WT/ACC/27  
 
14 July 2016  
(16-3830)  Page: 1/19  
   
 
 ACCESSION TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATON  
BEST PRACTICES ON WTO POST-ACCESSION 
Note by the Secretariat 
This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own 
responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members or 
to their rights and obligations under the WTO. WT/ACC/27 
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1. WTO membership and Director-General Roberto Azevêdo attach great importance to 
post-accession implementation and support.  Build ing on the conceptual framework developed in 
the Director-General's 2014 Annual Report on WT O Accessions, the Secretariat has continued to 
deepen its understanding on post-accession needs of future Article XII Members and its efforts to operationalise the post-accession framework, with the support of Members and acceding 
governments.  In this regard, the first dialogue on post-accession at the Third China Round Table 
held in Dushanbe in May 2015 provided rich insights based on direct experiences, which helped the Secretariat to structure its post-accession support to new Article XII Members.  Moreover, the recently concluded accessions of Afghanista n and Liberia with their post-accession needs 
already built into the accession packages provide an operational mechanism for post-accession 
implementation and coordination in response to the specific needs of the least-developed countries (LDCs).        
2. The framework for WTO post-accession implementation and support is structured into four 
pillars, as follows:   
 Best Practices on WTO Post-Accession;  
 Country-Specific WTO Post-Accession Impl ementation Strategy for LDCs;   
 Specialised Training on WTO Post-Accession for LDCs; and,    
 Internal Secretariat Note on Post-Accession Implementation and Monitoring. 
The four pillars are complementary to each other.  
3. The first pillar, 'Best Practices on WTO Post-Accession', whose details are contained in this 
Note, is aimed at assisting Acceding Government s and new Members in the transition from the 
accession negotiations to the membership.  WTO accession is a tool for domestic reforms and 
integration into the rules-based global economy.   Yet, WTO membership does not automatically 
lead to trade-related development, as the realis ation of its benefits is inter-dependent with 
sustained domestic reforms and implementation of WTO obligations, including accession-specific 
commitments.  The completion of an accession process does not mark an end but signals the 
beginning of sustained economic reforms to maximi ze the benefits of WTO membership and ensure 
global economic integration.  Best practices on post-accession are drawn from the lessons learned and direct experiences of thirty-six accessions concluded to date since the establishment of the 
WTO since 1995.   
4. The second pillar is the 'Country-Specific WT O Post-Accession Implementation Strategy' for 
LDCs.  In the recently concluded accessions of Liberia and Afghanistan to the WTO, Post-Accession 
Implementation Strategies were prepared as integr al parts of their respective Accession Packages.  
The WTO Secretariat developed the Strategies in consultation with the Acceding Governments, following the final Working Party meetings for Liberia in October 2015 and for Afghanistan in 
November 2015.  The main focus of the Strate gies is on the implementation of accession 
commitments, including notification obligations, and the identification and sequencing of specific post-accession needs for trade-related technical assistance and capacity building and infrastructural support for implementation.  The Strategy contains three parts:  
 Annex I: Actions and work to be undertaken to implement accession-specific 
commitments contained in the Accession Protocol within defined timeframes;  
 Annex II: Notification requirements, contained in the WTO Agreements and the 
Accession Protocol, with technical assistance and capacity building needs; and, 
 Annex III: Complementary actions and support, including soft and hard infrastructural 
support, to realize the benefits of WTO membership and integration into 
the global economy.   WT/ACC/27 
 
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  Liberia and Afghanistan presented their respective Post-Accession Implementation Strategies to 
bilateral and multilateral development partners, at the Post-Accession Round Tables which took place immediately following the approval of the accession packages by WTO Members at the Tenth 
Ministerial Conference in December  2015 in Nairobi, Kenya.     
5. The third pillar is 'Specialised Training on Po st-accession' for LDCs.  The purpose of such 
training, which is usually held before the membership date, is to: (i) provide post-accession support for an LDC, including on the preparation of  notifications and the internal coordination to 
implement accession commitments from Day 1 of WTO membership; (ii) develop a medium term 
action plan to operationalise the Post-Accession Implementation Strategy; and, (iii) facilitate the exchange of post-accession experiences and be st practices among Acceding Governments and 
recently acceded Members.  The first of such specialised post-accession training activities is 
delivered by the WTO Secretariat for Afghanistan and Liberia in June 2016, before their WTO 
membership dates.
1  The provision of WTO Secretariat post-accession support for Pillar 2 and 
Pillar 3 is normally restricted to LDCs only and is in response to specific requests from 
acceding LDCs.      
6. The fourth pillar is the 'Secretariat's No te on Post-Accession Implementation and 
Monitoring'.  The Note, developed under the guidance of Deputy Director-General David P. Shark is 
internal to the WTO Secretariat. It aims at improving internal Secretariat coordination for 
monitoring and support for new Article XII Memb ers on the implementation of their specific 
accession commitments/obligations.  A template of the Note was first developed in early 2014, and country-specific Notes have been issued for Yemen, Seychelles and Kazakhstan, generally on the 
membership date.           
2   WTO POST-ACCESSION: BACKGROUND, CONCEPT AND FRAMEWORK 7. WTO membership can be demanding and complex.  In the past 20 years, Article XII 
Members, in particular LDCs, have increased their requests for Secretariat's post-accession 
support.  Such requests have covered a full spectrum of WTO-related issues.  This Note has been prepared in response to demands by Acceding Governments and Article XII Members to compile, 
structure and share emerging best practices on post-accession, based on the experiences and 
lessons from 36 completed accessions to date.
2  
8. In May 2015, the Third China Round Table was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, with the 
thematic focus on "Post-Accession: Maximizing the Benefits of WTO Membership and Global 
Economic Integration".  As part of the preparatio ns for the Round Table, the Secretariat conducted 
a preliminary survey on post-accession practices, based on available information such as reports of the Trade Policy Reviews, presentations on po st-accession experiences and interviews with 
Article XII  Members.  Based on the Secretariat's pres entation on this preliminary survey, the 
Dushanbe China Round Table provided a platform, for the first time, for Article XII Members and Acceding Governments to discuss and share their post-accession experience, practices and lessons 
learned, in order to identify best practices on post-accession.
3  The best practices identified by the 
Round Table are intended to assist Article XII Members in a smooth transition from the accession mode to the membership mode.  That is, from  Day 1 of membership, new Article XII Members 
should be equipped to implement their accession commitments, participate in the work of the WTO 
and realize the benefits of their membership.  The "outcome document" from the Dushanbe Round 
Table, entitled "The Dushanbe Statement" (in document WT/ACC/24), reflects the result of the discussions, valuable lessons, and practical recommendations on post-accession practices that 
would promote active participation and operational WTO membership.  
9. Following the Dushanbe Round Table, the Secretariat refined and updated its preliminary 
survey on post-accession in response to the request by Round Table participants to extend and 
deepen the survey (paragraph 29 of the Dush anbe Statement).  A detailed questionnaire on 
post-accession was sent to Article XII Members with a view to complementing the results of the 
                                               
