RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/443  
 
1 March  2018 
(18-1317) Page: 1/7 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBU TIONS FROM MEMBERS A ND OBSERVERS  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This memorandum summarizes the situation with respect to  Members ' and Observers' 
contribution s as at 31 December 201 7. It also provides information and recommendations 
regarding the situation of Members  and Observers  subject to Administrative Measures and 
Members  following a payment  plan as at 28 Februa ry 2018. 
2  MEMBERS ' STATUS OF CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 201 7 
2.1.  The WTO received a total amount of 178.4 MCHF from Members in 201 7, including the annual 
contribution for 201 7 and payment of arrears in contributions.  
Figure 1 Total a nnual receipt  (in MCHF ) 
 
Table 1 Members' contributions received in 201 7 
Receipt per c ontribution year  MCHF  
2017 contri butions representing 87 % of assessed contributions  169.7 
2016 outstanding contributions  6.9 
Outstanding contributions for period s prior to 2016  1.8 
Total  178.4 
 
Table 2 Members' outstanding contributions as at 31 December 2017   
Outstanding per contribution year  MCHF 
2017 contributions  25.8 
2016 contributions  1.7 
Outstanding contributions for periods prior to 2016  6.3 
Total  33.8 
192.0196.4198.8 198.3
191.1201.8
178.4
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017WT/BFA/W/443  
 
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  2.2.  The outstanding  Members'  contributions amount ed to 33.8 MCHF at the end of 201 7. 
 116 Members ha d no outstanding balance as at 31 December 2017 ; 
 48 Members ha d an outstanding balance . The overall amount  of outstanding contributions 
was 33.8 MCHF.  
Figure 2 Members' outstanding contributions at year -end (in MCHF ) 
 
 
3  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO A DMINISTRATIVE MEASUR ES  
3.1.  As at 31 December  2017: 
a. Thirteen  Members were subject to Administrative Measures for a total amount 
outstanding of 6.9 MCHF , representing 21% of the total amount outstanding.  
Table 3 Members under Administrative Measures  as at 31 December 201 7 
Cat. I ( 6) Cat. II ( 0) Cat. III ( 7) 
Antigua and Barbuda   Burundi*  
Cameroon   Central African Republic  
Dominica   Djibouti*  
Guinea   Mauritania  
Rwanda   Niger*  
Uganda   Sierra Leone*  
  Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of  
*  Members not compliant  with payment plan  terms  as their agreed 201 7 contribution  towards clearing 
arrears is still outstanding.  
3.2.  Status a s at 2 8 February 2018: 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Members subject to Administrative Measures is 
updated with the  annual assessed contributions.  
31.5 31.3 31.0
27.6
25.3 25.4 25.9
23.725.925.1
22.0
19.323.7
16.533.8
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017WT/BFA/W/443  
 
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  Table 4 Members under Administrative Measures  as at 2 8 February 2018  
Cat. I (1 4) Cat. II ( 5) Cat. III (1 0) 
Angola  Antigua and Barbuda  Burundi  
Belize  Cameroon  Central African Republic  
Burkina Faso  Guinea  Chad 
Congo  Rwanda  Djibouti  
El Salvador  Uganda  The Gambia  
Lesotho   Guinea -Bissau  
Nigeria   Mauritania  
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   Niger  
Senegal   Sierra Leone  
Solomon Islands   Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of  
Suriname    
Tanzania    
Togo   
Zambia    
*  Members not compliant  with payment plan  terms . 
 
b. Twenty -nine Members are subject to Administrative Measures with a total amount 
outstanding of 1 3.7 MCHF including 201 8 contributions .  
 
c. Of the Members under Category III, nine agreed payment plans for the ir arrears in 
contribution but none of these Members are currently complying with the agreed ters. 
Three  Members whose payment plans were cancelled ( Central African Republic,  
Mauritania and Niger in Category  III). 
 
