WT/GC/W/736  
 
16 Novembe r 2017  
(17-6245) Page: 1/15 
General Council  
30 November – 1 December 2017    
 
 GENERAL COUNCIL  
DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT (2017 )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 ha s held f our meetings, on 27 -28 February 
and reconvened on 7 April, 10 and 18  May, 26  July, and 26 October 2017.  The minutes of these 
meetings, which remain in the record of the General Council's work, are co ntained in documents 
WT/GC/M/166, WT/GC/M/167, W T/GC/M/168  and WT/GC/M/ 1693. 
 
The following subjects are included in the report:  
 
1   REPORTS BY THE CHAIR MAN OF THE TRADE NEG OTIATIONS COMMITTEE 
AND REPORTS BY THE D IRECTOR -GENERAL  ................................ ................................ ..... 2 
2   PROTOCOL AMENDING TH E MARRAKESH AGREEMEN T ESTABLISHING THE 
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZA TION – AGREEMENT ON TRADE FA CILITATION  .......................  4 
3   AMENDMENT OF T HE TRADE POLICY REVI EW MECHANISM  ................................ .........  4 
4   IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E BALI AND NAIROBI O UTCOMES – STATEMENTS BY 
THE CHAIRMAN  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  4 
5   WORK P ROGRAMME ON ELECTRON IC COMMERCE  ................................ .......................  5 
5.1   Review of Progress  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 5 
5.2   Communications from Japan, the Russian Federation, Australia,  Canada, Colombia, 
Qatar and Singapore  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  5 
6   WORK PROGRAMME ON SM ALL ECONOMIES – REPORTS  ................................ .............  5 
7   AID FOR TRADE – REPORT  ................................ ................................ ..........................  6 
8   ACCESSION MATTERS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 6 
8.1   Chairmanship of Accession Working Parties  ................................ ................................ ..... 6 
9   REVIEW OF THE EXEMPT ION PROVIDED UNDER P ARAGRAPH 3 OF THE GA TT 
1994  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  6 
10   WAIVERS ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  7 
10.1   Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agreement  ................................ .. 7 
11   ELEVENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CONF ERENCE  ................................ ..........  8 
11.1   Statement by the Chairman  ................................ ................................ ........................  8 
11.2   Election of officers  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 8 
                                                
1 The final version of the report will also reflect any further meeting of the General Coun cil to be held in 
2017 and items will be renumbered as necessary.  
2 The annual report  of the General C ouncil for 2016 was circulated in WT/GC/182 . 
3 To be issued.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  11.3   Attendance of observers from governments and international intergovernmental 
organizations  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  8 
11.4   Attendance of non -governmental organizations  ................................ .............................  8 
11.5   Launch of the logo of the Eleventh Session  of the Ministerial Confer ence  .........................  9 
11.6   Trust fund in support of LDC Participation in MC11  ................................ .........................  9 
11.7   Request for Observer Status by Palestine  ................................ ................................ ...... 9 
12   MSME s – STATEMENT BY THE PHI LIPPINES  ................................ ..............................  9 
13   INFORMAL DIALOGUE ON  MICRO, SMALL AND MED IUM ENTERPRISES 
(MSME s) – STATEMENT BY ARGENTI NA, BRAZIL, BRUNEI DAR USSALAM, CHILE, 
COLOMBIA, MALAYSIA, PARAGUAY, THE PHILIP PINES, SWITZERLAND, 
URUGUAY AND VIET NAM  ................................ ................................ ................................ . 9 
14   WORKSHOP ON MSME s – STATEMENT BY CHILE  ................................ ........................  9 
15   MIKTA WORKSHOP ON TR ADE AND INVESTMENT – STATEMENT BY 
AUSTRALIA  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  10 
16   COMMUNICATIONS ON MI KTA WORKSHOP AND INF ORMAL DIALOGUE ON 
INVESTMENT FACILITAT ION – COMMUNICATION FROM M EXICO, INDONESIA, 
KOREA, TURKEY AND AU STRALIA – JOINT COMMUNICATION FROM THE 
FRIENDS OF INVESTMEN T FACILITATION FOR D EVELOPMENT – 
COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE RUSSIAN FEDERATI ON, CHINA, ARGENTINA  AND 
BRAZIL  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  10 
17   TRADE RESTRICTIVE ME ASURES BY CERTAIN ME MBERS – STATEMENT BY 
QATAR  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  10 
18   COMMITTEE ON BUDGET,  FINANCE AND ADMINIST RATION  ................................ .... 10 
18.1   Reports and Recommendations ................................ ................................ ................... 10 
19   COMMITTEE ON BALANCE  OF PAYMENTS RESTRICT IONS  ................................ ........  11 
19.1   Consultations with Ecuador  ................................ ................................ ........................ 11 
20   WTO PENSION PLAN  ................................ ................................ ...............................  11 
20.1   Reports  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 11 
20.2   Alignment of the WTO Pension Plan Regulations with the WTO's Policies Regarding 
the Definition of Spouse to Include Domestic Partnership  ................................ ........................ 11 
20.3   Election of Chai rperson, Members, and Alternates to the Management Board  ................... 11 
21   ADMINISTRATIVE MEASU RES FOR MEMBERS IN A RREARS  ................................ ..... 11 
22   WTO YOUN G PROFESSIONALS PROG RAMME – STATEMENT BY THE 
DIRECTOR -GENERAL  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 12 
23   APPOINTMENT OF DIREC TOR-GENERAL  ................................ ................................ .. 12 
24   APPOINTMENT OF OFF ICERS TO WTO BODIES  ................................ ........................  13 
25   ELECTION OF CHAIRPER SON ................................ ................................ ...................  15 
 