1  WTO National Workshops on Post-Accession are held for Liberia on 27-29 June 2016 and for 
Afghanistan on 11-15 July 2016, before their respective WTO membership dates of 14 July and 29 July.   
2 The 36 completed accessions include Liberia and Afghanistan which become WTO Members in 
July 2016.       
3 The program for the Dushanbe Round Table and presentations made at the Round Table can be found 
at the WTO website: https://www.wto.org/eng lish/thewto_e/acc_e/bei jingroundtable2015_e.htm. WT/ACC/27 
 
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  preliminary survey in 2015 (Annex 1).  This Note reflects updated Best Practices on WTO 
Post-Accession, based on the replies4 received from 14 Article XII Members.   
10. The concept, framework and support for post-accession were first defined in 
the 2014 Director-General's Annual Report on WTO Accessions (document WT/ACC/23).  
Post-accession is defined in two stages: (i) immediate pre-accession phase, i.e. from the approval 
of the Accession Protocol to Day 1 of the member ship; and, (ii) post-accession transition phase 
from Day 1 of the membership and the first Trade Policy Review (TPR).  Since the implementation 
of the WTO commitments, including the general notification obligations, starts on the date of 
membership, the preparation for WTO membership sh ould begin immediately after the approval of 
the Accession Protocol by the General Council/Min isterial Conference and, where applicable, in 
parallel to the domestic ratification process of the Protocol (during the "period for acceptance").  
Based on the 36 completed accessions (including Liberia and Afghanistan), the period for 
acceptance, as specified in the Protocol typically in the range of three to six months, is 133 days on average (Table 1).  It is during this short but critical period when a post-accession structure 
should ideally be put in place in order to sw itch the gear from the accession mode to the 
membership mode, together with a "mental" shift in behaviour and engagement with other Members in the WTO.  In particular, it is essential to prepare for WTO membership, based on best 
practices on post-accession in seven areas, as outlined in Section 3. 
Table 1:  Membership Date, Acceptance Period and First Trade Policy Review of 
Article XII Members  
No. Article XII Member Date of 
Membership Acceptance 
Period 
(in calendar 
days) Date of First 
Trade Policy 
Review (TPR) Period between Membership 
and  
First TPR 
1 Ecuado r 21/01/1996  128 15+17/06/2005  9 years 5 months  
2 Bulgaria 01/12/1996  30 15+17/10 2003  6 years 10 months  
3 Mongolia 29/01/1997  165 15+17/03/2005  8 years 2 months  
4 Panama 06/09/1997  309 17+19/09/2007  10 years 
5 Kyrgyz Republic 20/12/1998  37 9+11/10/2006  7 years 10 months  
6 Latvia 10/02/1999  87 EU TP R n/a 
7 Estonia 13/11/1999  146 EU TP R n/a 
8 Jordan 11/04/2000  86 10+12/11/2008  8 years 7 months  
9 Georgia 14/06/2000  222 8+10/12/2009  9 years 6 months  
10 Albania 08/09/2000  23 28+30/04/2010  9 years 7 months  
11 Oman 09/11/2000  0 25+27/06/2008  7 years 7 months  
12 Croatia 30/11/2000  106 24+26/03/2010  9 years 4 months  
13 Lithuania 31/05/2001  144 EU TP R n/a 
14 Moldova, Republic of 26/07/2001  49 19+21/10/2015  14 years 3 months  
15 China 11/12/2001  1 19+21/04/2006  4 years 4 months  
16 Chinese Taipei 01/01/2002  21 20+22/06/2006  4 years 5 months  
17 Armenia 05/02/2003  27 6+8/04/2010  7 years 2 months  
18 FYROM 04/04/2003  141 27+29/11/2013  10 years 7 months  
19 Nepal 23/04/2004  195 13+15/03/2012  7 years 11 months  
20 Cambodia 13/10/2004  368 1+3/11/2011  7 years 1 month  
21 Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of 11/12/2005  50 25+27/01/2012  6 years 1 month  
22 Viet Nam 11/01/2007  35 17+19/09/2013  6 years 8 months  
23 Tonga 27/07/2007  559 11+13/02/2014  6 years 7 months  
24 Ukraine 16/05/2008  71 19+21/04/2016  7 years 11 months  
25 Cabo Verde 23/07/2008  188 06+08/10/2015  7 years 3 months  
26 Montenegro 29/04/2012  104 To be scheduled  n/a 
27 Samoa 10/05/2012  115 To be scheduled  n/a 
28 Russian Federation  22/08/2012  220 28+30/09/2016  4 years 1 month  
29 Vanuatu 24/08/2012  273 To be scheduled  n/a 
30 Lao PD R 02/02/2013  69 To be scheduled  n/a 
31 Tajikistan 02/03/2013  51 To be scheduled  n/a 
32 Yemen 26/06/2014  174 To be scheduled  n/a 
33 Seychelles 26/04/2015  107 To be scheduled  n/a 
34 Kazakhstan 30/11/2015  96 To be scheduled  n/a 
35 Liberia 14/07/2016  181 To be scheduled  n/a 
36 Afghanistan 29/07/2016  195 To be scheduled  n/a 
Average n/a 133  n/a 8 years 1 month  
Source:  WTO Secretariat 
                                               
4 Albania, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Re public of, Montenegro, Ne pal, Oman, Samoa, Saudi 
Arabia, Kingdom of, Seychelles, Tajikistan, Russian Federation, Ukraine and Yemen.  WT/ACC/27 
 
