WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/BFA/132 
21 September 2012 
 (12-5109) 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration  
  
 
REPORT OF THE MEETING HELD ON 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 
 
1. The WTO Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration met on 20 September 2012 
under the chairmanship of Ambassador Albinas Zananavi čius (Lithuania).  The terms of reference and 
composition of the Committee are set out in documen t WT/L/44/Rev.1.  The agenda contained in 
document WTO/AIR/3994 was adopted with two item s added under other business.  One item was 
related to the distribution of documents and the other on the conference room equipment. 
I. REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP ON ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES 
(WT/BFA/W/274) 
2. The Chair of the Working Group on Administra tive Measures presented to the Committee the 
report containing the conclusions and recommendations  of the Working Group.  The Working Group 
had met several times over the last three years.  Th e Chair also held a number of consultations with 
Members, Observers and Regional Groups.  The Wo rking Group concluded its work by reaching a 
consensus on 11 September 2012.  The proposed amen dments to the Administrative Measures, also 
annexed to this report focused on: 
- Maintaining at large the basis of the exis ting system while simplifying some elements. 
- Reinforcing the role of the Director-General. 
- Extending Administrative Measures to Observers;  and - Providing a gradual set of measures applicable to Members and Observers.  
3. The Chair of the Working Group on Administra tive Measures concluded by thanking the 
Members of the Working Group and the Regional Coordinators for their work and support. 
4. One Member thanked the Chair of the Wo rking Group and supported the proposal. The 
Member also brought to the consideration of the Committee that Developing Members were making 
every effort to ensure the timely payment of contri butions and that delay could also be due to the 
financial crisis impacting them. 
5. The Committee took note of the report and recommended to the General Council the 
following recommendation for approval: 
6. The Committee recommends to the General Co uncil that the revised Administrative 
Measures appearing in the annex hereto be  implemented as fr om 1 January 2013. 
II. ACCESSION OF VANUATU (WT/BFA/W/282) 
7. A member of the Secretariat introduced the document regarding the assessed contribution of 
Vanuatu following its accession. 
8. Consequent to the accession to the WTO of Vanuatu on 24 August 2012, the Committee 
recommends to the General Council that a pro ra ta contribution to the 2012 budget amounting 
to CHF 10,380 be assessed to the Government of Vanuatu, as well as a contribution to the 
Working Capital Fund amounting to CHF 51,180 as an advance to the Fund.  WT/BFA/132 
Page 2  
 
  III. ACCESSION OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION (WT/BFA/W/283) 
9. A member of the Secretariat introduced the document regarding the assessed contribution of 
Russian Federation following its accession. 
10. Consequent to the accession to the WTO of Russian Federation on  22 August 2012, the 
Committee recommends to the General Council that  a pro rata contribution to the 2012 budget 
amounting to CHF 1,415,888 be assessed to the G overnment of the Russian Federation, as well 
as a contribution to the Working Capital Fund am ounting to CHF 206,257 as an advance to the 
Fund.  
IV. MODERNIZATION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES 
11. A member of the Secretariat provided the Committee with an oral progress report on the 
actions taken to modernize the management of  resources.  The Secretariat had committed to 
implement a new dimension or axis on its resour ces management system to capture the outputs on 
which the Organization was engaging its resources as of 1st January 2012.  The steps taken to 
implement this new dimension as well as some very  preliminary results were presented to the 
Committee.  The Secretariat also outlin ed the next steps to be taken. 
12. Several Members expressed interest and raised a number of questions.  Members paid special 
attention to the data quality and accuracy dependi ng on the staff time capture mechanism being 
implemented to report against outputs, and to the importance to adequately allocate support function 
expenditure to the main output categories.  Member s also raised questions on the impact on future 
policy decision, resources allocation and the planning ability against outputs. 
13. The Committee took note of this first report and would continue examining the 
implementation of the new resources management system at the following meetings. 
V. HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATE 
14. A member of the Secretariat updated the Committee on the Human Resources priorities 
including job profiling, internal mobility and corporate learning initiatives.  The job profiling initiative was moving ahead following a detailed consu ltation process with Directors and staff. It was 
explained that generic job profiles need to be estab lished first; the allocation of individual job profiles 
would then be advanced as a second step.  Generi c job profiles for Dispute Settlement Lawyers have 
been finalized and good progress made on Research Economists, Statisticians, as well as on jobs in 
the administration areas.  In 2011, 11 staff moved within the Secretariat through internal mobility. The number of internal mobility has already reached 13 in 2012. 
15. Several Members expressed an interest on these Human Resources priorities and the need to 
discuss them further. Members were especially  seeking clarifications on job profiling: its 
implementation timeline, the foreseen number of gene ric job profiles, whether this was an update of 
existing job profiles.  One Member stressed the im portance of diversity.  Another Member enquired 
about the ability to transfer post internally.  He also highlighted the higher proportion of staff at high grades in the Secretariat compared to other in ternational organizations, as well as within the 
Secretariat itself when the WTO grade structure pr oportions are compared over the past years, and 
wondered how this should be dealt with. 
16. The Committee took note of the report and would continue discussing on this topic at the next 
meeting where further information would be provided.  WT/BFA/132 
 Page 3 
 
 
  VI. OTHER BUSINESS 
17. A Member shared the experience of his mission to implement a paperless approach and made 
two suggestions to enhance the current set of stre amlining measures engaged in the area of document 
distribution: 
- Members should be able to subscribe to doc uments series to be received in paper form 
with a higher level of precision; such as being able to select specific sub-series of 
documents (e.g. G/SPS/N) instead of only bei ng able to subscribe to the full serie (e.g. 
G/SPS). 
- The current document email distribution "push"  system in place in a few divisions should 
be extended to all divisions supporting WTO bodies. 
 