1  REPORTS BY THE CHAIR MAN OF THE TRADE NEG OTIATIONS COMMITTEE AND 
REPORTS BY THE DIREC TOR-GENERAL  (WT/GC/ M/166; WT/GC/M/167; W T/GC/M/168  
AND WT/GC/M/169)  
1.1.  Ministers at Doha established a Trade 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 Principl es 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.  
1.2.  At the General Council meetings in February , May, July, and October , the Director -General  
reported on each occasion on relevant activities since his previous report to the General Council WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  including on Informal TNC Meetings and Informal Heads of Delegation Meetings he convened on 
the matter.4  
1.3.  At the February  meeting, the General Council took n ote of the Director -General's report and 
of the statements5 as delivered at the Informal M eeting  at the level of Heads of Delegation  on 
23 February . 
1.4.  At the May meeting, the representatives of Cameroon and Uganda spoke . The General 
Council took note of the Director -General's and the Negotiating Group Chairs' Reports, of the 
statements6 as delivered at the Informal Meeting at the level of Heads of Delegation  on 8 May and 
of the other statements . 
1.5.  At the July meeting, under the item on the "Report by the Chairm an of the Trade 
Negotiations Co mmittee ", the General Council took note of the Director -General's Report (including 
the reports of the Negotiating Group Chairs) and of the statements7 (including the MC11 Chair's 
statement8) as delivered at the Informal TNC meeting on 25 July . Under the item on "R eport by 
the Director -General on the Informal Heads of Delegation M eeting ", the representatives of 
Cameroon, Uganda, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, Mexico, Kenya, Dominican Republic, 
Pakistan, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pl urinational State of Bolivia, Montenegro, Bolivarian Republic of 
Venezuela and Rwanda spoke. The General Council took note of the Director -General's Report, of 
the statements9 as delivered at the Informal HODs  meeting on 25 July  and of the other 
statements . 
1.6.  At the October  meeting, the  representatives of  Dominica (OECS) and Cameroon  spoke. The 
General Council took note of the Director -General's report  (including the reports of the Negotiating 
                                                
4 The Director -General's reports at the General Council meeting and at the relevant Informal TNC and 
Informal HODs Meetings were subsequently circulated as JOB/GC/118 (February Informal Meeting),  
JOB/TNC/61 (July Informal TNC Meeting), JOB/GC/135 (July Informal HODs Meeting) and JOB/GC/145 
(October Informal TNC and Informal HODs Meetings) . The Director -General's report at the May Informal 
Meeting can be found in the minutes of the May GC meeting i n WT/GC/M/167 . 
5 The statements delivered at the 23 February Informal Meeting at the level of Heads of Delegation by 
the following delegations were incorporated in the minutes of the February  meeting  in WT/GC/M/166: 
Switzerland; Cambodia; Morocco (African Group); Ecuador; Paraguay; Uganda; Mexico; Argentina; Japan; 
Chile; Turkey; China; Brazil; Zimbabwe; Costa Rica; South Africa; Guyana (ACP); Nicaragua; Plurinational 
State of Bolivia; Gabon; Fiji (Pacific Group); Chinese Taipei (Article XII Members); Israe l; Nepal; Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia (Arab Group); United States; Republic of Korea; Cuba; Indonesia (G -33); Pakistan; Bolivarian 
Republic of Venezuela; Iceland; Colombia; Montenegro; Mali (C -4); Russian Federation; Senegal; European 
Union; Ghana; Benin; Indi a; Jamaica; Cameroon; Republic of Moldova; Nigeria; Sri Lanka; Cote d'Ivoire; 
Mozambique; Dominican Republic and Zambia.  
6 The statements delivered at the 8  May Informal Meeting at the level of Heads of Delegatio n by the 
following delegations we re inc orpor ated in the minutes of the May meeting in WT/GC/M/167 : Cambodia 
(LDCs); Rwanda (African Group); Guyana (ACP); Nepal; Philippines (ASEAN); India; Costa Rica (FEDs  – 
Friends of E -Commerce for Development); Japan; Ecuador; China; New Zealand; Cuba; European U nion; 
Plurinational State of Bolivia; Montenegro; Chile; Uganda; Brazil; Republic of Korea; Mexico; Russian 
Federation; Hong Kong, China; Pakistan; Switzerland; Indonesia (G -33); Mali (C -4); Bangladesh; Bolivarian 
Republic of Venezuela; Zimbabwe; Solomon I slands; Tunisia; Paraguay; Fiji; South Africa; Morocco; United 
States; Cameroon; Colombia; Uruguay; Canada; Norway; Nigeria; Kingdom of  Saudi Arabia (Arab Group) and  
Kenya.   
7 The statements delivered at the 25 July Informal TNC Meeting by the following de legations were 
incorporated in the minutes of the July  meeting in WT/GC/M/168: Rwanda (African Group); Israel; Philippines; 
Chinese Taipei (Article XII Members); European Union; Chile; Barbados (CARICOM); Cambodia (LDCs); 
Nigeria; Republic of Korea; Domini ca (OECS); Benin (C -4); Pakistan; Paraguay; Morocco; Peru; Ecuador; 
Singapore; Mexico; Indonesia (G -33); Zimbabwe; India; Zambia; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Russian 
Federation; Nepal; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Ukraine; Fiji (Pacific Group); Se negal; Norway; South Africa; 
Cameroon; Ghana; Republic of Moldova; Uganda; Jamaica; Hong Kong, China; Uruguay; Tanzania; China; 
Brazil; Switzerland; Montenegro; Thailand; Mozambique; United States; Kenya and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  
8 The statement of the MC11 Chairperson at the July Informal TNC Meeting was subsequently circulated 
as JOB/TNC/62.  
9 The statements delivered at the 25 July Informal HODs Meeting by the following delegations were 
incorporated in the minutes of the July  meeting in WT/GC/M/168: Costa Rica ( FEDs); Argentina; Switzerland; 
Dominican Republic (IGDC); Brazil (Friends of MSMEs); Australia; United States; Canada; Philippines (ASEAN); 
Colombia; Qatar; New Zealand; Japan; Norway; Pakistan; Chinese Taipei; Russian  Federation and European 
Union. WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  Group Chairs ), of the statements10 as delivered at the Informal TNC and Informal HODs Meeting s 
on 24 October  and of the other statements . 
2  PROTOCOL AMENDING TH E MARRAKESH AGREEMEN T ESTABLISHING THE W ORLD 
TRADE ORGANIZATION – AGREEMENT ON TRADE F ACILITATION (WT/GC/M /166)  
2.1.  At the Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali, Minister s concluded the negotiation of the 
Agreement on Trade Facilitation and established a Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation 
under the General Council to draw up a Protocol of Amendment to insert the Agreement into 
Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement. On 27 November 2014, the General Council adopted the 
Protocol and opened it for acceptance by Members. In line with this decision, the Protocol would 
enter into force upon acceptance of two -thirds of the Members.  
2.2.  At the February  meeting, t he Chairman noted that  on 22 February, Rwanda, Oman, Chad and 
Jordan had deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Protocol with the Director -General.  
Therefore, with the deposit of the 4 new instruments, he understood, and took note of the fact 
that the entry into forc e conditions set out in Article X:3 of the WTO Agreement had been fulfilled, 
and that the Trade Facilitation Agreement Protocol had entered into force on 22 February 2017. 
The Director -General then made a statement on this matter, signed the official Depos itary 
Notification of the entry into force of the Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement establishing 
the WTO concerning the Agreeme nt on Trade Facilitation and formally presented to the Chairman 
the original signed text of the depositary notification o n the entry into force of the TFA Protocol.  
2.3.  The General Council formally took note of the entry into force of the Agreement on Trade 
Facilitation . 
2.4.  The representatives of the Philippines (ASEAN); Japan; European Union; United States; 
Mexico; Cambodia (LDCs) ; Montenegro; Nigeria; Australia; Hong Kong, China; Brazil; Switzerland; 
Republic of Korea; Norway; Uganda; China; Sri Lanka; Republic of Moldova; Canada and Rwanda 
spoke . The General Council took note of the statements.  
3  AMENDMENT OF THE TRA DE POLICY REVIE W MECHANISM (WT/GC/M /168)  
3.1.  At the July meeting, t he TPRB Chair recalled that one of the main results of the Sixth 
Appraisal of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, which had been adopted in December 2016, was 
the consensus reached about the change in the TPR review cycles. Members had decided to launch 
the necessary procedures, pursuant to paragraph 8 of Article X of the Marrakesh Agreement in 
order to change the current review cycles from 2, 4 or 6 years to 3, 5 or 7 years, effective as of 
1 January 2019.  This resulted in a draft decision contained in WT/TPR/399 . The Chairman and the 
representative of Hong Kong, China (as former TPRB Chair) spoke.   
3.2.  The General Council adopted11 the draft decision on the Amendment of the Trade Policy 
Mechanism contained in docum ent WT/TPR/399  and took note of the statement s. 
4  IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E BALI AND NAIROBI O UTCOMES – STATEMENTS BY THE 
CHAIRMAN  (WT/GC/M/166; WT/GC/M /167; WT/GC/M/168  AND WT/GC/M/ 169) 
4.1.  Since July 2014 , the item on implementation of the Bali outcomes  has been i ncluded 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 
                                                
