G/TFA/W/ 2/Add. 2 
24 January 2019  
(19-0416)  Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade Facilitation  Original: English  
 
  
RULES OF PROCEDURE O F THE COMMITTEE ON T RADE FACILITATION  
COMMUNICATION FROM  ARGENTINA , NORWAY  AND JAPAN  
Addendum  
The following communication, dated  24 January 2019 , is being circulated  at the request of the 
delegations of Argentina, Norway and Japan.  
 
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Following up on the joint proposal submitted by Argentina and Norway on 28 June 2017 (G/TFA/W/ 2) 
and the communication from Japan da ted 20  July 2017 (G/TFA/2/Add.1) , the proponents would like 
to share this new document with the aim of reaching an agreeable drafting for the Rules of Procedure 
to be applied to  meetings of the Committee on Trade Facilitation . 
 
Following  constructive  consultations with several Members on the issue of Rule 11, the current draft 
reflects both the procedures  of the General Council related to observers, and the procedure for 
inviting representatives of international organisations described in TFA Article 23:1:5, in line with 
the cur rent practice of the Committee.  
 
Thus, keeping the original spirit of the proposal  and in line with general WTO practice , Argentina, 
Norway and Japan suggest that the Rules of Procedure for meetings of the General Council 
(WT/L/ 161) be applied mutatis mutandis  to meetings of the Committee on Trade Facilitation , except 
as follows : 
 
Chapter I — Meetings  
 
(a) Rule 1 should be amended in line with paragraph 1.2 of Article 23 of the Agreement on Trade 
Facilitation  to provide  that: 
 
"The Committee shall meet as needed and envisaged by the provisions of the Agreement on 
Trade Facilitation, but no less than once a year ." 
 
(b) The first sentence  of Rule 2 should be amended to read as follows : 
 
"Meetings of the Committee shall be convened by the Direc tor-General by a notice issued 
preferably three weeks, and in any event not less than ten calendar days, prior to the date 
set for the meeting ." 
 
Chapter II — Agenda  
 
(c) Rule 5 should not be applied . 
 
(d) Rule 6 should be amended so that both the representatives and the Chairperson  of the 
Committee can suggest  amendments to the ag enda or additions under "Other B usiness". Thus, the 
relevant sentence  of Rule 6 should read as follows : 
 
"Representat ives or the Chairperson may suggest amendments to the proposed agenda, or 
additi ons to the agenda under 'Other B usiness'."  G/TFA/W/ 2/Add.2  
- 2 - 
   
(e) Rule 11 should be modified to read as follows:  
 
"Representatives of international intergovernmental organizations may attend the meetings 
as observers on the invitation of the Committee on Trade Facilitation in accordance with the 
guidelines in Annex 3 to the  Rules of the General Council.  
 
Furthermore, in accordance with Article 23:1:5 of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation, the 
Committee may invite representatives of other inte rnational organizations with competence 
in the field of trade facilitation or their subsidiary bodies to:  
 
(a) attend meetings of the Committee; and  
 
(b) discuss specific matters related to the implementation of this Agreement. " 
 
Chapter V — Officers  
 
(f) Rules 12, 13 and 14 should be amended to authorize the Committee to elect a Vice -Chairperson. 
Accordingly, Rules 12, 13 and 14 should  read as follows:  
 
"Rule 12 . The Committee shall elect a Chairperson1 and may elect a Vice -Chairperson from 
among the repre sentatives of Members.  The election shall take place at the first meeting of 
the year and shall take effect at the end of the meeting.  The Chairperson and Vice -Chairperson 
shall hold office until the end of the first meeting of the following year.  
 
Rule 13 . If the Chairperson is absent from any meeting or part thereof, the Vice -Chairperson 
shall perform the functions of the Chairperson.  If no Vice -Chairperson was elected or if the 
Vice-Chairperson is not present, the Committee shall elect an interim Chairperson for that 
meeting or that part of the meeting.  
 
Rule 14 . If the Chairperson can no longer perform the functions of the office, the Committee 
shall designate the Vice -Chairperson referred to in Rule 12 or, if no Vice -Chairperson was 
elected it sh all elect an interim Chairperson to perform those functions pending the  election 
of a new Chairperson."  
 
Chapter VI — Conduct of business  
 
(g) Rule 16 should not be applied.  
 
(h) The first sentence  of Rule  24 should be amended to read as  follows : 
 
"In order to expedite the conduct of business, the Chairperson may invite representatives that 
wish to express their support for a given proposal to show their hands, in order to be duly 
recorded in the records as supporting statements …. " 
 
Chapter VII — Decision -Making  
 
(i) Rule 33 should be amended to read as follows : 
 
"Where a decision cannot be arrived at by consensus, the matter at issue shall be referred to 
the Council for Trade in Goods ." 
 
(j) Rule 34 should not apply . 
 
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1 The Committee shall apply the relevant guidelines contained in the "Guidelines for Appointment of 
Officers to WTO Bodies" (WT/L/31 , dated 7 February 1995).