G/L/1513  
G/VAL/80  
 
15 Novem ber 2023  
(23-7719) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade in Goods  
Committee on Customs Valuation    
 
  
REPORT ON IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FUNCTIONING  
OF THE COMMITTEE ON  CUSTOMS VALUATION  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This report has been prepared at the request of the Council for Trade in Goods (Council).1 The 
purpose of this report is to update the Council on the discussions held by the Committee on Customs 
Valuation (Committee) and the improvements in the functioning of the Committee since MC12 
(June  2022). Th is report follows on from the report on the cu rrent functioning of the Committee2, 
which is included in the list of reports by the Chairpersons of the Council's subsidiary bodies3 and in 
the comparison matrix of the reports on the current functioning of the Council and its subsidiary 
bodies.4 
2  PROCE SS AND PROPOSALS  
2.1.  Following the report on the current functioning of the Committee, the Chair convened an 
informal meeting of the Committee on 30 January 2023 at which Members were invited to give their 
reactions and views regarding the functioning of the C ommittee and possible improvements and 
reforms.5 
2.2.  On 17  May 2023, the Committee Chair circulated a communication containing an indicative list 
of issues to guide Members' discussions on the improvements they would like to see in the 
functioning of the Comm ittee. The Committee then held an exchange with Members at its formal 
meeting on 24  May 2023, where the Chair suggested that another informal meeting be held with 
Members to discuss these matters in greater detail.6 
2.3.  On 26 June 2023, the Committee Chair ci rculated a communication convening an informal 
meeting to continue the discussion on Committee reform matters.7 At his request, the Secretariat 
prepared a table listing possible improvements, the Committee's current practices, and the Chair's 
comments and  suggestions.8 The informal meeting was held on 20 September 2023 and the table 
was updated after the meeting to reflect the current status of the various matters discussed in the 
context of the reform.9 
3  IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMITTEE  
3.1.  As a result of these discussions, the Committee [agreed] to implement [six] changes with a 
view to improving its functioning. These improvements are listed in the Annex to this report.  
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1 JOB/CTG/29  and JOB/CTG/33 . 
2 G/L/1472  and G/VAL/W/385 ; G/L/1472/Corr.1  and G/VAL/W/385/Corr.1 . 
3 JOB/CTG/19/Rev.2 . 
4 G/C/W/824/Rev.1 . 
5 ICN/VAL/1 . 
6 G/VAL/M/75 , section 7.  
7 ICN/VAL/2 . 
8 JOB/VAL/1 . 
9 ICN/VAL/2/Suppl.1 . G/L/1513 • G/VAL/80  
 
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  ANNEX  
General area  Improvements in the fun ctioning of the Committee  
Assistance to 
delegates  • The Secretariat will organize, at least once a year, hybrid -format introductory 
sessions on the Committee's work. The training materials used in these sessions 
will then be made available on the website that the WTO is currently updating.  
• The Secretariat will prepare a draft manual describing the main procedural and 
substantive aspects of the Committee's work for consideration by the Committee. 
The final manual will be made available on the websit e that the WTO is currently 
updating.  
Planning and 
organization of 
meetings  • The Secretariat will circulate a draft agenda one month before formal meetings, 
and the final agenda will close 15  days before such meetings. The Secretariat will 
circulate, to th e extent possible, all documents and presentation materials relating  
to the agenda in advance of the meetings.  
• The Secretariat will circulate an annotated agenda ahead of formal Committee 
meetings.  
Digital tools  • The eAgenda platform is being used on a tr ial basis, and the Committee is 
considering the possibility of adopting it on a permanent basis.  
Substantive work  • In principle, and subject to the wishes of Members, the Committee will prepare 
thematic sessions in an informal setting to share experiences.  
 
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