4  OBSERVERS ' STATUS OF  CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 201 7 
4.1.  The WTO received a total amount of  CHF 580,039 from Observers in 201 7. 
Table 5 Observers' contributions received in 201 7 
Receipt per c ontribution year  CHF 
(in thousands)  
2017 contributions representing 69% of assessed contributions  423 
2016 outstanding contributions  123 
Outstanding contributions for periods prior to 2016  34 
Total  580 
 
4.2.  The outstanding  Observers'  contributions amount to CHF 590,219 at the end of 201 7. 
Table 6 Observers' outstanding contr ibutions as at 31 December 2017  
Outstanding per c ontribution year  CHF 
(in thousands)  
2017 contributions  165 
2016 contributions  34 
Outstanding contributions for periods prior to 2016  391 
Total  590 
 
 One new Observer  acceded to WTO in 201 7: South Sudan ; 
 Thirteen  Observers have no outstanding balance  as at 31 December 201 7; 
 Ten Observers have an outstanding balance amounting to a total of CHF 590,219. WT/BFA/W/443  
 
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  Figure 3 Observers' o utstanding contributions as 31 December 2018  (in MCHF ) 
 
 
5  OBSERVERS SUBJECT TO  ADMINISTRATIVE MEASU RES  
5.1.  As at 31 D ecember  2017: 
a. Two Observe rs (Libya and Sao Tome & Principe) were subject to Administrative  
Measures for a total amount outstanding of CHF 420,400 , representing 71% of the total 
amount outstanding.  Both these Observers are in Category III of the Administrative 
Measures.  
5.2.  Status a s at 28 February  2018: 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Observers subject to Administrative Measures is 
updated with the annual assessed contributions . 
b. Five Observ ers are subject to Administrative Measures with a t otal amount outstanding 
of CHF 629,693  including 201 8 contributions . 
Table 7 Observe rs under Administrative Measures  as at 2 8 February 2018  
Cat. I ( 3) Cat. II ( 0) Cat. III ( 2) 
Somalia   Libya  
Syrian Arab Republic   Sao Tomé and Principe  
Timor -Leste    
 
c. In February 201 8, the Director -General wrote to the relevant Ministers of all the above 
Observers in order to urge their countr ies to liquidate their arrears.  
6  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO PAYMENT  PLAN S 
6.1.  The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members in 
Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of instalment payments aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.  
6.2.  The General Council ha s approved payment plans for 1 4 Membe rs in the last ten years. Four 
Members settled their payment plans in anticipation in the last six years: Gabon (in 2012), Congo 
and Democratic Republic of Congo (in 2013)  and Togo (in 2015) . 
6.3.  Central African Republic, Niger  and Mauritania have not complied  with the ir payment plan s. 
As the terms were not respected for a period of three years, their payment plan s are no longer 
valid. 
0.670.83 0.840.891.131.24
1.041.16
1.07
0.98
0.560.520.59 0.58 0.59
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017WT/BFA/W/443  
 
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  6.4.  A payment plan was approved for Guinea -Bissau in 2017.  
6.5.  The Members following a payment  plan had total arrears amounting to  3.5 MCHF  at the end 
of 201 7: Burundi, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, The Gambia, Guinea -Bissau  and Sierra  Leone.  
7  RECO MMENDATION  
7.1.  The Committee invites  the General Council to urge Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures to liquidate their arrears.  
_______________  
 
 WT/BFA/W/443  
 
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  ANNEX  1 
ADMINISTRATIVE MEASUR ES FOR MEMBERS AND OBSE RVERS IN ARREARS  
 
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 delegations in Geneva nor to the Members' 
and Observers' capitals.  
3. At the beginning of each year, the Director -General will notify the Minister s 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 the 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 worki ng group of Observers will remind the 
delegation of Observers, during their working 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 Observe rs.  
Request for annual contributions will resume the year the Observers are not 
anymore designated as Inactive.3 
4. Inactive Members and Observers taking the 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/W/443  
 
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  GENERAL COUNCIL PROC EDURES FOR MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS  
SUBJECT TO ADMINISTR ATIVE MEASURES  
 
 
At the beginning of each calendar year,  the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration will notify , to the General Council , 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, Finan ce and Administration will provide information 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 inform the Secretariat as to whe n the payment  
of arrears may be expected.  
 
Each year  the Director General will report on the results of his contacts with Members’ 
and Observers’ authorities on the issue of arrears.  
 
 
* * * * * * *  
 
 
SPECIAL PROVISIONS F OR THE SUSPENSION OF  ADMINISTRATIVE MEASU RES  
FOR INACTIVE MEMBERS  AND OBSERVERS4 
 
 
The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members 
in Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of instalment  payment s 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 level 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 ea rlier years upon 
payment  of the  1989 minimum contribution amounting to CHF  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 application 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 payment s 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).