WT/GC/W/751  
 
23 November 2018  
(18-7398) Page: 1/11 
General Council  
12-13 December 2018    
 
GENERAL COUNCIL  
 DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT (2018)1  
The present report has been prepared in pursuance of the Procedures for an Annual Overview of 
WTO Activities and for Reporting under the WTO (WT/L/105).  
 
Since its previous annual report2, the General Council  has held four meetings, on 7  March, 8  May, 
26 July, and 18 October 2018.  The minutes of these meetings, which remain in the record of the 
General Council's work, are co ntained in documents WT/GC/M/171, WT/GC/M/172, WT/GC/M/173 
and WT/GC/M/ 174. 
 
The follo wing subjects are included in the report:  
 
1   REPORTS BY THE C HAIRMAN OF THE TRADE  NEGOTIATIONS COMMIT TEE AND 
REPORTS BY THE DIREC TOR-GENERAL  ................................ ................................ ............  2 
2   IMPLEMENTATION O F THE BALI, NAIROBI AND BUENOS AIRES OUT COMES – 
STATEMENTS BY THE CH AIRMAN  ................................ ................................ .....................  3 
3   WORK PROGRAMME O N ELECTRONIC COMMERC E ................................ .......................  4 
3.1   Review of Progress  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
3.2   Information Sharing – Request from China  ................................ ................................ ..... 4 
3.3   Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions: Need for a re -think – 
Communication from India and South Africa  ................................ ................................ ...........  4 
4   WORK PROGRAMME O N SMALL ECONOMIES – REPORTS  ................................ .............  4 
5   AID FOR TRADE – REPORT  ................................ ................................ ..........................  5 
6   ACCESSION MATTER S ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 5 
6.1   Chairmanship of Accession Working Parties  ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
7   WAIVERS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  6 
7.1   Kimberley Pr ocess Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds – Waiver Extension – Draft 
Decision  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  6 
7.2   Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX :4 of the WTO Agreement  ................................ .... 6 
8   TWELFTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL C ONFERENCE – DATE AND  VENUE  ..............  6 
8.1   Statement by the Chairman  ................................ ................................ ..........................  6 
9   SELECTION OF NEW  APPELLATE BODY MEMB ERS – STATEMENT BY CHINA  ................  7 
10   UNITED STATES O F AMERICA – SECTION 232 INVESTIGATIONS AND MEASURES 
ON STEEL AND ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS – STATEMENT  BY CHINA  ................................ ..... 7 
                                                
1 The final version of the report will also reflect any further meeting of the General Coun cil to be held in 
2018 and items will be renumbered as necessary.  
2 The annual report  of the General Council for 2017 was circulated in WT/GC/191 . WT/GC/W/751  
 
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  11   UNITED STATES O F AMERICA – INVESTIG ATIONS  AND MEASURES UNDER 
SECTION  301 OF THE TRADE ACT  OF 1974 – STATEMENT  BY CHINA  ...............................  7 
12   VIEWS ON CHINA' S TRADE -DISRUPTIVE E CONOMIC MODEL AND IMPLICATIO NS 
FOR THE WTO – SUBMISSION S FROM THE UNITED ST ATES  ................................ .............  7 
13   MEASURES TO ALL OW GRADUATED LDCS, W ITH GNP BELOW US $1000, BENEFITS 
PURSUANT TO ANNEX VI I(B) OF THE AGREEMEN T ON SUBSIDIES AND 
COUNTERVAILING  MEASURES – COMMUNICA TION FROM THE CENTRA L AFRICAN 
REPUBLIC ON BEHALF O F THE LDC GROUP  ................................ ................................ ....... 8 
14   WORKSHOP ON GEN DER BASED ANALYSIS O N TRADE POLICY – STATEMENT BY 
CANADA  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  8 
15   STATEMENTS OF G ROUPS OF MEMBERS IN OFFICIAL WTO MEETINGS – 
STATEMENT  BY THE UNITED STATES  ................................ ................................ ................  8 
16   CREATION OF A N EW INFORMAL GROUP OF  MEMBERS TO DISCUSS TRADE AND 
ENVIRONMENT – STATEM ENT BY COSTA RICA  ................................ ................................  8 
17   HIGH -LEVEL CONF ERENCE ON SUSTAI NABLE BLUE ECONOMY A ND AFRICA 
E-COMMERCE WEEK – STAT EMENT BY KENYA  ................................ ................................ .. 8 
18   COMMITTEE ON BU DGET, FINANCE AND AD MINISTRATION  ................................ ...... 8 
18.1   Reports and Recommendations ................................ ................................ ....................  8 
19   WTO PENSION PLA N ................................ ................................ ................................ . 9 
19.1   Reports  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  9 
19.2   Election of Chairperson, Members, and Alternates to the Management Board   ...................  9 
20   ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES FOR MEMBERS  IN ARREARS  ................................ ....... 9 
21   APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS TO WTO BODI ES ................................ ..........................  9 
22   ELECTION OF CHA IRPERSON  ................................ ................................ ...................  11 
 