10 The statements delivered at the 24 October Informal TNC and Informal HODs Meetings by the 
following delegations were incorporated in the minutes of the October  meeting in WT/GC/M/169: Chile; 
Zambia; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Japan; Argentina ; Zimbabwe; United States; Paraguay; 
Switzerland; Peru; Brazil; Iceland; India; Rwanda (African Group); South Africa; Russian Federation; Turkey; 
European Union; Australia; Barbados (CARICOM); Republic of Korea; Mali (C -4); Pakistan; Uganda; 
Plurinational State of Bolivia; Swaziland; Guyana (ACP); Uruguay; Hong Kong, China; Israel; Cuba; Chinese 
Taipei; Indonesia (G -33); Cambodia (LDCs); Ecuador; China; Costa Rica; Tanzania; Canada; Colombia; 
Cameroon; Thailand; Mexico and Norway.  
11 The decision on the Amendment  of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism  was subsequently circulated in 
WT/L/1014.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  Tenth Ministerial Conference, reports on the im plementation of the Nairobi outcomes were also 
provided  under this item.  
4.2.  At the General Council meetings in February , May, July, and October , the Chairman reported 
on the work taking place in WTO regular bodies to fulfil the Bali  and Nairobi  Ministerial ma ndates.12 
4.3.  At the February  meeting, the representative of Rwanda and Nigeria spoke. The General 
Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the statement s. 
4.4.  At the May meeting, the  Director -General and the representative of China  spoke. The General 
Council took note of the Chairman's report , of the Director -General's statement  and of the other 
statement . 
4.5.  At the July meeting, the General Council took note of the Chairman's report.  
4.6.  At the October  meeting, the  representative s of the Philippines and Cambodia  (LDCs)  spoke. 
The General Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the statements.  
5  WORK PROGRAMME ON EL ECTRONIC COMMERCE  
5.1  Review of Progress (WT/GC/M/168)  
5.1.  In line with the Declaration on Global Electronic Commerce adopted by Ministers at the 
secon d 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 MC10, 
Ministers adopted a Decision on the Work Programme on Electron ic Commerce  (WT/MIN(15)/42  – 
WT/L/977)  which  instructed the General Council to hold periodic reviews in its sessions of July and 
December 2016 and July 20 17 based on the reports that could  be submitted by the WTO bodies 
entrusted with the implementation of the Work Programme.  
5.2.  At the July meeting, t he Chairman drew attention to the reports submitted by the Chairs of 
the Council for Trade in Services (S/C/52 ), of the Goods Council (G/C/59 ) and of the TRIPS Council 
(IP/C/77 ) to the General Council. The Chairs of the CTS, CTG, TRIPS Cou ncil and CTD then 
reported on developments under the work programme on e -commerce since the last periodic 
review in December.  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/52 , G/C/59 and IP/C/77.  
5.2  Communications from Japan, the Russian Federation, Australia, Canada, Colombia, 
Qatar and Singapore (WT/GC/M/168)  
5.3.  At the July meeting, the Chairman drew attention to the Communications from Japan 
(JOB/GC/130), the Russian Federation ( JOB/GC/131), and Australia, Canada, Colombia, Qatar and 
Singapore (JOB/GC/132). The respective proponents presented their communications. The 
representatives of Japan; Russian Federation; Singapore (also on behalf of Australia; Brunei 
Darussalam; Canada; C olombia; Costa Rica; Hong Kong, China; Republic of Korea; Lao PDR; 
Malaysia; Republic of Moldova; Myanmar; New Zealand;  Nigeria and Qatar); Qatar; Costa Rica 
(FEDs); Republic of Moldova; Canada; Colombia; Chinese Taipei; New Zealand; Chile; Mexico; 
United States; Australia; Hong Kong, China; Republic of Korea; Philippines (ASEAN); European 
Union; China; Pakistan; Norway; Switzerland; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Rwanda (African 
Group); Barbados; Uganda; Brazil; Nigeria; Turkey; South Africa; India; Boliv arian State of 
Venezuela; Cameroon and Chad spoke. The General Council took note of the statements.  
6  WORK PROGRAMME ON SM ALL ECONOMIES – REPORTS  (WT/GC/M/166; 
WT/GC/M/167; WT/GC/M /168  AND WT/GC/M/ 169) 
6.1.  In 2002, the General Council took note of a framework an d 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 
                                                