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  11. The post-accession transition period is defined as from Day 1 of the membership to the 
first TPR.  The review exercise typically provides  the first opportunity for Members to examine the 
trade policies and practices across the board of an Article XII Member following its accession to the WTO.  Most of the 36 Article XII Members are in the 6-year cycle, except China (2/4-year cycle)
5, 
the Russian Federation (4-year cycle), Saudi Arabia , Kingdom of (4-year cycle) and Chinese Taipei 
(4-year cycle).  On average, the first TPR for Article XII Members has taken place 8 years and 1 month after the membership date (Table I).  During this period, Article XII Members are 
encouraged to participate actively in the work of the WTO.  At the China Round Table in Dushanbe, 
one Article XII Member suggested that it was important to become a "pro-active" Member of the WTO during this period by gradually shifting strategies from the "listening mode" to an active membership through, for instance, the submission of negotiating proposals, making requests to 
other Members, participation in (or leading) coalitions and groupings, use of the Dispute 
Settlement System, if necessary, and/or joining plurilateral agreements.  According to this participant, such pro-active membership behaviour may entail pursuing both offensive and 
defensive positions depending on the interests at stake, on the one hand, while safeguarding the 
rules-based multilateral trading system on the other.   
3  BEST PRACTICES ON POST-ACCESSION 
12. This Section provides an overview of post-accession best practices which have emerged 
from the 36 completed accessions.  Post-accession  practices are structured around seven areas: 
(i) Policy Framework for Implementation; (ii) Institutional Structural Adjustment; (iii) Legislative Framework for Implementation; (iv) Transparency; (v) Technical Assistance and Capacity Building; 
(vi) Outreach; and (vii) Participation in the work of the WTO.   
3.1  Policy Framework for WTO Membership 13. The establishment of a policy framework for post-accession is critical not only for the 
implementation of commitments by Article XII Members but also for the further utilization of the 
WTO platform as an integral part of their domestic structural reforms in the post-accession phase.  In this regard, several Article XII Members (Cambo dia, Georgia, Laos PDR, Moldova, Republic of, 
Montenegro, Samoa, Seychelles, Tajikistan, Russi an Federation, Ukraine and Yemen) developed 
and adopted a specific Post-Accession Implemen tation Strategy (Action Plan, Framework or 
Matrix), while others have incorporated the implementation of accession commitments into their national trade policy and development plans (China , Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Viet Nam), or deeper 
integration initiatives at the bilateral or regional level (Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, 
Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Republic of, FYROM, Viet Nam).  
14. A Post-Accession Implementation Strategy contains a list of actions for the implementation 
of WTO commitments, together with the designation of ministries/agencies responsible for 
implementation, including notifications.  The title of this document varies from one Member to the 
other (e.g. Action Plan, Matrix, Work Plan).  The St rategy is normally prepared by the coordinating 
Ministry responsible for WTO affairs, in consultation with line ministries/agencies responsible for 
implementation of specific commitments.  In some cases, the Post-Accession Implementation 
Strategy was formally adopted by the Govern ment (Cambodia, Montenegro and the Russian 
Federation), including through a Presidential or Cabinet decree (Tajikistan and Ukraine).
6  
The implementation of the Post-Accession Strategy /Action Plan is subject to regular monitoring 
and reviews.  In the case of Tajikistan, the implementing ministries/agencies are required to report, on a quarterly basis, to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, which in turn 
reports to the Government every six months, while in the Russian Federation, the Plan is 
reviewed annually. 
                                               
5 China was in the 4-year cycle for its first TPR in 2006 and was shifted to the 2-year cycle from its 
second TPR in 2008. 
6 For Tajikistan, the Presidential Degree No. 691 "On Approval of the "Programme of Adjustment of the 
Economy of the Republic of Tajikistan Related to the Membership in the WTO" of 31 October 2014, and for 
Ukraine, the Orders of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1381 "On Approval of the Action Plan on Adaption of the 
Economy of Ukraine to the WTO Requirements of 30 October 2008 and No. 1570 "On Approval of the Plan of 
Urgent Actions for Executing Ukraine's Obligations under the WTO Membership" of 17 December 2008.  WT/ACC/27 
 
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  15. In the case of LDCs, the Post-Accession Implementation Strategy also contains 
financial/technical assistance and capacity building needs for the implementation of WTO commitments.  As described in the Introduction Section of this Note, such strategies have been developed for Afghanistan and Liberia, and include technical assistance, capacity building and 
other support required for implementation, including soft and hard infrastructure which is essential 
to maximize the benefits of integration into the global economy.  In some cases, the Post-Accession Strategy is synchronised with the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study Action Matrix 
of the Enhanced Integrated Framework, in orde r to ensure adequate funding for post-accession 
needs of the Article XII LDCs (see more details in Annex 2).  
16. In other Article XII Members, the implementation of WTO accession commitments has been 
incorporated into a broader national development plan, accompanied by a series of sectoral action 
plans/strategy.  In Jordan, the post-accession reform agenda was incorporated in the Social and 
Economic Transformation Programme (2002-2004), followed by the Social Economic Development 
Plan (2004-2006) and the National Agenda (2006-2015), and in Cambodia, it was incorporated 
into the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (2003-2005) and the National Strategic Development 
Plan (2008-2013).  In the case of China, following its WTO accession in 2001, the acceleration of economic structural reform remained the central issue on the work agenda of the Government and 
was implemented through sectoral policies in line with its long term basic national policy of 
'Opening Up'.  Chinese Taipei in 2002 adopted a new six-year economic development plan "Challenge 2008" to set out three programmes of reforms and ten key individual plans.    
17. The implementation of accession-commitments requires coordination and synchronisation at 
the regional level.  In the case of the Russian Federation, the Eurasian Economic Commission, 
the executive body of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), adopted the Working Plan to adjust the legal and regulatory framework of the EAEU  with the commitments taken by EAEU member 
States in the course of accession to the WTO.  Notably, in some earlier accession cases, the WTO 
membership was also part of deeper integration initiatives at the regional level, such as closer integration with the European Union (Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, 
Moldova, Republic of, Latvia, Lithuania and Fo rmer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).   
Box 1: Policy Framework for WTO Membership 
 
 Adopt Post-Accession Implementation Strategy (with technical assistance and capacity buildings needs 
for LDCs), which is subject to periodic reporting and reviews 
 Mainstream WTO accession commitments into broader national development plans 
 Synchronize WTO accession commitments to regional trade integration initiatives 
 
18. Coordination is one of key aspects for Members' engagement in the WTO, whether during 
accession or post-accession.  However, in the post-accession period, domestic coordination at 
various levels, and coordination between the capital and Geneva, would determine more critically 
the effectiveness of participation in the work of the WTO as a Member, that is, the level of benefits which that Member can derive from its WTO membership.  While many, if not all, Acceding 
Governments establish coordination mechanisms at the national level during accession, such as 
the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on WTO Accession, it is important to refocus and broaden the scope and mandate for coordination and consultations in preparation for WTO membership.  In addition, the day-to-day participat ion in the work of the WTO as Member requires 
more resources at the Geneva Missions, in comparison to the accession process during which 
Acceding Governments act in their observer capacity.       
3.2.1  Coordination in Capital 
19. Most Article XII Members retain the focal point and coordinating structure used during 
accession for the post-accession phase.  However, the mandates of the Accession Chief Negotiator (and their Negotiating Team) and the National Coordinating Committee are adjusted to the 
implementation of commitments and membership  responsibilities in the WTO (Cambodia, 
Montenegro, Nepal, Oman, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, Seychelles, Tajikistan) and in some cases, by issuing decrees (Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation, Ukraine).  The national coordinating body, while its name varies from one Article XII Member to another, is chaired by the WT/ACC/27 
 