1  REPORTS  BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRADE NEGOTIATIO NS COMMITTEE AND REP ORTS 
BY THE DIRECTOR -GENE RAL (WT/GC/M/171; WT/GC /M/172; WT/GC/M/173 AND 
WT/GC/M/ 174) 
Ministers  at Doha established a Tra de Negotiations Committee under the authority of the 
General Council to supervise the overall conduct of the negotiations (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1). In 
accordance with the Principles and Practices endorsed by the Trade Negotiations Committee at its 
first meeting in 2002 (TN/C/M/1), the TNC reports to each regular meeting of the General Council.  
At the General Council meetings in March , May, July, and October , the Director -General 
reported on each occasion on relevant activities since his previous report to the Gen eral Council 
including on Informal TNC Meetings and Informal Heads of Delegation Meetings he convened on the 
matter.3  
At the March  meeting, the representative of Burkina Faso (C -4) spoke. T he General Council 
took note of the report of the Chairman of the TNC and of the Director -General's report, and of the 
statements delivered at the March General Council  meeting and at the Informal TNC and Informal 
HODs meeting on 5 March .4 
                                                
3 The Director -General's reports and those of the Negotiating Group Chairs  at the March, May, July and 
October Informal TNC and Informal HODs Meetings were incorporated in the minutes of the respective General 
Council meetings and were also circulated as JOB/GC/172, JOB/GC/186, JOB/GC/195 and JOB/TNC/71, 
respectively.  
4 The stat ements at the 5 March Informal TNC and HODs Meeting by the following delegations are 
incorporated in the minutes of the March General Council meeting in WT/GC/M/171 : Switzerland; Nigeria; New 
Zealand; Rwanda (African Group); Uruguay (Informal Working Group  on MSMEs); European Union; Guyana 
(ACP); Turkey; Mexico; Colombia; Central African Republic (LDCs); China (FIFD); Uganda; Ecuador; Nepal; 
Japan; Singapore (ASEAN); Australia; Thailand; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Peru; Cuba; Republic of Korea; 
Brazil;  South Africa; Indonesia (G -33); Norway; Pakistan; Russian Federation; Hong Kong, China; Trinidad and WT/GC/W/751  
 
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At the May meeting, the representative of Zam bia spoke. T he General Council took note of the 
report of the Chairman of the TNC and of the Director -General's report, and of the statements 
delivered at the May General Council  meeting and at the Informal TNC and Informal HODs meeting 
on 7 May .5 
At the July meeting, the representative s of Uganda, H aiti (CARICOM) and Malawi (ACP)  spoke. 
The General Council took note of the report of the Chairman of the TNC and of the Director -General's 
report, and of the statements delivered at the July General Council  meeting and at the Informal TNC 
and Informal HODs meeting on 24 July .6 
At the October  meeting, the General Council took note of the report of the Chairman of the 
TNC and of the Director -General's report, and of the statements delivered at the Informal TNC and 
Informal HODs meeti ng on 16 October .7 
2  IMPLEMENTATION  OF THE BALI, NAIROBI  AND BUENOS AIRES  OUTCOMES – 
STATEMENTS BY THE CH AIRMAN ( WT/GC/M/171; WT/GC/M /172; WT/GC/M/173  AND 
WT/GC/M/ 174) 
Since July 2014 , the item on implementation of the Bali outcomes  has been included on the 
General Council's agenda at the request of the Chairman , to provide an update on  the work taking 
place in th e regular bodies which were directly working on the various Bali Decisions.  After the Tenth  
and Eleventh  Sessions of the Ministerial Conference, reports on the implementation of the Nairobi  
and Buenos Aires  outcomes were also provided under this item.  
                                                