12 The Chairman's statements  were subsequently circulated in  JOB/GC/119, JOB/GC/125, JOB/GC/134, 
and JOB/GC/146 respectively.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  on the General Council's agenda and which also prov ided 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 2015, Ministers at MC10  adopted the Decision on 
the Work Progra mme on Small Economies (WT/MIN(15)/40 – WT/L/975)  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.  
6.2.  At the February  meeting, t he CTD Chairpe rson reported that the sectoral discussions and 
reviews of Global Value Chains had been completed and that the SVEs were currently working on 
an outcome document based on the discussions which had taken place during the meetings held in 
2015 and 2016. On t he Nairobi mandate, the Secretariat was currently carrying out its research 
and expected to have a report ready by the end of Mar ch. The representative of Guatemala (SVEs) 
spoke. The General Council took note of the report and of the statement.  
6.3.  At the May meeting, t he CTD Chairperson reported that the sectoral discussions and reviews 
of Global Value Chains had been completed and that the SVEs had circulated an outcome 
document based on those discussions in WT/COMTD/SE/W/35. On the Nairobi mandate, the 
Secretariat presented its paper in WT/COMTD/SE/W/34 at the CTD Dedicated Session where the 
SVEs and the STDF also talked about their efforts to reduce trade costs. The representative of 
Guatemala (SVEs) spoke . The General Council took note of the report and of  the statement.  
6.4.  At the July meeting, t he CTD Chair person  reported that the sectoral discussions and reviews 
of Global Value Chains had been completed and that the SVEs had circulated an outcome 
document in WT/COMTD/SE/W/35 which was discussed at the CTD De dicated Session. The 
Secretariat also presented at that meeting its paper in WT/COMTD/SE/W/34. The representative 
Guatemala (SVEs) spoke. The General Council took note of the report and of the statement.  
6.5.  At the October  meeting, t he CTD Chair person  reported  that Members agreed to continue 
discussions on the Challenges and Opportunities experienced by small economies to reduce trade 
costs, particularly in trade facilitation – to identify challenges and to provide possible solutions. 
The SVEs were also working  on a draft Ministerial Decision on the Work Program me on Small 
Economies. The representatives of Guatemala (SVEs) and Fiji spoke.  The General Council took 
note of the report and of the statements.  
7  AID FOR TRADE – REPORT  (WT/GC/M/16 8) 
7.1.  At the July meeting, the Director -General reported  that the Sixth Global Review on Aid for 
Trade was a success. The issues covered in the review, discussed through the lens of capacity -
building, included trade facilitation, connectivity infrastructure, e -commerce, gender, inve stment, 
LDCs, MSMEs, t rade finance  and the SDGs. The representatives of Sierra Leone; Japan; Cambodia 
(LDCs); European Union; Australia; Brazil and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spoke. The General 
Council took note of the Director -General's  report and of the  statements13. 
8  ACCESSION MATTERS  
8.1  Chairmanship of Accession Working Parties (WT/GC/M/169)   
8.1.  At the October  meeting, the Chairman made an announcement recalling the appointment of 
the Chairs of the Working Parties on the accession of Ethiopia and Timor -Leste, and the ongoing 
process to fulfil the vacancies in the Working Parties on the accession of Algeria and Bosnia 
Herzegovina. The General Council took note of the Chairman's statement.  
9  REVIEW OF THE EXEMPT ION PROVIDED UNDER P ARAGRAPH 3 OF THE GA TT 1994 
(WT/GC /M/166  AND WT/GC/M/168 ) 
9.1.  Paragraph 3(a) of GATT 1994 provides an exemption from Part II of GATT 1994 for measures 
under specific mandatory legislation – enacted by a Member before it became a Contracting Party 
                                                
13 At their request, the  statement of Japan on the Closing Session of the Aid for Trade Global Review on 
13 July and those of Pakistan and the United States under that  item were incorpo rated in the minutes of the 
July meeting in WT/GC/M/168 . WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  to GATT 1947 – which prohibited the use, sale o r lease of foreign -built or foreign -reconstructed 
vessels in commercial applications between points in national waters or waters of an exclusive 
economic zone. On 20 December 1994, the United States invoked the provisions of Paragraph 3(a) 
with respect to specific legislation that met the requirements of that paragraph. Paragraph 3(b) of 
GATT 1994 calls for a review of this exemption five years after the date of entry into force of the 
WTO Agreement – and thereafter every two years for as long as the exempt ion was in force – in 
order to examine whether the conditions which had created the need for the exemption still 
prevailed. The General Council last considered this matter at its meeting in  November 2015  at 
which it had taken note that under the two -year c ycle in Paragraph 3(b) of GATT 1994, the n ext 
review would be held in 2017 .  
9.2.  At the February  meeting,  in relation to the conduct of the review in 2017 , the Chairman 
proposed that the Council proceed in a manner similar to that in 2015 , which had been based  on a 
procedure agreed by the General Council in 2002. The statements, questions and responses from 
all interested delegations together with the annual statistical report provided by the US under 
Paragraph 3(c) of GATT 1994, would form the basis for the cu rrent year's review. This matter 
would be on the Agenda of subsequent General Counci l meetings in the course of 2017  as the 
Chair deemed appropriate, or at the request of any Member. The Council would consider this 
matter again at its last meeting for the year, and the subsequent revie w would normally be held in 
2019. He also noted that, as provided in paragraph 3(e) of GATT 1994, the exemption was without 
prejudice to solutions concerning specific aspects of the legislation covered by this exemption 
negoti ated in sectoral agreements or in other fora.  The Chairman then drew attention to the 
annual report circulated by the United States in document WT/L/1005  and the United States 
presented that report to Members. The representatives of the  European Union; Jap an; Norway; 
Hong Kong, China; Republic of Korea; Canada and Panama  spoke. The General Council took note 
of the statements and agreed to revert to this item at a future meeting.  
10  WAIVERS  
10.1  Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agreement  (WT/GC/ M/16 6 
and WT/GC/M/16 8) 
10.1.   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 t erminates ." 
10.2.   At the February  meeting, the General Council considered the following waiver for review 
under Article IX:4:  
i. United States – African Growth and Opportunity Act  (WT/L/1006)  
 
