker had pointed out, it was important to be able to measure it properly. In the 
case of Costa R ica, tourism had served to enhance the value of ecosystems and the protection of 
biodiversity. The pilot studies carried out would also help to refine the parameters for data collection 
and the statistical framework for measuring sustainability.  
6.29.  The repres entative of Jamaica  appreciate d the presentation from the UNWTO on Measuring 
the Sustainability of Tourism and thank ed Costa Ric a for adding th at item to the agenda. Tourism 
was one of the main economic activities in Jamaica and it contribute d to the count ry's economic and 
social develop ment. Jamaica was  delighted at the adoption of the resolution in the United Nations 
General Assembly in the previous  month, which designated  the 17th of February as Global Tourism 
Resilience D ay.  
6.30.  As had been expressed by Mi nister Ed Bartlett, Minister of Tourism  of Jamaica: "If we are to 
future -proof the sustainability of tourism, now is the time to give greater consideration for building 
resilience and it is especially more critical for tourism -dependent countries like Jama ica, whose 
economic livelihood rests on the survival of th at industry. " 
6.31.  The UNWTO ha d been a longstanding partner of Jamaica , who encourage d the continued 
efforts to support countries in building resilience and quantitatively assessing the sustainability of 
their tourism sector.  
6.32.  The Chairman  said that it had been  an interesting topic  and thanked Costa Rica for bringing 
that issue to the Counci l and the UNWTO for taking the time to introduce its work . He suggested 
that the Council take note of the statements made.  
6.33.  It was so agreed . 
7  ITEM G: CYBERSECURITY MEASURES OF CHINA AND VIET NAM – REQUESTED BY JAPAN 
AND THE UNITED STATES  
7.1.   The Chairman  indicated that the item had been added to the agenda of the Council at the 
request of the delegations of Japan and the United States.  
7.2.  The representative of Japan  said that his delegation had, at previous Council meetings, 
repeatedly expressed its concerns  on China 's "Cyber Security Law ", "Data Security Law ", "Personal 
Information Protection Law " and related laws and reg ulations . While he would not repeat detailed 
points  at that meeting,  he reiterated  his delegatio n's concern that the definition of data transfer was 
restricted to specific procedures for possible transfers in those  rules and regulations.  S/C/M/152  
 
- 39 - 
 
  7.3.  Foreign businesses doing business in China were forced to take measures based on the 
assumption that they would b e subject to some restrictions in the cross -border transfer of data , 
given that definitions and specific procedures in the l aws were unclear.  
7.4.  In addition, the obligation to store data domestically was a concern for businesses entering the 
Chinese market a nd conducting  business in China as it create d additional costs and there was a 
strong possibility that foreign operators w ould be placed at a de facto competitive disadvantage  
compared to domestic operators in China. In such cases, the National Treatment obligation under 
Article XVII of the GATS might be violated.  
7.5.  Japan  had repeatedly expressed its concern because that obligation affect ed all sectors of trad e 
in services, and could affect the rights of many Member s and hinder foreign businesses f rom 
conducting business in China. China ha d repeatedly asserted that those  laws and regulations were 
not intended to restrict data flows or international trade, but to encourage data flows and their use.  
However, the basis for that claim was unclear and Japan was  concerned that , in re ality, the relevant 
laws and regulations were being developed without any special allowance or improvement for the 
concerns of Member s, including Japan.  
7.6.  In formulating the related measures, Japan expect ed that the measures w ould not be 
discriminatory , in form or substance , against foreign businesses, including those in Japan, and that 
consistency with the GATS  would be ensured. In addition, from the perspective of ensuring 
transparency of procedures, it was expected that the relevant laws and regulations would be 
developed after listening to a wide range of opinions from Japan and other countries in the form of 
public com ments and  making allowances taking into account  the concerns of countries .  
7.7.  With respect to Viet Nam 's cybersecurity measures, the dra ft Decree on the Protection of 
Personal Data published in 2021 ha d overly restrictive data domestic storage obligations an d 
provisions prohibiting the cross -border transfer of data. Japan was  concerned that , depending on its 
implementation, foreign businesses m ight be effectively treated less favourably than domestic 
businesses, which m ight violate the National Treatment obli gation under Article XVII of the GATS .  