Tobago; Canada; Panama (Article XII Members); India; Papua New Guinea (Pacific Group); United States; 
Senegal; Zimbabwe; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela;  Argentina (Informal Group on Investment Facilitation); 
Sri Lanka; Ghana; Philippines; Kenya and Paraguay.  
5 The statements at the 7 May  Informal TNC and HODs Meeting by the following delegations are 
incorporated in the minutes of the May General Council meeting in WT/GC/M/172: Switzerland (on behalf of 
Argentina; Australia; Bangladesh; Benin; Brazil;  Burkina Faso;  Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Côte 
d'Ivoire; Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Guatemala; Hong Kong, China; Icela nd; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Republic 
of Korea; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Liechtenstein; Malaysia; Mali; Mexico; Republic of Moldova; 
Myanmar; New Zealand; Nigeria; Norway; Pakistan; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Qatar; Singapore; Switzerland; 
Thailand; the fo rmer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Turkey; Ukraine; Uruguay and Viet Nam); South Africa 
(African Group); United States; Central African Republic (LDCs); Colombia (Informal Dialogue on Investment 
Facilitation for Development); Malawi (ACP); Australia (Joi nt Statement Initiative on E -Commerce); Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia; Indonesia (G -33); China; Benin (C -4); Uruguay (Informal Working Group on MSMEs); European 
Union; Honduras (IGDC except Israel);  Zimbabwe; Panama (Article XII Members); Singapore; Mexico; Trin idad 
and Tobago; Egypt; India; Ecuador; Norway; Russian Federation; Cuba; Canada; Brazil; Iceland; Hong Kong, 
China; Turkey; Peru; Ghana; Costa Rica; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Uganda; Tonga (Pacific Group); Republic 
of Moldova; Paraguay; Chinese Taip ei; Haiti (CARICOM); Tanzania; Thailand; Nepal; Dominica (OECS); Chile; 
Japan; Jamaica; Kenya; New Zealand; Cambodia; Pakistan; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Malaysia and 
Republic of Korea.  
6 The statements at the 24 July  Informal TNC and HODs Meeting by the following delegations are 
incorporated in the minutes of the July General Council meeting in WT/GC/M/173: Republic of Korea; Panama 
(Article XII Members); South Africa (African Group); Canada; Malawi (ACP); Australia (Joint Statement Initiative 
on E -Commerce); European Union; Colombia (Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for 
Development); Costa Rica; China; Chad (LDCs); India; Uruguay (Informal Working Group on MSMEs); United 
States; Indonesia (G -33); Brazil; Pakistan; Argentina; New Ze aland; Chile; Zimbabwe; Russian Federation; 
Switzerland; Egypt; Norway; Turkey; Bangladesh; Hong Kong, China; Sri Lanka; Ecuador; Peru; Singapore; 
Paraguay; Nepal; Trinidad and Tobago; Qatar; Kenya; Mexico; Thailand; Vanuatu (Pacific Group); Japan; 
Bolivar ian Republic of Venezuela; Dominica (OECS); Benin (C -4) and Cuba.  
7 The statements at the 16 October  Informal TNC and HODs Meeting by the following delegations are 
incorporated in the minutes of the October General Council meeting in WT/GC/M/174: Canada; S outh Africa 
(African Group); Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Norway; Malawi (ACP); United States; Ghana; Mexico; Qatar; 
Brazil; Morocco; Cuba; Turkey; Colombia (Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for Development); 
New Zealand; China; Seneg al; European Union; Zimbabwe; Australia (Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic 
Commerce); India; Republic of Moldova; Uruguay (Informal Working Group on MSMEs); Costa Rica; Republic of 
Korea; Chinese Taipei; Indonesia (G -33); Switzerland; Benin (C -4); Argentina; Chad (LDCs); Paraguay; Vanuatu 
(Pacific Group); Jamaica; Russian Federation; Oman; Japan; Uganda; Angola; Nepal; Trinidad & Tobago; 
Cambodia; Hong Kong, China; Panama (Article XII Members); Kenya; Egypt; Plurinational State of Bolivia; 
Ecuador; S ingapore; Pakistan; Haiti (CARICOM); Nigeria; Afghanistan; Cameroon and Sri Lanka.  WT/GC/W/751  
 
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At the General  Council meetings in March , May, July, and October , the Chairman reported on 
the work taking pl ace in WTO regular bodies to fulfil the Bali , Nairobi  and Buenos Aires  Ministerial 
mandates.8 
At the March  meeting, the General Council took note of the Chairman's report.  
At the May meeting,  the representatives of South Africa (African Group) and the European 
Union spoke. The General Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the statements.   
At the July meeting, the representatives of Chad (LDCs), Sierra Leone and Tanzania spoke. 
The General Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the statements.  
At the October  meeting,  the representatives of t he Central African Republic (LDCs), Malawi 
(ACP) and Chad spoke. The General Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the 
statements.   
3  WORK PROGRAMME  ON ELECTRONIC COMME RCE 
3.1  Review  of Progress (WT/GC/M/173 ) 
In line with the Declaration on Global Electronic Commerce adopted by Ministers at the second 
session of the Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(98)/DEC/2), in September 1998, the  General Council 
adopted a Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WT/L/274). At MC11 , Ministers adopted a 
Decision on the Work Programme on Electron ic Commerce (WT/MIN(17)/65 – WT/L/1032 ) which 
instructed the General Council to hold periodic reviews in its  sessions of July and December 2018  
and July 20 19 based on the reports that could be submitted by the WTO bodies entrusted with the 
implementation of the Work Programme.  
At the July meeting , the Chairman drew attention to the reports submitted by the Chair s of the 
Counc il for Trade in Services (S/C/54) and of the Goods Council (G/C/60 ) to the General Council. 
The Chairs of the CTS, CTG, TRIPS Council and CTD then reported on developments under the work 
programme on e -commerce since the last periodic review in July 2017 . The General Council took 
note of the statements of the Chairs of the CTS, CTG, TRIPS Council and CTD , and of the reports in 
S/C/54  and G/C/60 . 
3.2  Information  Sharing – Request from China (WT/GC/M/173)  
At the July meeting, the representative of China informed Members about the two -week e -
commerce workshop held in China and presented a video in this regard . The General Council took 
note of the statement.  
3.3  Moratorium  on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions: Need for a re -think – 
Communication  from India and South Africa  (WT/GC/M/173)  
At the July meeting, the representatives of India and South Africa presented their 
communication in WT/GC/W/747.  A discussion ensued afterwards under the three sub -items where 
the representatives of Benin (WAEMU);  the United States; Cuba; Uganda; Tanzania; Chad; Chinese 
Taipei; Brazil; Pakistan; Costa Rica; Ecuador; the Russian Federation; Indonesia; Japan; Thailand; 
the Republic of Korea; Australia; the European Union; Norway; Canada; Kazakhstan; Sri Lanka; 
Singap ore; Switzerland; Hong Kong, China; Turkey; Mexico and Chile spoke. The General Council 
took note of the statements.  
4  WORK PROGRAMME  ON SMALL ECONOMIES – REPORTS ( WT/GC/M/171; 
WT/GC/M/172; WT/GC/M /173  AND WT/GC/M/ 174) 
In 2002, the General Council took note of a framework and procedures for the conduct of the 
Work Programme on Small Economies, which had been agreed by Ministers at Doha 
(WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1, paragraph 35), under which this Work Programme would be a standing item 
                                                