10.3.   In doing so, the General Council considered the report  on the implemen tation of the waiver 
in document WT/L/1006 . The representative of Morocco (African Group) spoke. The General 
Council took note  of the report contained in document W T/L/1006 and of the statement.  
10.4.   At the July meeting, the General Council considered the followi ng 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 Products, granted on 
30 November 2015 until 1 January 2033 (WT/L/971)  
 
ii. Prefere ntial 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/1013)  
 
iv. United States – Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, granted on 5 May 2015 until 
31 December 2019 (WT/L/950, WT/L/1012)  
 WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  10.5.   In doing so, the General Council considered reports on implementation of the respective 
waivers in documents  WT/L/1012 and WT/L/1013. The representatives of Barbados (CARICOM) 
and Cambodia (LDCs) spo ke. The General Council took note of the reports contained in documents 
WT/L/1012 and WT/L/ 1013 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 2017.  
11  ELEVENTH  SESSION OF THE  MINISTERIAL CONFEREN CE 
11.1  Statement by the Chairman  (WT/GC/M/166  and WT/GC/M/169)  
11.1.   At the February  meeting, the Chairman made a statement on the preparations for MC11 
including on the administrative  and organizational  matte rs that the Gene ral Council would  have to 
take a decision on in the first part of the year and on the LDC Trust Fund.  The General Council 
took note of the Chairman's statement.  
11.2.   At the October  meeting, the Chairman reported on preparation s for MC11 including his 
consultati ons on E-Commerce and announced that he would soon begin consultations on the 
organization of the Ministerial Conference and a  possible outcome document. The General Council 
took note of the Chairman's statement.  
11.2  Election of officers (WT/GC/M/167 ; WT/GC/M/ 168 and WT/GC/M/169 ) 
11.3.   At the May meeting, the General Council agreed to elect H.E. Minister Susana Malcorra of 
Argentina  to be the Chair for MC11 .  
11.4.   At the July meeting, the General Council agreed to elect the following Vice -Chairs for MC11: 
H.E. Dr. Okechuk wu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of Nigeria; 
H.E. Mr Todd McClay, Minister of Trade of New Zealand and Mr Edward Yau, Secretary for 
Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong, China.  
11.5.   At the October  meeting, the Chairman said that  due to a change of government in New 
Zealand, the new Trade Minister, Honourable David Parker , would be willing to fulfil the role of 
MC11 Vice -Chair that had been allocated to New Zealand. The representative of New Zealand 
spoke.  The General Council took  note of the Chairman's statement and of the other statement.  
11.3  Attendance of observers from governments and international intergovernmental 
organizations (WT/GC/M/167 ; WT/GC/M/168  and WT/GC/M/169 ) 
11.6.   At the May meeting, the General Council agreed to repeat pas t practice with respect to the 
attendance of observer governments. On the participation of IGOs, the Chairman said he would 
consult with interested Members and invited them to approach the matter with a constructive 
spirit.  The representative of the Kingdo m of Saudi Arabia (Arab Group) spoke. The General Council 
took note of the statements.  
11.7.   At the July meeting,  the Chairman said that while he was ready to continue consulting on 
that matter, including the recently received request from the League of Arab Sta tes, he was fully 
aware of the difficulties in resolving the issue.  The General Council took note of the statement.  
11.8.   At the October  meeting, the Chairman said that he had engaged with several delegations 
after the summer break to see if there had been any n ew developments and reported that there 
was still no consensus on that matter. His sense was that the situation was unlikely to change 
before MC11. The General Council took note of the statement.  
11.4  Attendance of non -governmental organizations (WT/GC/M/167)  
11.9.   At the May meeting, the General Council agreed to repeat past practice with respect to the 
registration procedure for NGOs.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  11.5  Launch of the logo of the Eleventh Session of the Ministerial Conference 
(WT/GC/M/167)  
11.10.   At the May meeting, the MC11 logo was launched . On the dates of MC11 , the 
representative of Argentina requested that it be advanced  by one day, i.e. from 10 to 
13 December 2017. The Chair man said that he would provide an opportunity for Members to 
consult and that a communication would be sent in due course.14 The General Council took note of 
the statements.  
11.6  Trust fund in support of LDC Participation in MC11 (WT/GC/M/167)  
11.11.   At the May meeting, the Chairman and the CBFA Chairperson urged Members to contribute 
to the LDC Trust Fund . The representative of Be nin (LDCs) spoke. The General Council took note of 
the statements.  
11.7  Request for Observer Status by Palestine (WT/GC/M/168)  
11.12.   At the July meeting,  the General Council agreed to grant Palestine Observer Status at 
MC11 on an ad hoc basis.  
12  MSME s – STATEMENT BY TH E PHILIPPINES (WT/GC /M/166)  
12.1.   At the February  meeting,  the Philippines (also on behalf of Brunei Darussalam, Lao PDR  and 
Malaysia)  provided an u pdate on their MSMEs initiative,  drew attention to its communication 
entitled "Towards a MSME Marketplace: Growing  Global Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 
(MSMEs) for Inclusive Development" circulated in WT/GC/W /731 and noted the UN resolution to 
celebrate Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Day on 27 June each year. The representatives of 
Nigeria,  Argentina and Switzerland spoke. The General Council took note of the statements.  
13  INFORMAL DIALOGUE ON  MICRO, SMALL AND MED IUM ENTERPRISES (MSM Es) – 
STATEMENT BY ARGENTI NA, BRAZIL, BRUNEI D ARUSSALAM, CHILE, CO LOMBIA, 
MALAYSIA, PARAGUAY, THE PHILIPPINES, SWI TZERLAND, URUGUA Y AND VIET NAM 
(WT/GC/M/167)  
13.1.   At the May meeting, Argentina ( also on behalf of Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Chile; 
Colombia; Costa Rica; European Union; Guatemala; Malaysia; Mexico; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; 
Philippines; Russian Federation; Singapore; Switzerla nd; Uruguay and Viet Nam ) highlighted some 
of the difficulties encountered by MSMEs  in import/export activities and in this respect introduced 
their initiative to set up a process – "Friends of MSMEs" aimed at identifying possible ways forward 
on MSMEs in the WTO, based on concrete proposals and suggestions submitted by Mem bers. Th e 
representatives of Chile; Paraguay; Pakistan; Switzerland; European Union; Colombia (also on 
behalf of Panama); Russian Federation; Japan; Republic of Moldova; Canada; Republic of Korea; 
Nigeria; Thailand; Chinese Taipei; Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Philippines (ASEAN); Australia; 
New Zealand; South Africa; India; Nicaragua; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Norway; Cuba; China; 
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Uruguay spoke. The General Council took note of the 
statements.  
14  WORKSHOP ON MSME s – STATEMENT BY CHILE ( WT/GC/M/169)  
14.1.   At the October  meeting, the representative of  Chile invited Members to a MSMEs workshop  
entitled " How to Support MSMEs: Sharing of National, Region al and Multilateral Experiences"  
organized by the Friends of MSMEs on 31 October to 1 November  at the WTO. The General Council 
took note of the statement.   
                                                