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  minister of the coordinating ministry, and comprises representatives of various ministries involved 
in the implementation of WTO commitments, including notification obligations.7  In some cases, 
issue-specific working groups/ sub-committees exist under the coordinating committee (Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, Chinese Taipei, Vi et Nam).  There are also cases where the focal 
point for WTO affairs is shifted to another ministry at the time of membership; for instance, from 
the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Economy in the Kyrgyz Republic, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Saudi Arabia.   
20. In some cases, a dedicated division on WTO affairs within the coordinating ministry is 
established, with the focus on the implementati on of commitments.  In Tajikistan, the core 
negotiating team for accession became part of a newly established "WTO Directorate" within the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, under direct supervision of the First Deputy Minister.  
In Nepal, a dedicated "WTO Commitment Implementation Section" under the WTO Division in the 
Ministry of Commerce and Supplies was created, and while in Cambodia, the Department of Notifications and Legal Compliance was established in the Ministry of Commerce.  In the Russian 
Federation, in order to strengthen and support its participation in the WTO, the Centre of 
Competence on WTO Matters was established in 2014 and was staffed with leading trade policy experts.   
21. With WTO membership, the necessity and scope for domestic consultations is generally 
expanded, in particular, with respect to the business sector.  In China, eight industry associations were set up to collect and share information, identify and deal with industry problems, discuss trade policy issues that affect their industries, and represent their sectors in relation to the 
Government.
8  In Albania, the National Economic Council (NEC) was established as a common 
framework for consultation to facilitate government – business relations.  The Russian Federation established the Special Committee on Integration, Trade and Customs Policy and the WTO, 
bringing together some 130 sectoral and region al associations under the Russian Union of 
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.  In some ca ses, private sector representatives (e.g., the 
Chamber of Commerce) are included in the nation al coordinating bodies (Kyrgyz Republic, Oman 
and Samoa).  In Cambodia, dialogue between the government and the private sector continues to 
take place in the Government-Private Sector Forum, and its Eight Working Groups, as well as the Steering Committee on Private Sector Development and its Sub-Committees, which were established during its accession to the WTO.
9  
22. In addition to coordination among governme nt bodies and with the private sector, the 
domestic coordination is also required between th e central and sub-central bodies.  In the case of 
the Russian Federation, in order to ensure coordination of the federal and regional executive 
bodies and to strengthen the monitoring of the implementation of the accession-specific 
commitments, the Government Resolution No. 288 of 14 April 2014 "On the Procedure of the coordination of the Federal authorities and Sub-Federal bodies of executive power in the matter of 
participation of the Russian Federation in the WTO" was adopted.   
                                               
7 T h e  n am e  o f  t h e  c o o r d i n at i n g  b o d y  v a ri e s  f r o m  o n e  Me m be r  t o a n ot h e r  e . g.  t h e  In t e r- i n s t i t u t i on a l  
Working Group on Assessment of Trade Policy (Albania), the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on WTO Commitments (Cambodia), the Intera gency Commission (Georg ia), the Inter-depart mental Commission 
(Kyrgyz Republic), the National Committee on the WTO (Oman, Yemen), the Inter-ministerial Working Group (Mongolia), the Supreme Ministerial Committee (Saudi Ar abia), the National WTO Working Group (Seychelles); 
and in some case, the WTO Affairs are covered by a Co mmittee overseeing all trade matters such as the Board 
of Trade (Nepal) and the National Working Committee on Trade Arrangements (Samoa). 
8 These include: the China Coal Industry Association; China Iron and Steel Association; China National 
Textiles and Clothing Association; China Machine Industry Federation; China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association; China Light Industry Federation; China Build ing Material Industry Asso ciation; China Nonferrous 
Metals Society. (WT/TPR/S/161/Rev.1) 
9 The eight Working Groups include: agriculture an d agro-industry; tourism; manufacturing and small 
and medium enterprises; law, tax an d governance; banking and financial se rvices; export proc essing and trade 
facilitation; energy, transport and infra structure; and industrial relations. The four sub-committees under the 
Steering Committee on Private Sector Development include: investment climate and private participation in infrastructure; trade facilitation; sm all and medium enterprise s; and corporate governan ce.  (WT/TPR/G/253).  WT/ACC/27 
 
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  3.2.2  Coordination between Capital and Geneva 
23. One major aspect of being a WTO Member is the need to attend, contribute to and report 
back to capital on regular meetings of the WTO.  Staffing resources at the Geneva Mission is critical for covering meetings and delivering written or oral contributions at these meetings.  
The WTO is a meeting-intensive Organization: there are some 40 WTO bodies under the General 
Council, including the negotiating bodies.
10  These bodies dealing with WTO regular work generally 
meet once to four times a year, not including additional consultations held in an informal mode, 
while the negotiating bodies meet as frequently as necessary, depending on the state of the 
negotiations.  According to the Secretariat, 269 fo rmal and informal meetings of the WTO bodies 
were held in 2015.  This number, however, does not include other meetings, such as coordination meetings of various informal groupings, which take place before meetings of the WTO regular or 
negotiating bodies.
11   
24. With WTO membership, Article XII Members often upgrade their Geneva missions to cope 
with the day-to-day work of the WTO, for in creased coordination and communications between 
Capital and Geneva.  Several Members, such as Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Montenegro, 
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, and the Russian Federation, established Missions dedicated to WTO affairs with the appointment of a Permanent Represen tative to the WTO, separate from ones to the 
U n i t e d  N a t i o n s .   I n  t h e  c a s e  o f  t h e  K y r g y z  Republic, the Ministry of Economy established a 
Representative to the WTO within its Geneva Mission, although not at the level of permanent representative, while a dedicated WTO Section with two staff was established within the Permanent Mission of Tajikistan in Geneva after its accession to the WTO.  In the case of Ukraine, 
in order to ensure the effective capital-Geneva coordination, the post of a Trade Representative to 
the WTO, at the level of Deputy Minister based in the capital was established.
12  
25. Some Article XII Members, however, still remain without physical representation in Geneva.  
Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu are represented by their respective Embassies based in Brussels and 
London.  According to them, their non-resident status makes it difficult to realize the full benefits of WTO membership, except the joint representation by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat 
in Geneva and the participation in biannual "Geneva Weeks" (week-long briefing sessions for 
non-resident WTO Members and observers).  It is important to note, however, that several Article XII Members, such as Cambodia, Lao PDR and Seychelles established their Geneva representation towards the end of their accession pr ocess, with the anticipation of intensive work 
associated with the final stages of accession negotiations and eventual membership.  
Box 2: Institutional and Coordination Structures 
 
 Appoint/re-appoint the lead ministry  dealing with WTO affairs, with mandate on the implementation of 
commitments and the coordination of day-to-day work of the WTO 
 Establish/restructure an inter-ministry coordination body, with the participation of line 
ministries/agencies/focal points tasked with implementation and notifications 
 Establish a consultative mechanism(s) with the business sector 
 Establish regular coordination and comm unications between capital and Geneva 
 Enhance the Permanent Mission to the UNOG, including through the appointment of a dedicated 
representative to the WTO and incr eased staff to handle WTO affairs 
 Establish a separate Permanent Mission to the WTO 
 
 
3.3   Legislative Framework for Implementation  
26. While accession to the WTO is a lengthy legislation-based negotiating process, the alignment 
of national legislation and regulation with the WTO rules is a critical aspect of WTO membership.  
Building on the legislative framework established during the accession process, Article XII Members ensure that any future legislative developments and adjustments are made in 
compliance with the WTO rules and principles in the post-accession period.  According to the 
                                               
10 This number excludes Accession Working Parties and committees on Plurilateral Agreements where 
the membership is limited to those parties to the negotiations or the agreements. 
11 27 of such groups are officially listed and recognised  in the negotiations in the WTO.  See the list of 
Groups in the negotiations at https://www.wto.org/englis h/tratop_e/dda_e/negot iating_groups_e.htm. 
12 As per the Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 550 of 16 October 2014. WT/ACC/27 
 
