WT/GC/W/687  
 
1 December 2014  
(14-7042)  Page: 1/15  
General Council 
10-11 December 2014    
 
 GENERAL COUNCIL 
DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT (2014)1 
The present report has been prepared in pursuanc e of the Procedures for an Annual Overview of 
WTO Activities and for Reporting under the WTO (WT/L/105). 
 
Since its previous annual report2, the General Council has held four meetings, on 14 March 2014, 
12 May 2014, 24-25 July 2014, and 21 October 2014, and a special meeting on 27 November 2014.  The minutes of these meetings , which remain in the record of the General 
Council's work, are contained in documents WT/GC/M/150; WT/GC/M/151; WT/GC/M/152; 
WT/GC/M/153; and WT/GC/M/154
3. 
 
The following subjects are included in the report: 
 
1   TRADE NEGOTIATIONS  COMMITTEE – REPORTS ......................................................... 2  
2   IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALI OU TCOMES – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN ........... 3  
3   PUBLIC STOCKHOLDING FOR FOOD SECURITY PURPOSES, PREPARATORY 
COMMITTEE ON TRADE FACILITATION – PR OTOCOL OF AMENDMENT, AND POST-
BALI WORK ..................................................................................................................... . 3 
4   PREPARATORY COMMITTEE ON TRAD E FACILITATION – REPORT BY THE 
CHAIRMAN ...................................................................................................................... . 5 
5   WORK PROGRAMME ON SM ALL ECONOMIES – REPORTS ............................................. 6  
6   WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE – REVIEW OF PROGRESS ................ 7  
7   AID FOR TRAD E – REPO RTS ........................................................................................ 7  
8   WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEM ENT FACILITY – STATEMENT BY THE 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL ........................................................................................................ 8  
9   COMMITTEE ON BUDGET FINA NCE AND ADMINI STRATION ......................................... 8  
9.1   Reports and Recommendations .................................................................................... 8  
10   ACCESSION MATTERS ................................................................................................ 8  
10.1   Be larus ................................................................................................................ .. 8 
10.2   B hutan ................................................................................................................. .. 8 
11   WA IVERS...................................................................................................................  9 
11.1   Special Treatment for Rice of the Philippines – Dr aft Decision ......................................... 9  
11.2   Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agreement .................................. 9  
                                               
1 The final version of the report will also reflect any further meeting of the General Council to be held in 
2014 and items will be renumbered as necessary.  
2 The annual report of the General Council for 2013 was circulated in WT/GC/156 and 
WT/GC/156/Corr.1. 
3 WT/GC/M/154 is to be issued. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  12   IMPROVING GUIDELINES FOR GRANTING INTERGOVERNMENTAL 
ORGANIZATIONS PERMANENT OBSERVER STATUS IN THE WTO – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN ................................................................................................................ 9
 
12.1   Statement by  the Chairman ..................................................................................... 10 
12.2   Communication fr om the Arab  Group ......................................................................... 10 
13   TRADE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES OF CERTAIN MEMBERS – COMMUNICATION 
FROM THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION .................................................................................. 10  
14   TRADE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES BY RUSSIA – COMMUNICATION FROM THE 
EUROPEAN UNION ......................................................................................................... 10  
15   TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE – DATE AND VENUE ............... 11  
16   TRADE AND THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA – STATEMENT BY THE 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL ...................................................................................................... 11  
17   DERESTRICTION OF HISTORICAL BILATERAL NEGOTIATING 
DOCUMENTATION OF THE KENNEDY ROUND – DRAFT DECISION ................................... 11  
18   STATEMENT ON COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA – STATEMENT 
BY PANAMA .................................................................................................................... 12  
19   UNITED NATIONS DESIGNATED IN TERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SIDS – 
STATEMENT BY BARBADOS ............................................................................................ 12  
20   WITHDRAWAL OF INVOCATION OF ARTICLE XIII WITH RESPECT TO CHINA 
– STATEMENT BY EL  SALVAD OR ..................................................................................... 12  
21   WITHDRAWAL OF NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE XXVIII – STATEMENT BY 
UKRAINE ....................................................................................................................... . 12 
22   WTO PENS ION PLAN ............................................................................................... 12  
22.1   Election of Chairperson, Members, and Alternates to the Management Board ................... 12 
22.2   Annual Report and Letter of Final Comments on the Financial Statements of the 
WTO Pensio n Plan ............................................................................................................ 13 
22.3   Agreement on the Transfer of Pension Rights of Participants in the WTO Pension 
Plan (WTOPP) and in the C oordinated Agen cies Plans ............................................................ 13 
23   ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  FOR MEMBERS IN ARREARS ..................................... 13  
24   APPOINTMENT OF OFFI CERS TO WTO BODIES ........................................................ 14  
25   ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON ................................................................................... 15  
 
