WT/TPR/44 8 
 
13 October 2020 
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Trade Policy Review Body   
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW MECHANISM  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY  
THAILAND  
Arrangements for Review Meeting  
1. In pursuance of Article  IV, paragraph  4 and Annex  3 of the WTO Agreement, a meeting of the 
Trade Policy Review Body is now scheduled for 24 and 26 November  2020 to conduct the  
eighth  review of the trade policies and practices of Thailand  (WTO/AIR/ TPR/98). 
2. This communication sets out arrangements  concerning the review meeting.  In this connection, 
attention is also drawn to the procedures for the conduct of reviews contained in the rules of 
procedure of the Trade Policy Review Body (WT/TPR/6/Rev. 4), and to DD G Karl Brauner's 
information notes sent on 10 and 15 June 2020 on the Resumption of Meetings at the WTO.  
3. Members' attention is drawn to the use of the "alternative" time -frame by Thailand 
for submission of written questions and responses.  
1  QUESTIONS IN WRITING IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING AND MAIN POINTS  
4. Members wishing to submit written questions to the Member under review should do 
so at least five weeks before the review meeting to allow replies to be submitted  one week 
prior to the  first session of the meeting.  For the forthcoming review, such questions should 
therefore be with the Trade  Policies Review Division of the Secretariat ( tprd@wto.org ) by 5.30 p.m., 
on Tuesday  20 October .  
5. In line with the rules of procedure of the TPRB (WT/TPR/6/Rev.4, paragraph 17), Members are 
reminded that they should group their written questions into the following three categories so as to 
facilitate responses: those related to the Secretariat report (with a reference to rel evant paragraph 
numbers); those concerning the Government report (with a reference to relevant paragraph 
numbers); and other questions.  
6. The Secretariat shall identify the main points contained in the questions submitted at least 
five weeks before a review meeting, post them on the Members' website one week before the 
meeting, and distribute a revised list of main points during the first se ssion of a review when 
questions received after the five-week deadline give rise to si gnificantly new issues. The main points 
may be found on the Members' website under "Forthcoming Meetings:  Documents for Meetings".  
2  ANSWERS IN WRITING BY THE MEMBER UNDER REVIEW  
7. Answers by the Member under review should be distributed in writing. Advance questions 
submitted by the five -week deadline before the start of the TPRB review should be 
answered in writing by the Member under review one week prior to the start  of the 
meeting (17  November 2020). Written answers will be made available on the Members' 
website four working days prior to the meeting ( 18 November  2020) . Questions posed 
subsequently should be answered, to the extent possible, before the start of the s econd session of 
the meeting. Questions left unanswered at the end of the second session should be answered in WT/TPR/4 48 
 
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  writing no later than one month after the meeting with some latitude in the Chair's discretion for 
Members reviewing a very large number of quest ions. In the course of the discussions at the review 
meeting, the Member under review may indicate that it intends to provide supplementary 
information, in writi ng, on specific points raised. Upon receipt, the Secretariat will circulate a 
document containi ng this information to all Members.  
3  DISCUSSANT  
8. In consultation with the Member under review, the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body 
may choose a discussant who, in her/his personal capacity, will introduc e the discussions in the Body  
H.E. Ms Silvia Elena ALFARO ESPINOSA  (Peru) will act as discussant  for the review of Thailand . 
4  STRUCTURE OF THE MEETING  
9. Trade policy reviews cover four broad headings:  
a. appreciation of the full range of the Member's trade policies and practices;  
b. relevant background: wider economic and developmental needs, including the external 
environment;  
c. impact of the Member's trade policies and practices on the functioning of the multilateral 
trading syst em; and 
d. general comments by way of assessment and evalua tion. 
10. Meetings take place in two sessions. The first session is devoted to the opening statements by 
the Member under review and the discussant, and remarks and questions from the floor. 
The discussion in the second session, when the Member under review wi ll reply to questions, is  based 
on main themes identified after the opening meeting by the Chairperson, the discussant and the 
Secretariat in consultation with the Member.  
11. As indicated in the rules of procedure for TPRB meetings (WT/TPR/6/Rev.4, paragraph 21), t he 
speakers ' list will follow the order in which questions are rec eived by the Secretariat and in the event 
of more than one batch, the final batch will determine the order of speakers.  Delegations not 
submitting written questions will continue to sp eak second, in the order in which their flags are 
raised.  On the day before each review meeting, the Secretariat will post on the WTO Members' 
website a provisional list of speakers for the first session of that meeting, for Members' advance 
information . 
5  DOCUMENTATION AND PRESS ARRANGEMENTS  
12. Reports by the Member under review and the Secretariat are contained in the following 
documents:  
WT/TPR/G/ 400  Report by Thailand  
 
WT/TPR/S/ 400  Thailand : Report by the Secretariat  
13. The press embargo for the review of Thailand will end at 2.00 p.m. Geneva time on  
24 November  2020. 
6  RECORD OF THE MEETING  
14. The record of the meeting will be circulated as a draft to Members for comments on their own 
statements and placed on the WTO website.  
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