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  information provided by Article XII Members, for instance, the Russian Federation, since its 
accession to the WTO in August 2012, adopted or amended about 200 legal acts, to implement its accession-specific commitments, while Georgia amended 50 legal acts in respect with its accession-specific commitments since its WTO membership in 2000.   Some Article XII Members 
have established WTO-specific bodies in order to enhance coherence of the domestic reform 
process and monitor compliance of national legislation with WTO requirements.  For instance, Ukraine established a Unit within the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade which ensured 
compliance of the domestic legislation through a consultative and coordination 
domestic mechanism. 
27. The Accession Protocol sets out the foundation for Article XII Members to implement 
WTO-compliant legislation in the post-accession period.  For LDCs, such as Nepal, Samoa and 
Yemen, the Action Plans contained in the Accession  Protocol set out the list of legislation which 
need to be brought in line with the WTO Agreements.  For instance, Nepal, since its accession in 2004, has completed 24 out of 42 legal commitmen ts outlined in the Legislative Action Plan, 
while the remaining number of commitments is in the process of completion.  Another important 
element outlined in the Accession Protocol is the judicial review process for administrative action.  In China, the Supreme Court abolished around 20 legal interpretations that were not consistent 
with the WTO Agreement and further clarified the Court's jurisdiction over international 
trade-related administrative litigations.
13  
Box 3: Legislative Framework for Implementation 
 
 Continue to use the legislative framework establis hed during accession in the post-accession period, 
including through the creation of a legislative mechanism / body / process to monitor compliance of 
national legislation with WTO requirements 
 
 
3.4  Transparency  
28. Transparency is a key principle of the Multil ateral Trading System which underpins all WTO 
Agreements.  The two fundamental requirements for transparency are: (i) publication of relevant 
information on trade; and (ii) timely notification of new trade-related measures and legislation.   Accession-specific commitments on transparency undertaken by Article XII Members have 
strengthened the transparency rules of the System , in particular, with regard to the publication 
of legislation.
14   
29. Regarding the publication of trade-related information, all Article XII Members publish 
trade-related laws and regulations in Official Gazettes/Journals, newspapers and/or official 
websites, except in cases where a transitional period is granted (e.g. Samoa until 2017).  Several 
accession-commitments on transparency involve th e period that Article XII Members would need 
to grant for consultation and comments, prior to enforcing the measure.  For instance, China 
in 2003 adopted the Legislation Law and the Regula tions on Procedures for the Formulation of 
Administrative Regulations and the Regulations on Procedures for the Formulation of Rules, which 
have institutionalised transparency in the legislation formulation process.  These laws and 
regulations require that public opinions be sought in the formulation of legislation and provided 
procedures for the publication of legislation.15   
30. On notifications, overall, Article XII Members have better adherence to the transparency 
obligations than original WTO Members.  Chart 1 shows that Article XII Members have consistently 
had higher compliance rates on notifications than original WTO Members.  More specifically, since 
accession to the WTO, all Article XII Members have established and notified an Enquiry Point, jointly or separately for SPS and/or TBT.  The domestic coordination of notifications is critical in 
ensuring timely submission.  In some cases, the centralised body for all other notifications is 
established, such as the WTO Notification and Enquiry Centre in China, the WTO Information and Notification Centre in Moldova, Republic of, an d the WTO Enquiry Point and Notification Authority 
in Ukraine.  In other cases, the ministry responsible for WTO affairs serves as the focal point for 
                                               
13 WT/TPR/S/161/Rev.1. 
14 See more in the 2013 DG's Annual Report on  Accessions (in document WT/ACC/21).   
15 WT/TPR/G/161.  WT/ACC/27 
 
- 10 - 
 
  the submission of all notifications to the WTO, in coordination with line ministries/agencies 
implementing specific notification requirements. 
Chart 1:  Average notifications made annually, period 2008-2015 
 
Source:  WTO Secretariat 
Box 4: Transparency 
 
 Set up a web-based portal for all trade-related information 
 Set up and notify the Enquiry Points on SPS, TB T and TRIPS, as required by the WTO Agreements 
 Establish a focal point and a central registry  for all notifications submitted to the WTO  
 
 
3.5  Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 31. Technical assistance and capacity building (TA/CB) is an integral part of the accession 
process, as they build knowledge and expertise on the WTO Agreements.  This is particularly 
important for acceding LDC governments.  In other words, the accession process is one of the best capacity building exercises available in the WTO, evidence of which is reflected in the overall 
effective participation of Article XII Members in the work of the WTO in the post-accession period 
(see Section 3.7).  At the same time, the needs for training and capacity building tend to increase 
in the post-accession period as the Government seeks greater involvement of line ministries and more stakeholders, including from non-governmental sectors, for the implementation of accession 
commitments and the participation in the work of the WTO.  Hence, it is critical that the provision 
of training and capacity building is continuous and integrated into a country's trade policy making and implementation processes.   
32. Based on the responses to the post-accession questionnaire, one of the immediate needs for 
post-accession TA/CB is to technically equip not only the WTO focal points, but also a broader range of government officials, particularly from line ministries and government agencies.  Reflecting these needs, the three most frequently requested, face-to-face, post-accession technical 
assistance activities from the WTO Secretariat are: (i) general capacity building on the WTO 
Agreements; (ii) notifications; and (iii) specific WTO areas which contain accession commitments w i t h  t r a n s i t i o n  p e r i o d s ,  s u c h  a s  T B T ,  S P S  a n d  T R I P S ,  a s  w e l l  a s  t h e  G o v e r n m e n t  P r o c u r e m e n t  
Agreement where several Article XII Members made a commitment to initiate negotiations within a 
period specified in the Accession Protocol.  In this regard, it is important for the WTO focal point to familiarise itself with the TA/CB needs of line ministries, including through periodic consultations 
(as Oman and Samoa have done), so that it is in the position to allocate limited training slots WT/ACC/27 
 
- 11 - 
 
  offered by external TA/CB providers to the best qual ified officials.  Some Article XII Members, such 
as Samoa, have made extensive use of E-Learni ng, in order to cope with suddenly increased 
demands from line ministries for knowledge building on specific WTO agreements in the immediate post-accession period.   
33. Article XII Members heavily rely on the prov ision of TA/CB from the WTO Secretariat, 
through its biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plans
16 which have recently identified 
post-accession as an area of focus.  These are complemented by TA/CB support from other 
multilateral institutions (such as UNCTAD, ITC, World Bank) as well as bilateral partners (US, EU 
and its member states, such as Sweden).  Several Article XII Members (Cambodia, China, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Viet Nam) have established in-house training programmes, in order to respond to increased demands within the governme nt and the need for greater outreach to non-
governmental stakeholders.  For instance, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian 
Federation developed training programmes dedicated on trade policy and WTO rules, with leading universities such as the Higher School of Economic s at the State University and the St. Petersburg 
State University.  In the case of Saudi Arabia, the World Trade Services Centre (WTSC) was 
established in April 2014.  The Centre operates a specialised Reference Centre for the WTO, promotes the E-learning courses among government officials and the private sector, and conducts 
national workshops on issues related to international trade and the WTO.  Some Article XII 
Members, such as Cambodia, China, Oman and Ta jikistan, have actively hosted WTO regional 
activities, including the Regional Trade Policy Courses and the China Round Tables, to make substantive contributions to discussion or share thei r direct experiences on specific WTO topics.   
Box 5: Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 
 