1  TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE – REPORTS (WT/GC/M/150; WT/GC/M/151; WT/GC/M/152; AND WT/GC/M/153) 
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 Principles and Practices endorsed by the Trade Negotiations Committee at its 
first meeting in 2002 (TN/C/M/1), the TNC reports to each regular meeting of the General Council. 
1.2.  At the General Council meetings in March, May, July, and October, the Director-General, as 
Chairman of the Trade Negotiations Committee, reported on each occasion on the TNC's activities 
since his previous report to the General Council.4 
1.3.  At the March meeting, the Chairman of the Committee on Environment in Special Session 
and the representatives of the Plurinational Stat e of Bolivia; Lesotho (on behalf of the African 
Group); Cuba; Indonesia (on behalf of the G-33); Kenya (on behalf of the ACP); Uganda (on 
behalf of the LDCs); Brazil (on behalf of the G-20); Jordan (on behalf of the Arab Group); Nigeria; 
Chinese Taipei (on behalf of the RAMs Group); Pakistan; Solomon Islands; India; South Africa; 
                                               
4 The Director-General's statements were subsequently circulated as JOB/GC/60, JOB/GC/68 and 
JOB/GC/69. For the October me eting, see paragraph 1.6. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  European Union; Qatar; Paraguay; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Jamaica; United States; Japan; 
Bangladesh; Egypt; Republic of Korea; and Barbados spoke.  The General Council took note of the Director-General's report and of the statements. 
1.4.  At the May meeting, the representatives of Dominican Republic (on behalf of the IGDC); 
Guatemala (on behalf of the SVEs); Plurinational State of Bolivia; Lesotho (on behalf of the African 
Group); Barbados; Jordan (on behalf of the Arab Group); United States; Cuba; European Union; China; El Salvador; Pakistan; and Ecuador spoke. The General Council took note of the Director-
General's report and of the statements. 
1.5.  At the July meeting, the representatives of  the Plurinational State of Bolivia; Indonesia (on 
behalf of the G-33); Brazil (on behalf of the G-20); Kenya (on behalf of the ACP); Uganda (on 
behalf of the LDCs); Lesotho (on behalf of the African Group); Dominican Republic (on behalf of 
the IGDC); Chinese Taipei (on behalf of the RAMs); Guatemala (on behalf of the SVEs); St. Lucia 
(on behalf of the CARICOM); Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Nigeria; Solomon Islands; Papua New Guinea; Qatar; Argentina; Paraguay; Egypt; Zimbabwe; India; Jamaica; European Union; Norway; 
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Mexico; Oman; Japan; Barbados; South Africa; Ecuador; 
Switzerland; United States; Chile; Australia; China; Canada; Costa Rica; Russian Federation; Uruguay; Colombia; Republic of Korea; Hong Kong , China; Turkey; Benin; New Zealand; Pakistan; 
and Cuba. The General Council took note of the Di rector-General's report and of the statements. 
1.6.  At the October meeting, at the request of  the Director-General, the statement he made at 
the formal TNC meeting on 16 October together with the reports of the Chairs of the Negotiating 
Bodies (JOB/TNC/42), the statement of the Chairm an of the General Council (JOB/TNC/43) as well 
as all statements made by delegations at the TNC meeting and contained in TN/C/M/35 were 
incorporated by reference into the records of the General Council meeting and should form an integral part thereof. The representative of Ug anda (on behalf of the LDCs) spoke. The General 
Council took note of the Director-General's report and of the statements. 
2  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALI OUTCOMES – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