8 The Chairman's statements were subsequently circulated in JOB/GC/173, JOB/GC/187, JOB/GC/196, 
and JOB/GC/202, respectively.  WT/GC/W/751  
 
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  on the General Council's agenda an d which also provided that the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) would report regularly to the General Council on the progress of work in its 
Dedicated Sessions on this subject.  In December 2017, Ministers at MC11  adopted the Decision on 
the Work Pr ogramme on Small Economies (WT/MIN(17 )/63 – WT/L/1030 ) which reaffirmed  their 
commitment to the Work Programme and instructed the CTD to continue its work in Dedicated 
Sessions under the overall responsibility of the General Council.  
At the March  meeting, the CTD Chairperson  recalled the Buenos Aires Ministerial Decision on 
this matter and informed Members that the CTD Dedicated Discussion would continue to discuss how 
to take it forward. The representative of Guatemala (SVEs) and the Republic of Moldova sp oke. The 
General Council took note of the report and of the statement s.  
At the May meeting, the CTD Chairperson  reported that preparations were under way to hold 
another meeting in early June to discuss the challenges of the fuller integration of SVEs in the 
multilateral trading system and the reduction of trade costs posed to SVEs.  The representative of 
Guatemala (SVEs) spoke.  The General Council took note of the report and of the statement.  
At the July meeting, the CTD Chair person  reported that the Dedicated Session had met in June 
to continue  its mandated work. The discussion – which included present ations from t he Secretariat, 
Panama and Sri Lanka – focused on the specific challenges derived from trade costs that SVEs faced 
and the most important sources of merchandise and services trade costs reported by them. The 
representative of Guatemala (SVEs) spoke.  The Ge neral Council took note of the report and of the 
statement.  
At the October  meeting, the CTD Chair person  reported that the 37th Dedicated Session on Small 
Economies would be held on 1 November focusing on best practices and policy approaches for 
addressing the challenges identified in its previous meeting. The representative of Guatemala (SVEs) 
spoke.  The General Council took note of the report and of the statement.  
5  AID FOR TRADE  – REPORT ( WT/GC/M/171 ) 
At the March  meeting, the CTD C hairperson  reported that consultations on the latest work 
programme  on Aid for Trade had been ongoing since early January. Although progress had been 
made, the CTD would need more time to deliberat e on the matter and the General Council would 
again take up the item at a future mee ting.9 The representative of Chad ( on behalf of the Central 
African Republic, coordinator of the LDCs) spoke.  The General Cou ncil took note of the report and 
of the statement . 
6  ACCESSION  MATTERS  
6.1  Chairmanship of Access ion Working Parties (WT/GC/M/1 72 and WT/GC/M/173 )  
At the May10 meeting, the Chairman said that consensus was reached in appointing 
Ambassador Luis Cancela (U ruguay) to serve as the Chairperson  of the Working Party on the 
Accession of Algeria to the WTO and Mr. Andrew Staines (United King dom) to  serve as the 
Chairperson  of the Working Party on the Accession of the Bahamas to the WTO. The representatives 
of the Bahamas (as an Observer) and Algeria (as an Observer) spoke.  The General Council took note 
of the statements.  
At the July11 meeting,  the Chairman said that consensus was reached in appointing Ambassador 
Elisabeth Tichy -Fisslberger (Austria) to serve as the  Chairperson of the Working Party on the 
Accession of Bhutan to the WTO ; and Ambassador Paik Ji -ah of the Republic of Korea to serve  as 
the Chairperson  of the Working  Party on the A ccession of Uzbekistan to the WTO . The representative 
of Bhutan (as an Observer) spoke. The General Council took note of the statements.  
                                                