 Make use of training opportunities  provided by the WTO and others by sending qualified officials, 
including from line ministries, selected on a competitive basis 
 Develop and deliver in-house trai ning programmes on WTO matters 
 Hold period consultations with line ministries to iden tify TA/CB needs  
 
 
3.6  Outreach  
34. Participation in the WTO can be facilitated and its benefits could be maximised if conducted 
with the support and understanding of relevant stakeholders.  Outreach to non-governmental 
stakeholders becomes critical towards the end of the accession negotiations, as the acceding government needs to secure buy-ins from parliamentarians, businesses, media and the civil society, which play a critical role in the rati fication process of the Protocol of Accession.  
For instance, in the Russian Federation, which concluded its accession negotiations in December 
2011 and became the 159
th Member of the WTO in August 2012, the government organized 160 
conferences, seminars and round tables on WTO issues with the participation of all relevant 
stakeholders in 62 regions between 2011 and 2013.   The WTO Secretariat provides tailor-made 
post accession support, often together with the Chairman of the Working Party, to complement the acceding governments' outreach efforts, either immediately before or after the adoption of the 
accession package.  For instance, in Afghanistan, Lao PDR, Liberia, Samoa, Seychelles, Tajikistan 
and Vanuatu, the Accessions Division made presentations on WTO membership, including on the terms and conditions, as well as the benefits, to the parliament, the business community, academic institutions, media and/or the local donor community in 2011-2015.   
35. In the post-accession period, almost all Article XII Members set up awareness programmes 
aimed at increasing WTO knowledge through various channels.  These included: (i) holding of symposiums, conferences and seminars involving the private sector, civil society and academia 
(Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Ukraine, Viet Nam, Seychelles, Yemen, Moldova, Republic of, 
Montenegro, Samoa, Nepal, Oman, Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of);
17 (ii) 
                                               
16 The latest Biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plan 2016-17 is contained in document 
WT/COMTD/W/211. 
17 For instance, the Russian Federation annually holds a large-scale conference on "Russia in the WTO", 
which is aimed at raising awareness on the benefits  of WTO membership and the significance of the 
implementation results for al l relevant stakeholders.  In the Kyrgyz Republic, the Government, in partnership 
with local universities and the dono r community, have organised round tables, workshops and conferences on 
WTO issues and to publish academic related studies, including the "Consequences of Accession of the Kyrgyz WT/ACC/27 
 
- 12 - 
 
  establishment of specialized courses on WTO subjects in higher educational institutions (Cambodia, 
China, Samoa, Oman, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation); (iii) establishment of a research centre on WTO (China, Russian Federation, Saud i Arabia, Kingdom of), or enhancement of the 
WTO Reference Centre (Samoa, Seychelles, Nepal); and (iv) publication of special materials and 
books on WTO issues (Cambodia, China, Nepal, Ky rgyz Republic, Seychelles, Russian Federation), 
including the translation of WTO Agreements into  native languages (China, Kyrgyz Republic and 
Tajikistan).  
36. Among all stakeholders with an interest in the WTO, several Article XII Members have made 
particular efforts to engage the private sector, in cluding on dispute settlement.  For instance, Viet 
Nam, since its accession to the WTO in 2007, has organized 1,004 workshops on WTO-related matters for nearly 10,000 enterprises, and provided legal consultancy for 7,600 WTO-related 
cases.  In the case of Saudi Arabia, which id entified the spreading of WTO knowledge to the 
private sector as a major challenge, the World Trade Services Centre was established with the aim of building a strategic relationship with the Saudi business society in order to increase its 
awareness about the WTO agreements.  In the Russian Federation, the Committee on Integration, 
Trade and Customs Policy and the WTO hold regular meetings with the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, which brings together 130 sectoral and regional associations of 
employers, providing a venue for debates on WTO issues between business stakeholders and 
government officials.  In other cases, the government provides training opportunity directly to the private sector on the WTO.  The Government of Oman, for instance, in 2014, launched a program whereby private sector officials are trained at its Permanent Mission in Geneva. 
Box 6: Outreach 
 
 Initiate outreach activities to non-governmental stakeholders during the en d phase of the accession 
process, through symposiums, conferences and seminars 
 Set up specialized courses on WTO subjects in higher educational institutions 
 Set up information centre on the WTO,  including the WTO Reference Centre 
 
 
3.7  Participation in the work of the WTO 
37. Once the policy, institutional and legislative frameworks for WTO membership with the 
allocation of resources and responsibilities, are established, Article XII Members must engage in 
the day-to-day of work of the Organization.  Such day-to-day participation encompasses three key functions of the WTO: (i) administration of the WTO Agreements through regular work i.e. three 
Councils under the General Council covering Trade in  Goods, Trade in Services and TRIPS, with 
each having committees and working groups directly  reporting to the Council (i.e., 12 and  four 
committee/working groups related to goods and services, respectively), in addition to the six Committees, 19 Accession Working Parties, two Working Groups and three Committees overseeing 
the Plurilateral Agreements, reporting directly to the General Council, plus the Trade Policy Review 
Body and the Dispute Settlement Body, in parallel to the General Council; (ii) negotiations,; and (iii) dispute settlement.  Post-accession experi ence from Article XII Members has consistently 
demonstrated that regular attendance and participation at WTO meetings is the most reliable and 
effective form of building post-accession capacity and deepening WTO knowledge.  At the end, it is 
only through the participation on the basis of "learning by doing" that a Member can realize and maximise the benefits of WTO membership.      
38. The administration and monitoring of the implementation of WTO Agreements is a major 
part of the regular work of the WTO. This also co nstitutes the majority of post-accession work.   
The participation in regular work starts with the submission of initial notifications, which kick in on 
the date of membership.  As already described in Section 3.4 Transparency, Article XII Members 
have consistently had higher compliance rates on notifications than original WTO Members.  Apart from the implementation of own commitments, including the submission of notifications, the 
participation in regular commitments requires constant monitoring and review of trade policy 
developments and practices of other Members which may be brought up in these committees.       
                                                                                                                                               
Republic to the WTO, Risks and Opportunities" and the "B enefits and Costs of Possible Accession of the Kyrgyz 
Republic to GPA". WT/ACC/27 
 