7.8.  In addition, the Cyber Security Law Enforcement Decree No. 53, which had come into effect in 
October 2022, imposed on foreign businesses the obligation to st ore data domestically and the 
obligation to open a branch or representative office in  Viet Nam . Japan appreciate d that Viet  Nam 
had explain ed the Decree at previous C ouncil meetings .  
7.9.  However, even after the  explanation, Japan was concerned that if a "foreign opera tor" 
establishe d a subsidiary in Viet  Nam under Vietnamese law and the subsidiary fell under the category 
of "domestic operator ", foreign operators w ould continue to be burdened with additional domestic 
preservation obligations and w ould likely be placed a t a de facto competitive disadvantage compared 
to domestic  operators .  
7.10.  While Japan noted the Vietnamese Government 's willingness to take into account 
stakeholder 's views , Japan reiterate d its request that measures to restrict state distribution be 
implemented to the minimum extent necessary to achieve legitimate objectiv es and in a manner  
that was not overly trade-restrictive , and that consistency with the GATS was ensured . 
7.11.  The United States  had raised concerns in the Council that various Chinese me asures, including 
China 's Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law and Personal Information Protection Law, and 
implementing measures for those Laws, including the "Security  Assessment Measures for Cross -
Border Export of Data, " restrict ed cross-border data flo ws and require d localization of data.  
7.12.  Unfortunately, despite concerns raised by Members, China continue d to implement those  
measures in a manner that put constraints on the ways in which international companies operate d 
around the world.  The U nited States did not believe that China should seek to require any Chinese 
government security assessment for the export of "important data. " That would result in new 
restrictions, including with regard to the processing of commercial data that those companies use d 
in the ordinary course of business.   
7.13.  Regarding the transfer of personal information, the United States recognize d that 
Governments ha d a legitimate interest in ensuring the protection of that information.  However, S/C/M/152  
 
- 40 - 
 
  comparable privacy laws implemented in other jurisdictions generally include d various mechanisms 
for transferring that type of data across borders in a safe and secure manner.  
7.14.  China 's maintenance of a security assessment for transfers of personal information simply 
because they were cross -border unfa irly disadvantage d foreign suppliers and d id not enhance 
protections for personal information. The framework of laws and implementing measures that China 
had developed for cross -border data flows continue d to raise great concerns for many 
stakeholders.  The United States  urged China to revise its regime to take account of those  concerns.  
7.15.  On Viet Nam, the representative of the United States said that he would not repeat his 
previous statements conveying United States ' concerns with Viet Nam 's 2018 Law on Cybersecurity 
and Decree No.  53, which detail ed the implementation of certain articles in the Law on Cybersecurity.  
The U nited States believe d that the Decree, which had appeared suddenly and without stakeholder 
consultation, ha d a short impl ementation period and ambiguous requirements related to data 
localization and local offices, and would negatively impact foreign enterprises ' ability to provide 
services in Viet Nam . The U nited States  would appreciate any updates on the Cybersecurity Law a nd 
Decree No.53 from Viet Nam . 
7.16.  The representative of Australia  noted that its position on those  measures ha d not changed. 
Australia continue d to have concerns regarding China and Viet  Nam's cybersecurity measures , as 
reflected in its previous statements made at that Council . Australia continue d to urge China and Viet  
Nam to take into account the concerns of business and Members in the implementation of th ose 
measures and development of future measures.  Australia looked  forward to conti nuing to work 
closely with both Members on these issues.  
7.17.  The representative of the European Union  reiterated  her delegation 's concerns regarding the 
cybersecurity measures in China and the implementation of China 's cybersecurity framework , 
includ ing requir ements and special obligations. Its concern s related to  critical information 
infrastructure protection as well as data localization and cross -border data transfer, security 
assessment, classified cybersecurity protection  scheme , a comprehensive certificati on and testing 
scheme for critical network equipment and specialised network security products.  
7.18.  China 's interpretation of what could encompass security concerns appear ed to go beyond the 
WTO's definitions and practi ces. The European Union 's understanding was that , under China 's 
legislative framework, industrial data, important data, and crucial data m ight all be subject to 
localization requirements. The resulting requirements pose d a significant burden on foreign 
companies and the European Un ion encourage d China to define its cybersecurity measures as 
narrowly as possible and to ensure  that they d id not constitute a market access barrier.  