(WT/GC/M/152 AND WT/GC/M/153) 
2.1.  At the July meeting, the Chairman drew atte ntion to his report on the Implementation of the 
Bali Outcomes (JOB/GC/70) and highlighted in part icular that work to implement the Bali Decisions 
was proceeding in each area of the Bali Package.  He also noted his intention to provide regular 
reports to the General Council on the status of implementation in each single area, and to ask the 
Chairs of the relevant bodies to report as appropriate.  
2.2.  The representative of Uganda (on behalf of the LDCs) spoke. The General Council took note 
of the Chairman's report and of the statement. 
2.3.  At the October meeting, the Chairman drew the General Council's attention to the statement 
he made at the TNC meeting on 16 October (JOB/TNC/43) and then focused on the Bali Decisions 
on regular work. He said that the TRIPS Council would continue its discussions on TRIPS Non-
Violation and Situation Complaints with a view to agreeing on its recommendation on the next 
Ministerial Conference. He also reported that a pe riodic review would be undertaken in December 
on Electronic Commerce; and that monitoring and evaluation exercises underpinning the Fifth Global Review on Aid for Trade – themed "Reducing Trade Costs for Inclusive, Sustainable Growth 
- had been discussed in the CTD. 
2.4.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's report. 3  PUBLIC STOCKHOLDING FOR FOOD SECURITY PURPOSES, PREPARATORY COMMITTEE 
ON TRADE FACILITATION – PROTOCOL OF AMENDMENT, AND POST-BALI WORK 
(WT/GC/M/154) 
3.1.  At the 27 November Special meeting, the Ch airman said that following the developments in 
recent weeks and intensive consultations that had taken place, there were three draft decisions for 
the General Council's consideration. He noted that a meeting of the Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation had just taken place. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  3.2.  The Chairman of the Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation made a statement. He said 
that Members had agreed to forward the proposal for a decision by the General Council on adopting the protocol of amendment to insert the Trade Facilitation Agreement into Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement as set out in WT/PCTF/W/28, with the understanding that the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement to be inserted into Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement was the legally 
scrubbed text of the Agreement adopted by th e Committee in the three WTO languages and 
circulated in document WT/L/931, and that this text therefore constituted the annex to the 
proposed Protocol submitted to the General Council. This was done in the understanding that the 
decision on the protocol would be taken up together  with the draft Decision on Public Stockholding 
for Food Security Purposes, contained in docume nt WT/GC/W/688 and the draft Decision on Post-
Bali work, contained in document WT/GC/W/690. He stated that, in the event of there not being 
an agreement in the General Council, the proposed protocol would be back to the Preparatory 
Committee for further work. 
3.3.  The General Council Chairman
5 drew attention to: 
- the draft Decision on Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes, contained in 
document WT/GC/W/688;  
 
- the draft Decision on the Protocol of Amendment to insert the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement into Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement, contained in document WT/PCTF/W/28; and 
 
- the draft Decision on Post-Bali work, contained in document WT/GC/W/690. 
 