14 The communication confirming the dates of 10 to 13 December  2017 was subsequently circulated in 
WT/GC/INF/21.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  15  MIKTA WORKSHOP ON TR ADE AND INVESTMENT – STATEMENT BY AUSTRAL IA 
(WT/GC/M/166)  
15.1.   At the February  meeting, the  representative of Australia invited delegations on a MIKTA 
Workshop on 20 March to exchange views on trade, investment and devel opment; investment 
facilitation  and the WTO's role in this endeavour.  The representatives of Mexico; Republic of Korea; 
China; Russian Federation; Argentina; Nigeria; Pakistan; Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Brazil; 
Cote d'Ivoire; Turkey and Canada spoke. The General Council took note of the statements.  
16  COMMUNICATIONS ON MI KTA WORKSHOP AND INF ORMAL DIALOGUE ON 
INVESTMENT FACILITAT ION – COMMUNICATION FROM M EXICO, INDONESIA, KO REA, 
TURKEY AND AUSTRALIA  – JOINT COMMUNICATION FROM THE FRIENDS OF 
INVESTMENT FACILITAT ION FOR DEVELOPMENT – COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE 
RUSSIAN FEDERATION, CHINA, ARGENTINA AND  BRAZIL (WT/GC/M/167)  
16.1.   At the May meeti ng15, the representative of Australia (MIKTA)  presented their 
communication in JOB/GC/121 on the results of the MIKTA Workshop on Trade and Investment 
held o n 20 March. China (FIFD  – Friends of Investmen t Facilitation for Development ) presented 
their commun ication in JOB/GC/122 and Add.1 on a proposal for an informal dialogue on 
investment facilitation for development . China also presented its own communication in 
JOB/GC/123 on possible elements of investment facilitation.  The Russian Federation presented it s 
communication in JOB/GC/120 on an investment p olicy discussion group. Brazil (also on behalf of 
Argentina ) presented their  communication in JOB/GC/124 entitled " Possible Elements of a WTO 
Instrument on Investment Facilitation".  The representatives of Nig eria; Cameroon; Mexico; 
Pakistan; Ecuador; South Africa; European Union; Qatar; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Turkey; 
Uganda; India; Chinese Taipei; Paraguay; Singapore; Republic of Korea; United States; New 
Zealand; Switzerland; Norway; Canada; Japan; K ingdom of Bahrain; Cuba; Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia; Israel; Colombia; Hong Kong, China and Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela spoke. The 
General Council took note of the statements.  
17  TRADE RESTRICTIVE ME ASURES BY CERTAIN ME MBERS – STATEMENT BY QATAR 
(WT/GC/M/16 8) 
17.1.   At the July meeting, Qatar made a statement on this matter. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
(also on behalf of  the United Arab Emirates;  Kingdom of Bahrain and Egypt) spoke . The General 
Council took note of the statements.  
18  COMMITTEE ON BUDGET,  FINANCE AND A DMINISTRATION  
18.1  Reports and Recommendations ( WT/GC/M/16 7; WT/GC/M/168; WT/GC/M/169 ) 
18.1.   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/162 ). The General Council  
took note of the statement and adopted the report in WT/BFA/162.  
18.2.   At the July meeting, the General Council considered the report by the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration on its meeting in February (WT/BFA/161), May  (WT/BFA/ 163) 
and June (WT/B FA/164/Rev.1 ). The General Council took note of the statements, approved the 
Budget Committee's specific recommendations in paragraphs 7.6 and 8.2 of WT/BFA/161 and 
paragraph 4.14 of WT/BFA/164/Rev.1 and adopted the reports in WT/BFA/161, WT/BFA/163 and 
WT/BFA/164/Rev.1.   
                                                
15 At the May meeting, before the adoption of the agenda on 10 May, the representative of India spoke. 
The representatives of China; Russian Federation; Nigeria; Pakistan; Norway; Mexico; Chile; European Un ion; 
Colombia; Republic of Korea; Uganda; Paraguay; Hong Kong, China; Australia; Turkey; Plurinational State of 
Bolivia; Switzerland; Singapore; Costa Rica; Ecuador; New Zealand; Uruguay; Japan; Chinese Taipei; United 
States; Canada; Kingdom of Saudi Arabi a; Republic of Moldova and Indonesia subsequently took the floor. The 
Chairman suspended the meeting, requested Members to remain on call and announced that the General 
Council would reconvene as soon as possible and possibly at very short notice.  The Gene ral Council reconvened 
on 18 May after a series of consultations were conducted by the Chairman and adopted the Agenda  with the 
proposed amendments as the Chairman had spelled out in his statement  in Paragraph 65 of WT/GC/M/167 . 
The adopted agenda was subs equently circulated in WT/GC/W/732/Rev.1 . WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  18.3.   At the October  meeting, the General Council considered the report by the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration on its meeting in July ( WT/BFA/165 ). The General Council took 
note of the statement and adopted the report in  WT/BFA/ 165.  
19  COMMITTEE ON BALANCE  OF PAYMENTS RESTRICT IONS  
19.1  Consultations with Ecuador (WT/GC/M/169)  
19.1.   At the October  meeting, the BOP Committee  Chairperson  reported on the Consultations with 
Ecuador. The representative of Ecuador spoke. T he General Council adopted the report in 
WT/BOP/R/114  and took note of the statement.  
20  WTO PENSION PLAN  
20.1  Reports (WT/GC/M/168 ) 
20.1.   At the July meeting, the Chairperson  of the Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan 
introduced the Annual Report of the Management Board for 2016 contained i n document 
WT/L/1009 , and the Report of the Independent External Auditor on the Audit of the Fina ncial 
Statements o f the WTOPP in document WT/L/1008 . The General Council took note of the Annual 
Report of the Management Board for 2016 , the Report of the Ind ependent External Auditor on the 
Audit of the Financial Statements of the WTOPP , and the WTOPP Chairperson's statement  made on 
behalf of the Outgoing Chair of the WTOPP . 
20.2  Alignment of the WTO Pension Plan Regulations with the WTO's Policies Regarding 
the De finition of Spouse to Include Domestic Partnership (WT/GC/M/168)  
20.2.   At the July meeting, the General Council approved the WTOPP Management Board's specific 
recommendation in paragraph 5 of WT/L/1010 . 
20.3  Election of Chairperson, Members, and Alternates to the Man agement Board  
(WT/GC/M/168 ) 
20.3.   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 thr ee-year term.  
20.4.   At the  July meeting, the Chairman  recalled the process of consultations that had been 
undertaken regarding the membership of the whole Management Board that had come up for 
renewal in May 2017.  On the basis of this process, he  proposed that  the General Council elect  
Mr Robert Prochazka (Austria)  to be the WTOPP Chairperson and Ms Alicia Goujon (Mexico) , 
Ms Eleni Patibouli (Greece), Ms Claudia Hernández Vetsch (Dominican Republic) , Mr Chr istopher 
Wilson (United States), Mr Jean-Marc van Dril (Switzerland), Mr Ian Medcalf (Canada), Mr Faisal Al 
Nabhani (Oman) and Mr Rodolfo Rivas (Israel)  to serve as  the four  members and four alternates  of 
the WTOPP Management Board, respectively. The representative of Turkey spoke. The General 
Council so agree d16 and took note of the statement.  
21  ADMINISTRATIVE MEASU RES FOR MEMBERS IN A RREARS ( WT/GC/M/166; 
WT/GC/M/167; WT/GC/M /168  AND WT/GC/M/ 169) 
21.1.   In October 2012, the General Council approved a recommendation from the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administratio n regarding revised Administrative Measures for Members in 
arrears, as contained 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 the General Council, 
the Ch airman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration should provide information 
with regard to which Members and Observers were under Administrative Measures; and, the 
General Council Chairperson would request Members and Observers in Categories I I and III to 
inform the Secretariat as to when the payment of arrears might be expected.  
                                                