7.19.  Turning to Viet Nam 's cybersecurity measures , the European Union remain ed concerned by 
the Decree adopted  in August 2022, and  entered into force on 1 October  2022. Article 26 of the 
Decree , in particular , provide d for data localization as well as local presence requirements through 
the establishment of branches and representative offices of foreign businesses , subject to certain 
requirements.  
7.20.  The E uropean Union firmly believe d that trade should not be restricted by applying data 
localization and local presence re quirements. D ata localization requirements impos ed significant 
costs on businesses involved in cross -border trade. That could be detrimental, in particular for small 
and medium enterprises, as duplicating or multiplying data processing or storage facilities not only 
entail ed high cost  but was  also disruptive to a number of  business models. The E uropean Union 
asked Viet  Nam to take active steps to clarify how the Decree would be implemented , to avoid 
uncertainties and distortions in the cross -border market for trading services.  
7.21.  For example, the E uropean Union invite d Viet N am to clarify which sectors or types of 
companies were affect ed, w hat were the steps envisaged before any data localization or local 
presence requirements were imposed , and w hat happen ed before the Ministry notifie d foreign 
companies of violations of the L aw in question . The E uropean Union expect ed the Law to be 
implemented in a manner that d id not restrict trade and that was in line with Viet  Nam's GATS 
commitments.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  7.22.  The representative of Canada  said that her delegation  associated  itself with the United  States, 
Japan, the European Union and Australia in raising its concerns related to the measures adopted by 
China and Viet Nam on cybersecurity. She recalled that her delegation 's concerns had been shared 
in the past and she would not repeat them at that meeting, but they remain ed. 
7.23.  The representative of China  thanked  Members who ha d taken the floor for their continued 
interest in China 's regulatory measures related to cybersecurity. China ha d already responded in 
detail to Members ' remarks and questio ns at previous meetings. China 's cybersecurity -related 
measures were based on national condition s and ha d taken into account various international 
practi ces.  
7.24.  As Japan  had stated , those  legislations were not intended to h inder cross-border data flow s, 
nor to restrict international trade, but to support and encourage the flow  and a pplication of data . 
China reiterate d its willingness to work closely with other Members to promote the healthy 
development of the global digital economy.  
7.25.  The representative of Viet Nam thanked Japan, the United States, Australia  and the European 
Union for their continued interest in the implementation of Viet  Nam's Law on Cybersecurity. For the 
efficiency of that meeting, he referred to his delegation 's previous statements concerning Decree 
53/2022/ND -CP to implement certain articles of the Law on Cybersecurity , delivered  at the Council 's 
meetings in October and December 2022.  
7.26.  Viet Nam  reiterate d that the regulations to implement the Law were clear, non-discrimin atory 
and proportionate to Viet Nam 's security concerns. He believe d that they d id not hinder the flow of 
data nor create d an additional burden if businesses compl ied with the Vietnam ese laws on 
cybersecurity . However, Viet Nam  was open to h aving consultations with interest ed Members to 
clarify issues of concern.  
7.27.  With regard to the dra ft Decree on Personal Data Protection, the legislative formulation 
process was ongoing. The Drafting Committee and the Ministry of Public Security ha d considered all  
relevant comments  from both domestic and foreign stakeholders in the submission to the 
Government and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly. In the consideration of 
comments  received , the Drafting Committee ha d taken into account the characteris tics, conditions 
and requirements of Viet  Nam, as well as ensur ed compliance with the provisions of international 
laws and international treaties to which Viet Nam  was a party.  
7.28.  The Chairman  suggested that the Council take note of the statements made.  
7.29.  It was so agreed . 
8  ITEM H: 5G-RELATED MEASURES OF AUSTRALIA – REQUESTED BY CHINA  
8.1.  The Chairman  indicated that the item had been added to the agenda of the Council at the 
request of the delegation of China.  
8.2.  The representative of China  recalled that his delegation had raised strong concerns several 
times  at previous meetings  regarding Australia 's 5G-related restrictive measures . However, the 
related issues had yet to be effectively addressed  as Australia 's 5G-measures severely restricted 
Chinese services suppliers ' usual business operations in Australia and were inconsistent with WTO 
rules, particularly the MFN and transparency obligations of the GATS, as well as Australia 's GATS 
commitments.   