3.4.   With respect to Trade Facilitation, he also drew attention to the Category A notifications 
received so far, and circulated in the series  of documents carrying the symbol WT/PCTF/N.  
3.5.  In accordance with the Bali mandate, the General Council had to annex the Category A 
notifications to the Trade Facilita tion Agreement. The text of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, as 
Members would recall, was contained in WT/L/931.  
3.6.  The Decision on Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes, as he had said, was in 
document WT/GC/W/688. By adopting the Decision  on Public Stockholding for Food Security 
Purposes, Members were not prejudging the natu re of the permanent solution nor the legal 
instrument to give effect to it , to be agreed by Members in the course of the negotiations. 
3.7.  With respect to the Decision on Post-B ali work, circulated in document WT/GC/W/690, 
Members were collectively acting on the premise that the entire Bali Package could and should be 
pursued and that all Members would engage constructively on the implementation of all the Bali 
Ministerial Decisions in the relevant WTO bodies, and on the preparation of the clearly defined work programme on the remaining DDA issues mandated in para. 1.11 of the Bali Ministerial 
Declaration, with a new deadline to agree on the work programme by July 2015.  
3.8.  Therefore, in adopting the three Decisions on  Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes, 
on the Protocol of Amendment for Trade Facilitation, and on Post-Bali work simultaneously, Members were reaffirming the entirety of the Bali Ministerial mandates, including the priorities that 
Ministers had identified at Bali. 
3.9.  The Chairman proposed that: 
- the General Council adopt the draft Decision on Public Stockholding for Food Security 
Purposes in document WT/GC/W/688; 
 - the General Council adopt the draft Decision in document WT/PCTF/W/28 and the 
Protocol of Amendment to insert the Trade Facilitation Agreement into Annex 1A of 
the WTO Agreement contained therein, and op en the Protocol for acceptance; in so 
doing, the Category A notifications should be deemed to be annexed to the Trade Facilitation Agreement; 
                                               
5 The statement by the Chairman of the General Council can be found in WT/GC/165. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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- the General Council adopt the draft Decision on Post-Bali work, in document 
WT/GC/W/690. 
 
3.10.  The General Council so agreed.6 
3.11.  The Director-General and the representatives of Kenya (on behalf of the ACP); Uganda (on 
behalf of the LDCs); Lesotho (on behalf of the African Group); Jordan (on behalf of the Arab 
Group); Dominican Republic (on behalf of the IGDC); Myanmar (on behalf of the ASEAN); Chinese 
Taipei (on behalf of the RAMs Group); Indonesia (on behalf of the G-33); Dominica (on behalf of the CARICOM); Guatemala (on behalf of the SVEs ); Paraguay (on behalf of the LLDCs); United 
States; India; Turkey; Hong Kong, China; European Union; Uruguay; China; Sierra Leone; 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Japan; Tanzania; Brazil; Barbados; Chile; Cameroon; Korea; Solomon 
Islands; Swaziland; and Costa Rica spoke. The Gene ral Council took note of the Director-General's 
statement and of the other statements. 
4  PREPARATORY COMMITTEE ON TRADE FACILITATION – REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
(WT/GC/M/150; WT/GC/M/151; AND WT/GC/M/152)
7 
4.1.  Ministers at Bali concluded the negotiations of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation (WT/L/911 
– WT/MIN(13)/36) subject to legal review for rectific ations of a purely formal character that do not 
affect the substance of the Agreement. They also established a Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation under the General Council, open to all Members, to perform such functions, as may be necessary to ensure the expeditious entry into force of the Agreement; and to prepare for the 
efficient operation of the Agreement upon its entry into force. Ministers provided that, in 
particular, the Preparatory Committee shall conduct the legal review of the Agreement in the manner decided by the Ministers; receive notifications of Category A commitments; and draw up a 
Protocol of Amendment of the Marrakesh Agreem ent to insert the Trade Facilitation Agreement 
into Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement. Ministers also directed the General Council to meet no later than 31 July 2014 to carry out its function as mandated by them in their Decision. 
4.2.  At the March meeting, the Chairman recalle d that, at the first meeting of the Preparatory 
Committee on Trade Facilitation held on 31 January 2014, Ambassador Esteban Conejos 
(Philippines) had been elected as the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee established under the General Council by the Ministerial Conference. 
4.3.  The Chairman of the Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation reported that Members had 
swiftly managed to agree on a work plan and sched ule of meetings, clearing the procedural path 
and allowing for substantive work to commence. There had been a common understanding that 
the Preparatory Committee should continue the practice of the Negotiating Group to conduct its 
business in a Member-driven, bottom-up, transparent and inclusive manner and start with the legal review before turning to th e other tasks of the Committee. 
4.4.  The representatives of Mexico; Uganda; Para guay; Pakistan; Mali; Japan; and Rwanda spoke. 
The General Council took note of the report of the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation and of the statements. 
4.5.  At the May meeting, the Chairman of th e Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation 
reported that Members had continued their work on the tasks assigned to the Preparatory 
Committee in line with the work programme adopted in March. They had already concluded the legal review of the English version of the text within their given deadline and would apply the 
same process in finishing the Spanish and the French versions. They would then prepare an 
amendment protocol on a Member-driven basis and in an inclusive and transparent manner. 
4.6.  The representatives of Mexico; Republic of Korea; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Chinese Taipei 
(on behalf of the RAMs Group); Qatar; Plurinationa l State of Bolivia; Japan; Uganda (on behalf of 
the LDCs); Lesotho (on behalf of the African Group); Costa Rica; Nigeria; and European Union 
                                               