9 At the May General Council meeting, the Gener al Council Chairman  reported under the agenda item on 
"Implementation of t he Bali, Nairobi And Buenos Aires Outcomes " that , following intensive consultations by the 
CTD Chair person , the 2018 -2019 work programme had been  agreed . 
10 This item was taken up und er "Other Business" at the May meeting.  
11 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the July meeting.  WT/GC/W/751  
 
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  7  WAIVERS  
7.1  Kimberley  Process Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds  – Waiver Extension – 
Draft Decision ( WT/GC/M/173 ) 
At the July meeting, the General Council considered a draft decision in document s G/C/W/753 , 
G/C/W/753/ Add.1 and G/C/W/753/Add.2  which concerned the request for  the extension of the 
waiver on the Kimberley  Process Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds . The Chairperson  of the 
Council for Trade in Goods reported on the consideration of the draft decision by that Council.  The 
representative of Sierra Leone spoke. The General Council took note of the report a nd of the 
statement  and, in accordance with the Decision -Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the 
WTO Agreement , adopted the draft decision which was subsequently circulated in WT/L/1039.  
7.2  Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agre ement  (WT/GC/M/ 173) 
Under Article  IX:4 of the WTO Agreement, "[a]ny waiver granted for a period of more than one 
year shall be reviewed by the Ministerial Conference not later than one year after it is granted, and 
thereafter annually until the waiver term inates ." 
At the July meeting, the General Council considered the following waivers for review under 
Article IX:4:  
i. Least -Developed Country Members – Obligations under Article 70.8 and Article 70.9 
of the TRIPS Agreement with respect to Pharmac eutical Produc ts, granted on 
30 November 2015 until 1 January 2033 (WT/L/971)  
ii. Preferential treatment for Least -developed Countries, granted on 27 May 2009 until 
30 June 2019 (WT/L/759)  
iii. Canada – CARIBCAN, granted on 28 July 2015 until 31 December 2023 (WT/L/958, 
WT/L/103 6) 
iv. United States – Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, granted on 5 May 2015 
until 31 December 2019 (WT/L/950, WT/L/1038)  
In doing so, the General Council considered reports on implementation of the respective 
waivers  in documents  WT/L/1 036 and WT/L/1038 . The representatives of Haiti (CARICOM); Jamaica; 
the United States and Canada spoke. T he General Council took note of the reports contained in 
documents WT/L/1036  and WT/L/ 1038 and of the statements , and agreed to revert to the review of 
multi-year waivers under Article IX.4 of the WTO Agreement at its last regular meeting in 2018 . 
8  TWELFTH  SESSION OF THE MINI STERIAL CONFERENCE  – DATE AND VENUE  
8.1  Statem ent by the Chairman (WT/GC/M/172; WT/GC/M/173 and WT/GC/M/174 ) 
At the May12 meeting, the Chairman a nnounced that he would begin consultations on the Date 
and Venue of the Twelfth Session of the Ministerial Conference . The General Council took note of 
the Chairman's statement.  
At the July meeting, further to the process of consultations conducted by the Chairman, the 
General Council agreed that the Twelfth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference would take place 
in Astana, K azakhstan in early June 2020  on the understanding that the 2019 deadline in the Buenos 
Aires D ecision on Fisheries Subsidies wa s upheld and that the 2019 dates relating to the two 
moratoria on Electronic Commerce and on TRIPS non -violation and situation complaints we re also 
maintained.  The Chairman, the Director -General and the representative of Kazakhstan spoke. The 
General Council t ook note of the statements.  
                                                
12 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the May meeting.  WT/GC/W/751  
 