8.3.  China urged Australia to rectify the discriminatory practices a s soon as possible , and live up to 
its WTO obligations and to create a fair, just, and predictable business environment for all enterprises  
operating in Australia . 
8.4.  The representative of Australia  said that , since China had  first raised that issue elsewhere  in 
the WTO in late 2018 , Australia had engaged constructively with China to explain the rationale for 
its position  on 5G networks .  S/C/M/152  
 
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  8.5.  Australia also noted that other WTO Members had made similar decisions on equipment for 
national 5G networks in their n ational interest. As Australia had previously stated , its position on 5G 
networks was country -agnostic, transparent , risk-based, non -discriminatory and fully WTO 
consistent. Australia looked forward to continuing  to engage with China to explain the rationale for 
its decision and allay any concerns.  
8.6.  The Chairman  suggested that the Council take note of the statements made.  
8.7.  It was  so agreed . 
9  ITEM I: MEASURES OF THE UNITED STATES RESTRICTING TRADE IN SERVICES – 
REQUE STED BY CHINA  
9.1.  The Chairman  indicated that the item had been added to the agenda of the Council at the 
request of the delegation of China.  
9.2.  The representative of China  recalled that his delegation had expressed its concerns about  the 
US trade -restrictive measures at previous Council  meetings.  The United States  continue d to abuse 
the concept of national security. Those  measures ha d significant impacts on trade in services and 
were not consistent with the principles of transparency and equal treatment .  
9.3.  The US measures against Chinese enterprises and services were based solely on suspicions 
and speculations without evidence , undermining  the legitimate rights and interests of both 
enterprises and consumers, disrupt ing normal market order and violat ing international trade rules. 
China once again urge d the U nited States to immediately correct its wrongful  measures and return 
to the right track of international cooperation so as to maintain the stability of global industr ial and 
supply chains and work positively towards the recovery of the world economy.  
9.4.  The representative of the United States  said that, as stated in p revious meetings of the Council, 
the actions cited by China had been taken by the United States to protec t US National Security. The 
United States was committed to an open, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet protecting 
American sensitive personal data from foreign adversaries who sought to exploit United States ' 
openness or present ed a security risk.  
9.5.  The Chairman  suggested that the Council take note of the statements made.  
9.6.  It was so agreed . 
10  ITEM J: MEASURES OF INDIA RESTRICTING TRADE IN SERVICES – REQUESTED BY 
CHINA  
10.1.  The Chairman  indicated that the item had been added to the agenda of the Council at th e 
request of the delegation of China.  
10.2.  The representative of China  stated that , regarding India 's restrictive measures against a large 
number of Chinese apps and enterprises, China had raised strong concerns at previous meetings. 
Nonetheless, the restrictions were still in place.  
10.3.  Those  measures had seriously disrupted Chinese enterprises ' business activities , undermined 
their legitimate interests and violat ed the basic principles of the WTO as well as India 's GATS 
commitments. China urged India to stop its discriminatory measures and create an open, fair and 
non-discriminatory business environment for services suppliers from all WTO Members.  
10.4.  The representative  of India said that, as underscored at previous Council meetings, India was 
committed to upholding its obligations at the WTO. India valued, and was committed to protecting, 
the democratic rights of its citizens, including access to goods and services, whi le reserving the right 
to take measures to ensure the protection of privacy, data security and national security. India firmly 
believed that the measures raised under that agenda item were fully consistent with its GATS 
commitments.  
10.5.  The Chairman  suggested that the Council take note of the statements made.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  10.6.  It was so agreed . 
11  ITEM K: OTHER BUSINESS  
11.1.  The representative of the United States  update d Members on an issue they had raised in 
previous meetings  under the agenda item entitled "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Min ister of Human 
Resources and Social Development Decision 112203 regarding Localization of Customer Services ". 
The discussion at the C ouncil  had been helpful for their bilateral engagement, and it ha d sparked 
productive discussions among Capital -based officials.  
11.2.  The United States was pleased to see  that the Government of Saudi Arabia ha d added an 
important "Question and Answer " to the procedural manual for its decision on localization of remote 
custom er service professionals , version  07.21.07 . That seemed to address the concerns that the 
United States had raised in the Council , and the United States thank ed Saudi Arabia for its 
constructive engagement on that issue.  