6 The Decisions have been circulated as WT/L/939 (P ublic Stockholding for Food Security Purposes), 
WT/L/940 (Protocol of Amendment to insert the Agreemen t on Trade Facilitation into Annex 1A of the WTO 
Agreement) and WT/L/941 (Post-Bali Work). 
7 See also item 3 above. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  spoke. The General Council took note of the repo rt of the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee 
on Trade Facilitation and of the statements. 
4.7.  At the July meeting, the Chairman of th e Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation said 
that the Committee completed the legal review of the Trade Facilitation text agreed upon in Bali, 
circulated as WT/L/931. He noted that the Category A notifications received by the Preparatory 
Committee were circulated as WT/PCTF/N documents. Regarding the Protocol of Amendment, he noted that it could not be agreed. He urged delegations to redouble their efforts and to reach out 
to each other in an effort to find common ground and highlighted that consequence of failure 
would go much beyond the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
4.8.  The representatives of Chile; Myanmar (on behalf of the ASEAN); Paraguay (on behalf of the 
LLDCs); Mauritius; Thailand; Zimbabwe; and Jamaica, and the General Council Chairman spoke.
8 
The General Council took note of the report of the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee on 
Trade Facilitation and of the statements. 
5  WORK PROGRAMME ON SMALL ECONOMIES – REPORTS (WT/GC/M/150; 
WT/GC/M/151; WT/GC/M/152; AND WT/GC/M/153) 
5.1.  In 2002, the General Council took note of a framework and procedures for the conduct of the 
Work Programme on Small Economies, which had been agreed by Ministers at Doha 
(WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1, paragraph 35), under which this Work Programme would be a standing item 
on the General Council's agenda and which also provided that the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) would report regularly to the General Council on the progress of work in its Dedicated Sessions on this subject.  In December  2013, Ministers at MC9 adopted the Decision on 
the Work Programme on Small Economies (WT/L/908), which reaffirmed their commitment to the 
Work Programme and further instructed the CTD to continue its work in Dedicated Sessions under the overall responsibility of the General Council. 
5.2.  At the March meeting, the Chairperson of the Dedicated Session of the CTD reported on the 
Work Programme on Small Economies, referring principally to the relevant Bali Decision, and on 
the workshop on Non-Tariff Measures held on 23 October, the full report of which had been 
circulated in WT/COMTD/SE/M/26.  
5.3.  The representative of Barbados spoke.  Th e General Council took note of the report and of 
the statements. 
5.4.  At the May meeting, the General Council Chairman, on behalf of the Chairman of the 
Dedicated Session of the CTD, reported the appointment of Guatemala as the new group 
coordinator of the proponents of Small Economie s, and said that the group had been discussing 
upcoming priorities for 2014 and follow-up activities to the Bali Ministerial Decision.  
5.5.  The representatives of Guatemala (on behalf of the SVEs); St. Lucia (on behalf of the 
CARICOM); Maldives; and Vanuatu (on behalf of the Pacific WTO Members) spoke. The General Council took note of the report and of the statements. 
5.6.  At the July meeting, the General Council  Chairman, on behalf of the Chairman of the 
Dedicated Session of the CTD, reported that the proponents of Small Economies had been working 
on identifying the relevant information and analysis concerning the challenges and opportunities experienced by small economies when linking into global value chains in trade in goods and 
services.  
5.7.  The representatives of Guatemala (on beha lf of the SVEs) and United States spoke. The 
General Council took note of the report and of the statements. 
                                               