16 The decision can be found in document WT/L/1015.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  21.2.   At the General Council meetings in February , May, July, and October , the Chairperson of the 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration provided information with r egard 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.  
22  WTO YOUNG PROFESSION ALS PROGRAMME – STATEMENT BY THE DIR ECTOR-
GENERAL (WT/GC/M/169 )  
22.1.   At the October  meeting, the Director -General provided an update on the progress of the 
WTO Young Professionals Programme and inform ed Members that the 2018 process was already  
complete . Out of some 1,500 applications, 15 Young Pro fessionals, all of whom came from 
Members that had  no professional representation in the Secretariat, would join the organization in 
early January 2018 . The General Council took note of the statement.  
23  APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTOR -GENERAL  (WT/GC/M/166 ) 
23.1.   In Octobe r 2016, the Chairman informed Members in a communication that in accordance 
with the Procedures for the Appointment of Directors -General adopted by the General Council in 
December 2002 (WT/L/509) , the process for appointment of the Director -General would b egin on 
1 December 2016. Members w ould have until 31 December 2016  to nominate candidates . He also 
recalled the announcement made by the Director -General at the July  2016 meeting that he would 
be available for a second term if Members found it useful . Based on the  Procedures, a decision on 
the appointment of a new Director -General would have to be taken  not later than 31 May 2017 . 
23.2.   At the February  meeting, the Chairman recalled that in line with the Procedures for the 
Appointment of Directors -General (WT/L/5 09), the process for the appointment of the next 
Director -General had begun on 1 December 2016 with a notification from him as the General 
Council Chair to the Membership to the effect that Members had had until 31 December to 
nominate candidates.  In keepi ng with the procedures, Members had therefore been informed in a 
communication from him in document JOB/GC/109 dated 3 November 2016 of the candidature of 
Mr Azevêdo, the current Director -General, who had formally notified him before the start of the 
proce ss of his intention to seek reappointment for a further term. As announced in his 
communication in WT/GC/INF/20, by the close of the nomination period of 31 December 2016, he 
had not rec eived any further candidatures. In his communication, he had also anno unced that he 
would consult with Members as to the next steps in the process. In his consultations, Members had 
expressed widespread support for Mr Azevêdo's appointment for a second term, and had indicated 
a willingness to expedite the process so that the  appointment of the DG could take place without 
delay, to allow him and the whole of the Membership to fully focus on the preparatory process for 
MC11. Hence, he had sent a fax on 6 February clarifying his intention to take  up the issue of 
appointment of t he Director -General at the February formal meeting of the General Council. In the 
same communication, he had given Members the opportunity to present any reacti ons to him, if 
they so wished. On 27 February, Member s had  the opportunity to meet formally with  Mr Azevêdo 
and to hear his presentation which was followed by a question and answer session17. He believed it 
was clear that there remained widespread support for Mr Azevêdo's appointment for a second 
term.  
23.3.   According ly, the Chairman  formally proposed that  the General Council agreed to appoint Mr 
Roberto Azevêdo as the Director -General of the WTO for a second term of four years , starting on 
1 September 2017. The General Council so agreed.  
23.4.   The Chairman, on behalf of the General Council, congratulated Mr Azev êdo on his 
appointment  for a second term . The Director -General and the  representatives of Morocco (African 
Group); Cambodia (LDCs); Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arab Group); Rwanda (ACP); Guatemala 
(SVEs); Brazil (GRULAC); Philippines (ASEAN); Dominican Republ ic (IGDC); Pakistan; India; 
Uganda; Republic of Moldova; Montenegro; Sri Lanka; Kenya; Jamaica; Benin; Paraguay; United 
States; Chad; China; Colombia; Chile; New Zealand; Argentina; European Union; Nigeria; 
Plurinational State of Bolivia and Nepal spoke. T he General Council took note of the statements.  
                                                