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At the October  meeting, t he General Council agreed that MC12 would be held on 
8-11 June 2020.  The representative of  Kazakhstan spoke.  The General Council took note of the 
statement.  
9  SELECTION OF NEW APP ELLATE BODY MEMBERS – STATEMENT BY CHINA 
(WT/GC/M/172)  
At the May meeting, the representative of China made a statement on the issues surrounding 
the selection of new Appellate Body members. The representatives of the European Union; Me xico; 
Cambodia; Zimbabwe; the Russian Federation; Honduras (IGDC except Israel); Uganda; Japan; the 
Plurinational State of Bolivia; Tanzania; Qatar; Benin; Guinea; Turkey; Norway; Hong Kong, China; 
Brazil; the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Canada; Paki stan; the Maldives; Switzerland; Australia; 
Myanmar; Thailand; Liberia; Ecuador; Kazakhstan; India; Sri Lanka; Guatemala; the Republic of 
Korea ; Egypt and the United States spoke . The General Council took note of the statements.  
10  UNITED  STATES OF AMERICA – SECTION 232 INVESTIG ATIONS AND MEASURES ON 
STEEL AND ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS – STATEMENT  BY CHINA (WT/GC/M/171 A ND 
WT/GC/M/172 ) 
At the March13 meeting, the representative of China made a statement on the possible trade 
restrictive measures by a Member . The repre sentatives of the European Union; Canada; Chinese 
Taipei; Turkey; the Russian Federation; Hong Kong, China; Australia; Norway; the Republic of 
Korea; Japan; Pakistan; Switzerland; Mexico; Uganda; India; Brazil and the Bolivarian Republic of 
Venezuela spoke . The General Council took note of the statements.  
At the May meeting, the representative of China made a statement on Section 232 
Investigations and Measures on Steel and Aluminium P roducts  by the United States . The  
representative  of the  United States the n provided  a response. The representatives of  South Africa; 
the Russian Federation; Brazil; Uganda; the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Cuba; the 
Plurinational State of Bolivia; Japan; Qatar; Pakistan; Cambodia; the European Union; Turkey; 
Switzerland; Hong Kong, China; India and Norway  spoke. Thereafter, the representative of China 
again took the floor.  The General Council took note of the statements.  
11  UNITED STATES  OF AMERICA – INVEST IGAT IONS AND MEASURES UN DER 
SECTION  301 OF THE TRADE ACT  OF 1974 – STATEMENT BY CHINA (WT/GC/M/172)  
At the May meeting, the representative of China made a statement on the Investigatio ns and 
Measures under Section 301 of the Trade Act o f 1974  of the United States.  The representative  of 
the United States then  provided a respo nse. T he Russian Federation; the European Union; Japan; 
Pakistan; Tanzania; Cambodia; the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Cuba; the Plurinational State 
of Bolivia and Brazil spoke. Thereafter, the representatives of China and the United States again 
took the floor.  The General Council took note of the statements.  
12  VIEWS ON CHINA'S TRA DE-DISRUPTIVE ECONOM IC MODEL AND IMPLICA TIONS FOR 
THE WTO – SUBMISSION S FROM THE UNITED ST ATES ( WT/GC/M/173 ) 
At the July meeting, the representative of the United States made a statement on the US 
views o n China's trade-disruptive economic Mo del and i mplications for the WTO  and presented the 
US submissions in WT/GC/W/745 and WT/GC/W/746. The representative of China then  provided a 
response and also referred to China's  communication in WT/GC/W/749. The representatives of 
Morocco; Japan; Pakistan; the Russian Federation; the European Union; Cuba; Chinese Taipei; the 
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Australia; Brazil and Mexico spoke. Thereafter, the  representatives 
of the United States and China again took the floor.  The General Council took note of the statements.  
                                                
13 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the March meeting.  WT/GC/W/751  
 
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  13  MEASURES TO ALLOW GR ADUATED LDCS, WITH G NP BELOW US$1000, BE NEFITS 
PURSUANT TO ANNEX  VII(B) OF THE AGREE MENT ON SUBSIDIES AN D COUNTERVAILING 
MEASURES – COMMUN ICATION FROM THE CEN TRAL AFRICAN REPUBLI C ON B EHALF OF 
THE LDC GROUP (WT/GC /M/173 ) 
At the July meeting, the representative of Chad (on behalf of the Central African Republic, 
coordinator of the LDCs ) presented the LDC's  communication in WT/GC/W /742 which was also 
previously discussed at the Goods Council . The representatives of Nepal; Bangladesh; the United 
States; Vanuatu; India; Benin; Japan; Malawi; the European Union; New Zealand and Brazil spoke. 
The General Council took note of the statements.  
14  WORKSH OP ON GENDER BASED A NALYSIS ON TRADE POL ICY – STATEMENT BY 
CANADA (WT/GC/M/171)  
At the March14 meeting, the representative of Canada recalled the Buenos Aires Declaration 
on Trade and Women's Economic Empowerment endorsed by 120 Members and Observers and 
invited delegations to a workshop on Gender -Based Analysis of Trade Policy to be held on 16 March 
at the WTO. The representatives of Montenegro and the European Union spoke . The General Council 
took note of the statements.  
15  STATEMENTS OF GROUPS  OF MEMBERS IN OFFICIAL WTO MEETING S – STATEMENT BY 
THE UNITED  STATES (WT/GC/M/173 ) 
At the July15 meeting, the United States recalled its request to the Informal Group of 
Developing Countries  to make the list of all of its members publicly avai lable for transparency 
purposes . The representatives of Argentina, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Cuba spoke 
on a different matter . The General Council took note of the statements.  
16  CREATION  OF A NEW INFORMAL G ROUP OF MEMBERS TO D ISCUSS TRADE AND 
ENVIRONMENT – STATEM ENT BY COSTA RICA  (WT/GC/M/173)  
At the July16 meeting, the representative of Costa Rica announced the cre ation of a new 
informal group called " Friends Adva ncing Sustainable Trade (FAST)" which  would discu ss trade and 
environment issues . The representative of N orway spoke. The General Council took note of the 
statements.  
17  HIGH -LEVEL CONFERENCE ON  SUSTAINABLE BLUE EC ONOMY AND AFRICA E -
COMMERCE WEEK – STAT EMENT BY KENYA (WT/GC/M/174)  
At the October17 meeting, the representative of Kenya announced two events which wo uld be 
taking place in Nairobi in the near future: a High -Level Conference on Blue Economy on 26 -28 
November and the Africa E -Commerce Week on 10 -14 December.  The General Council took note of 
the statement.  
18  COMMITTEE  ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION  
18.1  Reports and Recommendations ( WT/GC/M/172  and WT/GC/M/173 ) 
At the May meeting, the Ge neral Council considered the report  by the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration on its meeting in March ( WT/BFA/171 ). The representative of the Central 
African Republic spoke. The General Council took note of the statements, approved the Budget 
Committee's specific recommendations in paragraphs 4.7 and 5.2 of WT/BFA/171, and adopted the 
report . 
At the July meeting, upon t he adoption of the agenda, the General Council agreed to amend 
the proposed agenda in relation to the item "Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration – 
                                                