8 On 25 July, the Chairman proposed to suspend further consideration of the item and to suspend the 
meeting. He said that the meeting would be reconvened at a propitious moment if there were positive developments until 31 July. The General Council meeting was not reconvened. In line with the Chairman's 
statement, discussions under this item were considered closed and the meeting adjourned. On 31 July, the 
Director-General, as Chairman of the TNC, convened an  Informal TNC meeting. His statement can be found in 
JOB/TNC/40. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  5.8.  At the October meeting, the General Council  Chairman, on behalf of the Chairman of the 
Dedicated Session of the CTD, reported that the relevant issues and possible areas of research 
concerning the integration of small economies into global value chains identified by the proponents 
of Small Economies had been compiled in an outlin e circulated to Members. Work on the proposed 
research would start once all comments had been received. 
5.9.  The representatives of Guatemala (on beha lf of the SVEs) and United States spoke. The 
General Council took note of the report and of the statements. 
6  WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE – REVIEW OF PROGRESS 
(WT/GC/M/151 AND WT/GC/M/152) 
6.1.  In line with the Declaration on Global Electronic Commerce adopted by Ministers at the 
second session of the Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(98)/DEC/2), the General Council, in 
September 1998, adopted a Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WT/L/274). At MC9, 
Ministers adopted a Decision on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WT/L/907).  In this Decision, Ministers decided to continue with the positive work under the Work Programme on 
Electronic Commerce, and instructed the General Council and its relevant bodies to continue 
substantially invigorating this work.  Ministers also instructed the General Council to hold periodic reviews, starting in July 2014, based on the re ports submitted by the WTO bodies entrusted with 
the implementation of the Work Programme, namely – the Councils for Services, Goods and TRIPS 
and the Committee on Trade and Development. 
6.2.  At the May meeting, the Chairman informed Members that he had started consulting Group 
Coordinators on the possibility of appointing a Fa cilitator for E-Commerce. He also announced that 
the next periodic review by the General Council should take place at the July meeting. The General 
Council took note of the statement. 
6.3.  At the July meeting, the Chairman gave an  overview of the work on e-commerce taking place 
in the relevant bodies including the reports of the CTS and CTG Chairs in documents S/C/41 and 
G/C/53. He announced that Ambassador Suescum (Panama) would be carrying this work forward and would be chairing the Dedicated Discussion on his behalf.  
6.4.  The representatives of the Plurinational Stat e of Bolivia; European Union; and Panama spoke. 
The General Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the statements. 
7  AID FOR TRADE – REPORTS (WT/GC/M/151 AND WT/GC/M/153) 7.1.  At Bali, Ministers adopted a Decision on Aid-for-Trade (WT/L/909 – WT/MIN(13)/34), in 
which they had welcomed the progress on Aid-for-Trade and recognised the continuing need of 
Aid-for-Trade for developing countries, and in particular LDCs. 
7.2.  At the May meeting, the General Council Ch airman, on behalf of the Chairman of the CTD, 
introduced the new biennial Aid for Trade Work Programme, issued as document 
WT/COMTD/AFT/W/51, with the theme "Reducing tr ade costs for inclusive, sustainable growth". 
7.3.  The representatives of Turkey; Uganda (o n behalf of the LDC Group); European Union; 
Cameroon; St. Lucia (on behalf of the CARICOM); and Nepal, and the Chairman spoke. The 
General Council took note of the statements. 
7.4.  At the October meeting, the Director-General reported that the exact dates for the Fifth 
Global Review would be from 30 June to 2 July 2015. He also said that the CTD Chair had already 
consulted extensively on the issue of how to participate in the Aid-for-Trade monitoring and 
evaluation exercise which was central to the Global Review. He was counting on Members' continued engagement and requested that they transmitted details of how to participate in the 
exercise to their capitals. 
7.5.  The General Council took note of the Director-General's statement. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  8  WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY – STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-
GENERAL (WT/GC/M/152) 
8.1.  At the July meeting, the Director-Gener al noted that he had launched the new WTO Trade 
Facilitation Agreement Facility on 22 July. The Fac ility aimed to address concerns on how LDCs and 
developing Members could access the necessary support under Section 2 of the TFA. It was also 
meant to complement and enhance existing assistance programmes. He had been working closely on this with partner organizations – particularly the World Bank. The Facility would become 
operational as soon as the Protocol of amendment was adopted. 
8.2.  The representatives of Swaziland; Lesotho (o n behalf of the African Group); Kenya (on behalf 
of the ACP Group); Uganda (on behalf of the LDCs); and Niger, and the Chairman spoke. The 
General Council took note of the Director-General's statement and of the other statements. 
 