11.3.  The Chairman  suggested that the Coun cil take note of the statement made.  
11.4.  It was so agreed . 
12  ITEM L: ELECTION OF THE NEW CHAIRPERSON  
12.1.  The Chairman  said that, b ased on the consensus reached in the General Council, he pass ed 
on the Chairmanship of the Council for Trade in Services to Mrs . Dimitrova  of Bulgaria. He was 
confident that, with her vast experience, services trade expertise, energy and wisdom, 
Mrs. Dimitrova would guide the future work of the Council capably and efficiently.  
12.2.  As the outgoing Chairperson, he explained that  it had been a true honour for him and for his 
country, Cambodia, to serve the Council in the p revious year. He recalled that it had been the first 
time that Cambodia ha d ever played th at role at the WTO. He certainly hope d that that would not 
be the last time . Regardless of the role they would play in future , Cambodia w ould remain committed 
to participate actively and constructively in the work of the WTO.  
12.3.  He had enjoyed working with all delegations.  There had been some challenges to be overcome 
but he enjoy ed challenge s, and as the old saying went "if you do  not jump into the hot water , you 
do not know how hot it is ". However, regardless of how hot it was, he had truly enjoyed it. He had 
been trying his best to advance the Council 's work, especially in view of  the MC12 mandates, and 
he had truly appreciate d Members ' cooperative and constructive spirit.  
12.4.  He also thank ed the Secretariat  for their tremendous support to him as Chairman . Last but 
not least, his gratitude also went to the interpreters who ha d been wo rking as hard as anyone in 
that house to make sure that all the delegations c ould have equal and inclusive access to the 
discussions.  
12.5.  He then  propose d that the Council elect Mrs Dimitrova of Bulgaria by acclamation as its new 
Chairperson . 
12.6.  The new Chairperson  thank ed Ambassador Long for his kind words and for his hard work 
during the p revious year. She commend ed him for his leadership effort, vision and guidance. She 
also wish ed to thank all delegations for their trust and support. She would do her best to chair the 
Council for Trade in S ervices in the most efficient way possible. She was confident that , with 
delegations ' cooperation and the Secretar iat's assistance, the work w ould move forward smoothly 
and fruitfully.  
12.7.  The representative of India thanked and welcomed the new Chairperson  and look ed forward 
to working with her in her new role and to take forward the work of that Council , which ha d many 
crucial works in the year ahead.  She also t ook the opportunity to thank the outgoing Chairman  for 
his continuous efforts and the way he  had conducted the affairs of that Council with dignity, 
transparency and taking along all Member s. She wished him luck in the future and reiterated that 
she was looking f orward to engaging in the Council  in a more inclusive manner.  S/C/M/152  
 
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  12.8.  The representative of Cambodia  thanked the outgoing Chairman, Ambassador L ong, for his 
rich contribution to the Council and wished  him success in his future endeavour s. His delegation also 
congr atulated  the new Chairperson , Mrs Dimitrova  of Bulgaria , for her appointment and wished  her 
the best for her responsibility  as the new Chairperson  of the Council . He reassure d her of his 
delegation 's support and engagement.  
12.9.  The representative of Bangladesh  congratulate d Mrs Dimitrova for her election as the new 
Chairperson  of that important Council. Bangladesh had  full confidence in her leadership and wisdom , 
assure d her of its fullest cooperation and wish ed her every success  in the work of the Council . 
12.10.    His delegation also convey ed gratitude to the outgoing Chair man of the Council , Ambassador 
Long of Cambodia , who had guided Members ' work in that Council in a transparent and inclusive 
manner . Bangladesh  had appreciate d his le adership, wisdom, dedication, and professionalism  and 
wishe d him all the best.  
12.11.   The representative of Peru congratulated Mrs Dimitrova on her election and expressed the 
readiness of his delegation to help and support her in her work. He also paid his sincere tribute to 
the outgoing Chairman Ambassador Long who had the greatest diplomatic skills and who  had 
exercised transparency and inclusiveness and wished him all the best for his fu ture endeavours and 
thanked him for all the work he did in the Council.  
12.12.   The Chairperson  suggest ed that the Council take note of the statements made.  
12.13.   The meeting  was adjourned . 
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