14 This it em was taken up under "Other Business" at the March meeting.  
15 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the July meeting.  
16 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the July meeting.  
17 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the Oc tober meeting.  WT/GC/W/751  
 
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  Report on Meetings of April and June 2018". The General Council considered o nly paragraphs 1.1 to 
1.12 of WT/BFA/172 and attac hment WT/BFA/W/448 . The consideration of the full documents 
referred to in that item (WT/BFA/172 and WT/BFA/173) was deferred to a subsequent meeting.  The 
General Council approved the Budget Committee's specific recommendatio n in paragraph 1.12 of 
WT/BFA/172 . 
19  WTO PENSION PLAN  
19.1  Reports  (WT/GC/M/173 ) 
At the July meeting, the Chairperson  of the Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan 
introduced  the Annual Report of the Management Board for 2017 contained in document WT/L/1037 , 
and the Report of the Independent External Auditor on the Audit of the Fina ncial Statements of  the 
WTOPP in document WT/L/1035 . The General Council took note of the Annual Report of the 
Management Board for 2017 , the Report of the Independent External Auditor o n the Audit of the 
Financial Statements of the WTOPP , and the WTOPP Chairperson's statement.  
19.2  Election  of Chairperson, Members, and Alternates to the Management Board  
(WT/GC/M/172 ) 
Article  4(a) of the Regulations of the WTO Pension Plan provides, inter alia, for the election 
by the General Council of a Chairperson, four members and four alternates to the Management 
Board of the Pension Plan, each for a three -year term.  
At the May meeting, the Chairman recalled the process of consultations that had been 
undertaken regarding the two vacancies in the WTOPP Management Board announced through a 
communication sent to delegations in early April .  On the basis of this process, he suggested that 
the candidates proposed in document WT/GC/W/743 be elected to the Manage ment Board: 
Ms. Darija Sinjeri (Croatia) as a Member and Ms. Paula Chiung -Fang Hsu (Chinese Taipei) as an 
Alternate. The General Council so agreed .18 
20  ADMINISTRATIVE  MEASURES FOR MEMBER S IN ARREARS ( WT/GC/M/171; 
WT/GC/M/1 72; WT/GC/M/173  AND WT/GC/M/ 174) 
In October  2012, the General Council approved a recommendation from the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration regarding revised Administrative Measures for Members in 
arrears, as con tained in WT/BFA/132, Annex I. These new revised Measures entered into force on 1 
January 2013. These Measures required that at the end of each meeting of t he General Council, the 
Chairperson  of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration should pr ovide information 
with regard to which Members and Observers were under Administrative Measures; and, the General 
Council Chairperson would request Members and Observers in Categories II and III to inform the 
Secretariat as to when the payment of arrears m ight be expected.  
At the General Council meetings in March , May, July, and October19, the Chairperson of the 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration provided information with regard to  which 
Members were under Administrative Measures and the Chairman made the said request to Members 
and Observers in Categories II and III. The General Council took note of the statements.  
21  APPOINTMENT  OF OFFICERS TO WTO BODIES ( WT/GC/M/171; WT/GC/M /173 AND  
WT/GC/M/174 ) 
At the March  meeting, the Chairman recalled that in accordance with the Guidelines for 
Appointment of Officers to WTO Bodies (WT/L/510), and the related practical steps to improve their 
implementation (JOB/GC/22), he, together with the servin g Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement 
Body, Ambassador Ihara (Japan), and Ambassador Neple (Norway), former Chairman of the General 
Council, had conducted consultations on a slate of names for the appointment of Chairpersons to 
WTO regular bodies listed in Groups 1, 2, 4 and 5 in the Annex to the Guidelines and on the 
appointment of new Chairpersons for the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session, the Council 
                                                