- 13 - 
 
  39. Many Article XII Members are active participants in WTO negotiations, individually and as a 
group.  In the DDA negotiations, 22 Article XII Members18 formed a group of "Recently Acceded 
Members" (RAMs), which submitted various proposals to negotiating groups in Agriculture and NAMA.
19  In addition, Article XII Members are active participants in the Accession Working 
Parties, as illustrated in Chart 2, ensuring that WTO accessions contribute to safeguarding the 
multilateral trading system by updating the rules and expanding market access opportunities.20  
It is also important to note that the expansion of the plurilateral Agreement on Government 
Procurement (GPA) is largely due to the participation of Article XII Members, which account for 
29% to the membership and 89% of the accession negotiations in progress (Table 2), since more than 70% of them agreed to initiate the GPA negotiations as part of its WTO accession commitments.  Participation in the GPA is a good example of the continuous use of the multilateral 
trading system as an instrument for domestic reforms after accession.    
Chart 2: Article XII Membership in Acce ssion Working Parties, as of May 2016  
 
Source:  WTO Secretariat 
 
                                               
18 Albania, Armenia, Cabo Verde, China, Ecuador, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, 
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Republ ic of, Mongolia, Oman, Panama, Russian Federation, 
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, Seychelles, Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan, Tonga, Ukraine and Viet Nam. 
19 See for instance, the submission s by the RAMs Group in document JOB(03)/170 (22 August 2003),  
JOB/AG/12 (6 July 2010) and TN/AG/GEN/24 (13 March 2007); by Small Low-Income Economies in Transition, Recently Acceded to the WTO - Armenia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Moldova, Republic of in document 
TN/AG/GEN/16 (20 April 2006) in Agriculture; and in document TN/MA/W/83 (26 February 2007) and 
JOB(08)/22 (27 March 2008) in NAMA.  
20 See more details in the book "WTO Accessions and Trade Multilateralism: Case Studies and Lessons 
from the WTO at Twenty", edited by Uri Dadush and Chiedu Osakwe, Cambridge University Press (2015). WT/ACC/27 
 
- 14 - 
 
  Table 2: Participation of Article XII Memb ers in GPA Negotiations as of June 2016 
Article XII Member Date of 
Membershi
p GPA Parties 
 GPA Observers 
 GPA 
Accession 
Negotiations 
 
Bulgaria 01/12/1996 1 January 2007   
Mongolia 29/01/1997  23 February 1999  
Panama 06/09/1997  29 September 1997  
Kyrgyz Republic 20/12/1998  5 October 1999 In progress 
Latvia 10/02/1999 1 May 2004   
Estonia 13/11/1999 1 May 2004   
Jordan 11/04/2000  8 March 2000 In progress 
Georgia 14/06/2000  5 October 1999 In progress 
Albania 08/09/2000  2 October 2001 In progress 
Oman 09/11/2000  3 May  2001 In progress 
Croatia 30/11/2000 1 July 2013   
Lithuania 31/05/2001 1 May 2004   
Moldova, Republic of 26/07/2001  29 September 2000 In progress 
China 11/12/2001  21 February 2002 In progress 
Chinese Taipei 01/01/2002 15 July 2009   
Armenia 05/02/2003 15 September 2011   
FYROM 04/04/2003  27 June 2013  
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of 11/12/2005  13 December 2007  
Viet Nam 11/01/2007  5 December 2012  
Ukraine 16/05/2008 18 May 2016   
Montenegro 29/04/2012 15 July 2015   
Russian Federation  22/08/2012  29 May 2013  
Tajikistan 02/03/2013  25 June 2014 In progress 
Source:  WTO Secretariat 
 
40. Article XII Members are active users of the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM).  
In total, Article XII Members have been involved in one fifth of the WTO dispute cases, either as 
complainants or respondents.  Also, Article XII Members have acted as third parties in dispute 
settlement cases more than 300 times, with some being more active such as China in 130 cases, 
Chinese Taipei in 90 cases and Saudi Arabia in 28 cases. They use this process to familiarize themselves with the DS process and effectively exercise their WTO rights (Table 3). 
Table 3:  Participation of Article XII Members in Dispute Settlement as of June 2016 
 
Article XII 
Member Date of 
Membership Date of First Request for 
Consultations/Reservation Number of Case 	
As 
Complaint As  
Respondent As 
Third 
Party As 
Complaint 
	As 
Respondent 	As 
Third 
Party
Ecuador 21/01/1996 02/1996  11/2003 02/1997  3  3  31  
Panama 06/09/1997 10/1997  03/2005 01/2003  7  1 8 
Oman 09/11/2000 	 07/2012 - - 8 
Croatia 30/11/2000 	 07/2003 - 1  - 
Moldova, 
Republic of 26/07/2001 03/2011 	 02/2011 	 09/2012 	 1  1 2 
China 11/12/2001 03/2002 	 03/2004 07/2002 13  34 130 
Chinese Taipei 01/01/2002 11/2002 	 07/2002 5  - 90 
Armenia 05/02/2003 	 07/2010 - 1 - 
Saudi Arabia, 
Kingdom of 11/12/2005 	 01/2009 	 - - 28 
Viet Nam 11/01/2007 02/2010 	 02/2007 3  - 19 
Ukraine 16/05/2008 07/2010 	 03/2011 09/2013 4 3  13 
Russian  
Federation 22/08/2012 12/2013 	 07/2013 	 11/2012 	 4  6 28 
Kazakhstan 30/11/2015   05/2015   1 
Source:  WTO Secretariat WT/ACC/27 
 
- 15 - 
 
  Box 7: Participation in the work of the WTO 
 
 Attend and participate in meetings of WTO regular and negotiating bodi es, as learning by doing is the 
best form of knowledge and capacity building 
 Submit notifications from Day 1 of membership  
 Participate constructively in Accession Working Parties and GPA negotiations to safeguard the 
multilateral trading system by updating the rules and expanding market access 
 
 
4  CONCLUSION  
41. The importance of post-accession implementation and support has gained recognition 
among WTO Members and acceding governments in recent years, in particular, with an increased number of concluded LDCs' accessions.
21  From the post-accession dialogue held during the Third 
China Round Table in Dushanbe and the replies received from Article XII Members on the WTO 
Secretariat Post-Accession Questionnaire, it is evident that the challenges and opportunities associated with the post-accession period are as great as, if not greater than, those of the 
accession process.  The benefits of WTO membership can only be realized through the full 
implementation of WTO obligations by Article XII Members, including their accession-specific commitments, and their active participation in the work of the WTO, so that the multilateral trading system continues to provide them with an effective instrument for domestic reforms and 
economic transformation, as it did during the accession process. 
42. Based on the experience and lessons learned from 36 accessions since 1995, this Note 
provides an overview of the emerging best pr actices on post-accession, which could guide new 
Article XII Members in the preparation for their WTO membership.  These best practices on post-
accession, at the same time, complement other support which is provided by the WTO Secretariat in response to specific requests for post-accession implementation, especially for newly acceded 
LDCs.  Most importantly, it should be noted that  although the realisation of the benefits of WTO 
membership is determined by the level of preparedness and participation by Article XII Members, other WTO Members and the international community have also a critical role to play in supporting newly joined Article XII Members, especially LDCs , during this challenging post-accession period.  
_______________ 
                                               
21 Since 2012, six accessions of LDCs were conclu ded successfully and they became WTO Members, 
including Vanuatu (2012), Samoa (2012), Lao PDR (2013), Yemen (2014), Liberia (2016) and Afghanistan (2016).   WT/ACC/27 
 
- 16 - 
 
  ANNEX 1 
POST-ACCESSION "BEST PRAC TICES" QUESTIONNAIRE 
1  POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION 
1. Did the government adopt a "National WTO Implem entation Strategy", or how did it mobilize 
and channel resources to the targeted areas of trade policy within the framework of the 
overall trade and development agenda? 
 