17 Mr Azevêdo 's presentation, as well as the questions put and the answers provided, can be found  
annexed  in the minutes of the February meeting in WT/GC/M/166 . WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  24  APPOINTMENT OF OFFIC ERS TO WTO BODIES  (WT/GC/M/166 ; WT/GC/M/16 7; 
WT/GC/M/168 AND WT/GC/M/16 9) 
24.1.   At the February  meeting, the Chairman reported that, in accordance with the Guidelines for 
Appointment of Officers  to WTO Bodies approved by the General Council in 2002 in WT/L/510 and 
the related practical steps to improve their implementation in JOB/GC/22, he, together with the 
serving Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Body – Ambassador Xavier Carim of South Afr ica 
and Ambassador Jonathan Fried of Canada – former Chair 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. Duri ng the process and in light of the 
coincidence in time of the vacancies in two negotiating bodies, consultations had also been 
conducted on new Chairpersons for the Dispute Settlement Body in Special Session and the 
Committee in Agriculture in Special Sess ion. He thanked Ambassador Carim and Ambassador Fried 
for their assistance.  
24.2.   The Chairman provided  a report on the consultations he  had conducted on the annual 
exercise for the appointment of officers to WTO regular bodies as well as for the two negotia ting 
bodies whose chairmanship wa s vacant, i.e. the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session and 
the DSB  in Special Session.  In particular, he recalled the difficulties faced regarding the 
chairmanship of the CoA SS , which had led to an impasse not only in  the CoA SS itself, but also in 
the slate of names for the regular bodi es, with the exception of the General Council and the DSB.  
He highlighted the seriousness of the situation and urged Members to wo rk urgently to find a 
solution.  He then proceeded with the Chairs of the General Council and the DSB as followed: for 
the General Council – H.E. Mr Xavier Carim of South Africa and for the Dispute Settlement Body – 
H.E. Mr Junichi Ihara of Japan. The General Council took note of the slate of names for the 
Chairmanships of the General Council and the Dis pute Settlement Body, suspended the 
consideration of the rest of the item and would reconvene the meeting  to revert back to it at the 
appropriate time.  
24.3.   At the reconvened meeting  on 7 April, the Chairman report ed on his consultations18 and 
said that the feedback that he had received was that there wa s no opposition to the slate  he had 
presented at an informal meeting that had just been concluded prior to reconvening the regular 
session. Members could  therefore be in  a positi on to accept the slate as it had been presented . 
Only the chairmanship of one of the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance  remained unfilled. 
Additional time and consultations  would be needed  to fill that position.  
24.4.   On the basis of t hose consult ations, there was consensus o n the following slate of names for 
the two negotiating groups:  
Committee on Agriculture in Special Session  
 H.E. Mr Stephen Ndungu Karau (Kenya)  
Dispute Settlement Body in Special Session  
 H.E. Mr Coly Seck (Senegal)  
 
24.5.   On the basis of those consultations, there was consensus on the slate of names  for the  
following regular bodies : 
Trade Policy Review Body  
 H.E. Mr Juan Carlos Gonzalez 
(Colombia)  
 
Council for Trade in Goods  
 
 H.E. Mr Kyonglim Choi  
(Republic  of Korea)  
Council f or Trade in Services  
 H.E. Mr Julian Braithwaite  
(United Kingdom)  
 
                                                
18 The report is reflected in Paragraph 8.37 of WT/GC/M/166.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  Council for TRIPS  
 Ms Irene B.K. Young  
(Hong Kong, China)  
 
Committee on Trade and Development  
 H.E. Mr Taonga Mushayavanhu 
(Zimbabwe)  
 
Committee on Balance -of-Payments 
Restrictions  
 H.E. Mr Tudor Ulianovschi ( Republic  
of Moldova)  
Committee on Budget, Finance and  
Administration  
 H.E. Mr Peter Brňo (Slovak Republic)  
Committee on Trade and Environment  
 H.E. Mrs Zhanar Aitzhanova  
(Kazakhstan)  
 
Committee on Regional Trade 
Agreements  
 H.E. Mr Walid Doudech (Tunisia)  
Working Group on T rade and Transfer 
of Technology  H.E. Ms Zorica Marić -Djordjević 
(Montenegro)  
 
Committee on Trade Facilitation  H.E. Mr  Daniel Blockert (Sweden)  
 
24.6.   The Chairman  formally invite d the Ge neral Council to take note of his  statement and of the 
consensus on the slate of names for th e appointment of officers that he  had just announced in the 
informal meeting – including the chairmanships of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session 
and of the Dispute Settlement Body in S pecial Session.  The General Council so agreed . 
24.7.   Appointm ents for the regular bodies would be for one year  in keeping with the general rule 
in the Guidelines.  Those appointments would be made formally by the WTO bodies concerned at 
their subsequent meetings in 2017. On  the Committee on Trade Facilitation, as of the next 
appointme nt process, consultatio ns on its  chairmanship would be conducted at the level of the 
CTG given that the TF Committee had since become a subsidiary body of that Council up on entry 
into force of the TFA. On the  consultations to fill the Chairmanship of the WGTDF , the Selection 
Committee would  communicate  the next steps  with Members in due course.  The Chairman also 
made a statement on the consultations on the Chairmanships of the subsidiary bodies of the CTG 
and CTS in accordance with the relevant guidelines to be led by the incomin g CTG Chair and the 
outgoing CTS Chair . The representatives of Chinese Taipei and Zimbabwe spoke. The General 
Council took note of the statements.  
24.8.   At the May meeting, the Chairman updated Members on the consultations on the 
Chairmanship of the WGTDF . He sa id that o ne delegation had expressed an intere st in chairing the 
group and the Selection Committee was  in the process of consulting group coordinators on that 
expression of interest. The Chairman would communicate with Members in due course.  The 
General Co uncil took note of the statement. 19 
24.9.   At the October  meeting, the Chairman invited group coordinators to start consulting within 
their constituencies for the process of appointment of officers to WTO bodies in 2018 . The General 
Council took note of the state ment.  
                                                
19 Following the Chairman's report, the Selection Committee continued its consultations. On 1 June, the 
Chairman sent a fax to all delegations informing them that in light of the  consultations  of the  Selection 
Committee , it was their understanding that delegations could  agree to the appointment of Mr Asi Yosef (Israel)  
as Chair  of the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance.  If he would  not receive comments or objecti ons to 
that understanding by 7  June close of business , he proposed for  the WGTDF to appoint Mr Yosef at its next 
formal meeting.  On 9 June, the Chairman sent another fax informing delegations that f ollowing further 
consultations, he was then  in a position to indicate  that Mr Asi Yosef (Israel) could  be appointed  as Chair of the 
Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance at the Working Group's next meeting.  WT/GC/W/736  
 
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  25  ELECTION OF CHAIRPER SON (WT/GC/M/166 ) 
25.1.   At the February  meeting, the Chairman, as the outgoing presiding officer of the General 
Council, made a statement. The General Council then unanimously elected H.E. Mr Xavier Carim 
(South Africa ) to the Chair.  
25.2.   The Director -General, the newly -elected Chairman, and the representatives of Morocco 
(African Group); Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arab Group); Rwanda; Brazil (GRULAC); Uganda; 
Kenya; Cameroon; Dominican Republic (IGDC); Cambodia (LDCs) and Iran (Observer) spoke. The 
General Council took note of the statements.  
__________