18. A member of the Secretariat answered that an automatic email "push" notification would be 
included in the new version of Documents Online to be released by the end of the year.  A 
presentation to Members would also be planned before  the roll out of the new version as suggested by 
another Member.  The ability to subscribe to doc ument sub-series will be envisaged for the second 
quarter of 2013. 
19. In reply to a question of another Member, a me mber of the Secretariat informed that the 
display in the South Conference Rooms should be in operation by the end of the year. 
_______________ 
 WT/BFA/132 
Page 4  
 
  ANNEX 1 
 
ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES FOR MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS IN ARREARS 
--- DRAFT AMENDMENTS --- 
 
 
Category Administrative Measures 
I After one but less than two full year's  assessed contributions remain outstanding at the 
end of the year: 
1. Representatives of Members will not be nominated to preside over WTO bodies  
2. Documentation will not be posted to delega tions in Geneva nor to the Members' 
and Observers' capitals. 
3. At the beginning of each year, the Direct or-General will notify the Ministers of 
the Members and Observers responsible  for the WTO of the applicable 
administrative measures. 
4. The Director-General will contact annually the Minister of the Members' and 
Observers' responsible for the WTO, or any other official at the appropriate level 
emphasizing the question of arrears. 
5. The Secretariat will report annually to the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration on the implementation of administrative measures. 
6. Members and Observers will be subject to specific reporting at the General 
Council meetings.1 
II After two but less than three full year's  assessed contributions remain outstanding at the 
end of the year, in addition to the measures of Category I: 
1. The access of the WTO Members' web site will be discontinued.2 
2. The ability of Members to act on the recommendations by the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration to th e General Council on financial matters 
will be removed. 
3. Observers will be denied access to training or technical assistance. 
4. The Chairs of the accession working group of Observers will remind the 
delegation of Observers, during their work ing group meeting, of their financial 
obligations. 
III After three full year's  assessed contributions remain outstanding at the end of the year, in 
addition to the measures of Categories I and II: 
1. Members and Observers will be designated as Inactive Members and Inactive 
Observers, respectively. 
2. Inactive Members will be denied access to training or technical assistance other 
than that necessary to meet their WTO Article XIV-2 obligations. 
3. The accession working groups do not meet either formally or informally.  
WTO will suspend its request for annual contributions from Inactive Observers.  
Request for annual contributions will resume the year the Observers are not anymore designated as Inactive.
3 
4. Inactive Members and Observers taking th e floor in the General Council will be 
identified as such. 
 
                                                      
1 See General Council procedures.  
2 Applicable to Members and Observers. Under current  policy, Observers have a differentiated access 
to documents posted on the Members' Website.  
3 To be enforced starting 1 January 2013.   WT/BFA/132 
 Page 5 
 
 
  GENERAL COUNCIL PROCEDURES FOR MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS 
SUBJECT TO ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES 
 
 
At the beginning of each calendar year,  the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration will notify to the General C ouncil the list of Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures, with a recommendation that these Members and Observers be urged to liquidate their arrears.  
At the end of each meeting of the General Council , the Chairman of the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration will provide in formation with regard to which Members and 
Observers are under Administrative Measures. The Chairman of the General Council will request 
Members and Observers in Categories II and III to in form the Secretariat as to  when the payment of 
arrears may be expected.  
Each year  the Director General will report on the r esults of his contacts with Members’ and 
Observers’ authorities on the issue of arrears. 
 
 
* * * * * * * 
 
 
SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR THE SUSPENSION OF ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  
FOR INACTIVE MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS
4 
 
 
The General Council can suspend the applicati on of Administrative Measures for Members in 
Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defi ned schedule of instalment payments aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.5 
 
Those Members with pre-1988 arrears that were assessed at the minimum contribution may 
benefit from a reduction in those arrears to the le vel of the 1989 minimum contribution. For each full 
payment of an annual contribution between 1988 and 1994, any contracting party with pre-1988 
arrears may cancel an equal number of assessments for 1987 and earlier years upon payment of the 1989 minimum contribution amounting to CH F 19,137. The difference between a pre-1988 
assessment and the payment of CHF 19,137 would be funded by the Miscellaneous Income of 
the WTO.
6 
 
The General Council can suspend the applicati on of Administrative Measures for Observers 
that are in Category III on 1 January 2013, which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of 
installment payments aimed at liquidating all arrears.   
__________  
 
 
                                                      
4 Notwithstanding the WTO Financial Regulations (WT/L/156/Rev 2). 
5 Amend earlier decisions of the General Council in 1988 (C/M/226) and 1994 (C/M/273) to reflect the 
reduced number of categories. 
6 As approved by the General Council in 1994 (C/M/273).