2. How did the government monitor and review the implementation of accession-specific 
commitments and the post accession roadmap/action plan? 
 2  INSTITUTIONAL STRU CTURAL ADJUSTMENT  
3. How did the government re-focus the mandate of the Accession Negotiating Team in capital to 
implement obligations and Membership responsibilities?   
 
4. How did the government re-assign and strengthen the WTO team to ensure active 
participation in WTO activities?  How did the government ensure Capital/Geneva coordination? 
 
5. Did the government establish a domestic coordination and consultative mechanism for local, 
central government authorities and all relevant stakeholders?  Did the government appoint WTO contact points in all the Ministries and government authorities?  Please elaborate.  
 
3  LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION 
6. Please describe the legislative framework for implementing accession-specific commitments.  
What number of legislation and associated implementing regulations were adopted or 
amended for the implementation of accession-specific commitments?   
 4  TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNICATION  
7. How did the government communicate the implementation-related information to all relevant 
stakeholders on a regular basis through, inter alia , publications and hearings? 
 8. Did the government set up Enquiry Points, such as those for SPS and TBT measures?   
If so, please identify. 
 9. Did the government develop a central registry notification system?  If so, please elaborate. 
 
5  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING 
10. How did the government identify and respond to the training and capacity building needs of 
the line Ministries and the local governments/authorities?   
 
11. Did the government establish training programmes on WTO matters for government officials?   
If so, please elaborate.  
 
12. Did the government request technical assistance and capacity building from the WTO 
Secretariat, other organisations and/or other WTO Members?   
 
13. How did the government make use of WTO capacity building programmes, such as E-learning 
courses, WTO Mission Internship Programme, Netherlands Traineeship Programme, WTO 
Accessions Internship Programme, WTO Trade Policy Courses, the China and 
LDC Roundtables?  Please elaborate. 
 14. How did the government educate its officials and private sector on the use of the Dispute 
Settlement?  For example, did it educate th em autonomously, in partnership with the 
WTO Secretariat, or with "other" partners? WT/ACC/27 
 
- 17 - 
 
   
6  OUTREACH 
15. How did the government increase and sustain public awareness of the benefits of WTO 
Membership and the implementation results for all relevant stakeholders on a regular basis 
through, inter alia , publications, conferences, workshops, academic courses, and WTO 
research centres? 
 
7  PARTICIPATION IN THE WORK OF THE WTO 
16. Please provide a summary description of the participation of your government in the work of 
regular WTO bodies (Committees, Councils, and Working Groups), in the Doha Negotiations, and in the Dispute Settlement Body (including third party participation option).   
 
17. What are challenges which the government has faced in its participation in the work of 
the WTO?   
 
18. [Only for those Members that have undergone at least one Trade Policy Review since their 
membership]   How did the government prepare for the first Frist Trade Policy Review?  
Please describe challenges that the government encountered during the review process.  Did 
the government request technical assistance and capacity building from the WTO Secretariat in the context of the first Trade Policy Review, particularly for those areas where implementation was lagging? 
 
8  OTHERS 
19. Please describe specific difficulties and challenges which the government has encountered as 
a Member. 
 
20. How were these challenges resolved?  
 
21. Please provide suggestions and/or advice, if any, for how the Secretariat can improve its 
support to Article XII Members in the post a ccession phase i.e. between membership and the 
first Trade Policy Review.   
 WT/ACC/27 
 
- 18 - 
 
  ANNEX 2 
Article XII 
Member Date of 
Membership DTIS / 
DTISU Contains 
Post-
Accession 
Needs/ Actions Topics/provisions addressed 
Nepal 23/04/2004 2015 
(validation 
expected 
Nov 2015) YES  SPS system to make it compliant with 
WTO obligations and to help its producers benefit from trade opportunities. 
 Revision of the Foreign Investment and 
Technology Transfer Act (1992) slotted since Accession but remains outstanding; priority according to 2014/15 Budget Speech.  
 Complete legal reform obligations 
undertaken as part of the Accession; acceleration of the reform pace a priority according to the 2014/15 Budget Speech. 
Cambodia 13/10/2004 2014 YES   Legislative reform and prioritization of 
compliance measures, including regional dimension 
 Trade Facilitation, including specific 
customs reform and fee structure 
 SPS 
 TBT 
TRIPS 
Cabo Verde 23/07/2008 2013 YES  Study models regime for imports and 
export of ITC  
 Joining the International Technology 
Agreement of the WTO 
 Support foreign trade including 
strategies compliant with WTO, EPA, AGOA, and ECOWAS 
Samoa 10/05/2012 2010 YES   Fisheries, impact studies 
 LDC graduation 
 Services in regional agreements 
(PICTA/PACER PLUS) 
 Strengthening of National TF Committee 
Review of SPS 
Vanuatu 24/08/2012 TPF 2012 (to 
be updated 
in near 
future) YES  Enhancing productive capacity of 
tourism sector 
 Strategies and studies for trade 
negotiations, including WTO negotiating priorities 
 International alliances beyond the 
Pacific region 
 WTO post-accession strategy focusing 
on services sector 
Competition policy 
Lao PDR 02/02/2013 2012 YES  Services  
 TBT, SPS 
 Trade and Private sector development 
Policy 
 Trade mainstreaming.  
 Trade Facilitation and business 
environment 
 Awareness raising 
 Institutional capacity building and 
strengthening 
 Inter-ministerial coordination 
 Domestic reform  programmes 
 Regulatory framework 
Competitiveness and diversification WT/ACC/27 
 
- 19 - 
 
  Article XII 
Member Date of 
Membership DTIS / 
DTISU Contains 
Post-
Accession 
Needs/ Actions Topics/provisions addressed 
Yemen 26/06/2014 2015 (not 
yet validated 
because of 
the political 
context) YES  The chapters on trade policy, 
Agriculture, Fisheries and Services contain a multitude of references to post accession needs 
 The action matrix includes as a key 
priority ''establish mechanisms for monitoring implementation of WTO Accession commitments across relevant organizations.  
Afghanistan 2016 - 
expected 2012 YES  Animal health and foodstuffs - standards 
and quality 
 Legal framework, compliance with WTO 
agreements and requirements (including fiscal policy) 
TBT 
Liberia 2016 - 
expected 2015 YES  ECOWAS integration 
 Trade Facilitation 
 Infrastructure 
 Private Sector enga gement and Global 
Value Chains 
 Strengthening SMEs 
 Agriculture 
Institutional strengthening 
Source:  EIF Executive Secretariat 
 
__________