18 The decision can be found in document WT/L/1034.  
19 This item was  taken up under "Other Business" at the March, May, July and October meetings.  WT/GC/W/751  
 
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  for Trade in Services in Special Session and the Negotiating Group on Rules. In that regard, he had 
convened an Informal General Council meeting on 2 March where he had provided a detailed report 
on the consultations that they had undertaken and had shared the slate of names for the regular 
bodies and two negotiating bodies on which there appeared  to be co nsensus.20 
On the basis of the consultations, there was consensus on the following slate of names:  
General Council  
 
 H.E. Mr. Junichi Ihara (Japan ) 
 
 
Dispute Settlement Body  
 
 H.E. Ms Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Thailand ) 
 
Trade Policy Review Body  
 
 H.E. Mr. Eloi Laouru  (Benin ) 
 
Council for Trade in Goods  
 
 H.E. Mr. Stephen De Boer  (Canada ) 
 
Council for Trade in Services  
 
 H.E. Mr. Alfredo Suescum (Panama ) 
 
Council for TRIPS  
 
 H.E. Dr. Walter Werner ( Germany ) 
 
Committee on Trade and Development  
 
 H.E. Mr. Diego Aulestia (Ecuador ) 
 
Committee on Balance -of-Payments 
Restrictions  
 H.E. Mr. Claudio de la Puente (Peru) 
 
Committee on Budget, Finance and  
Administration  
 H.E. Mr. Juan Aguirre (Paraguay ) 
 
Committee on Trade and Environment  
 
 H.E. Mrs. Son dang Angraini ( Indonesia ) 
 
Committee on Regional Trade  
Agreements  
 H.E. Mr. Julian Braithwaite (United Kingdom ) 
 
Working Group on Trade, Debt and 
Finance  
 H.E. Mr. Mohammad Haqjo (Afghanistan ) 
 
Working Group on Trade and Transfer of 
Technology  
 H.E. Mrs. Sabine Möller (Namibia ) 
 
Concerning  the negotiating bodies, the  consultations show ed that there wa s consensus on the  
following  appointments : 
Council for Trade in Services in Special 
Session  
 H.E. Mrs. Zhanar Aitzhanova ( Kazakhstan ) 
                                                
20 The Chairman's statement at the Informal General Council meeting at the level of Heads of Delegation 
can be found in Annex 3 of the March General Council Minutes in WT/GC/M/171 . WT/GC/W/751  
 
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  Negotiating Group on Rules  
 H.E. Mr . Roberto Zapata ( Mexico ) 
The Chairman recalled that  they had not finalized the process for the appointment of the 
Chairperson  of the CoA SS. Consultations would need to continue f or that particular appointment 
and h e trusted that they could have a decision on that matter without undue delay.21 He then recalled 
that a ppointm ents for the regular bodies would be for one year  in keeping with the general rule in 
the Guidelines.  All appointments would be made formally by the WTO bodies concerned at the ir 
subsequent meetings in 2018 . The General Council took note of the consensus on the slate of names 
for the appointment of officers in the WTO bodies  and of the Chairman's statement.  
The Chair person s of the CTG and CTS made statement s on the consultations on the 
Chairmanships of the ir respective subsidiary bodies in accordance with the relevant guidelines.  The 
representative  of Chile spoke. The General Council took note of the  statements.  
At the July22 meeting,  the Chairman announ ced that he would begin consultations for the 
vacancies on the Chairmanships of the CTE and CTE SS . The General Council took note of the 
Chairman's statement.  
At the October23 meeting, the Chairman provided a brief update on the progress in his 
consultations for the vacancies on the Chairmanships of the CTE and CTE SS.  The General Council 
took note of the Chairman's statement.  
22  ELEC TION OF CHAIRPERSON (WT/GC/ M/171 ) 
At the March  meeting, the Chairman, as the outgoing presiding officer of the General Council, 
made a statement. The General Council then unanimously elected H.E. Ambassador Junichi Ihara 
(Japan)  to the Chair.  
The Director -General, the newly -elected Chairman, and the r epresentatives of Honduras 
(IGDC), Kenya and Rwanda (African Group) spoke. The General Council took note of the statements.  
 
__________  
 
                                                
21 As a result of the consultations, the Chairman, Ambassador Junichi Ihara, su bsequently sent a 
communication on 13 March to all Members informing them that it was his understanding that there was 
consensus among delegations on the appointment of Ambassador John Ronald Dipchandra Ford (Guyana) as CoA 
SS Chairperson, and had invited them to submit comments, if any, by 15 March. Since he had received no 
objections, he confirmed on 16 March that Ambassador Ford would be appointed as the CoA SS Chairman at the 
Committee's next formal meeting.  
22 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the July meeting.  
23 This item was taken up under "Other Business" at the October meeting.