9  COMMITTEE ON BUDGET FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION 
9.1  Reports and Recommendations (W T/GC/M/150; WT/GC/M/151; WT/GC/M/152; 
and WT/GC/M/153) 
9.1.  At the March meeting, the General Council considered reports by the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration on its meeting in February (WT/BFA/141). The General Council took 
note of the statement, approved the Budget Committee's specific recommendation in paragraph 
1.2 of its report and adopted the report in WT/BFA/141. 
9.2.  At the May meeting, the General Council considered reports by the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration on its meeting in Apri l (WT/BFA/142). The General Council took note of 
the statement and adopted the report in WT/BFA/142. 
9.3.  At the July meeting, the General Council considered reports by the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration on its meeting in July  (WT/BFA/143). The General Council took note of 
the statement, approved the Budget Committee's specific recommendation in paragraph 1.2 of its 
report and adopted the report in WT/BFA/143. 
9.4.  At the October meeting, the General Council considered reports by the Committee on Budget 
Finance and Administration on its meeting in September (WT/BFA/144). The General Council took 
note of the statement, approved the Budget Committee's specific recommendation in paragraph 2.7 of its report and adopted the report in WT/BFA/144. 
10  ACCESSION MATTERS 
10.1  Belarus (WT/GC/M/152) 
10.1.  At the July meeting, the Chairman info rmed Members that, following consultations with 
members of the Working Parties and the authorities of Belarus, and in keeping with usual WTO 
practice, it had been agreed that Ambassador Mehmet Haluk Ilicak (Turkey) would serve as 
Chairman of the Working Party on the Accession of Belarus.  
10.2.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
10.2  Bhutan (WT/GC/M/152) 
10.3.  At the July meeting, the Chairman info rmed Members that following consultations with 
Members of the Working Party and the authorities of Bhutan, and in keeping with usual WTO 
practice, it had been agreed that Ambassador Thom as Hajnoczi (Austria) would serve as Chairman 
of the Working Party on the Accession of Bhutan.  
10.4.  The General Council took note of the statement. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  11  WAIVERS 
11.1  Special Treatment for Rice of the Philippines – Draft Decision (WT/GC/M/152) 
11.1.  At its July meeting, the General Council considered a draft wavier decision in document 
G/C/W/665/Rev.4 which concerned the request fo r a waiver by the Philippines on special 
treatment for rice of the Philippines. The Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods reported on 
consideration of this matter by that Council. 
11.2.  The General Council took note of the report and, in accordance with the Decision-Making 
Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WT O Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93), 
adopted the draft Decision (WT/L/932).  
11.3.  The representative of the Philippines spoke.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
11.2  Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agreement 
(WT/GC/M/152) 
11.4.  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 Confer ence not later than one year after it is granted, 
and thereafter annually until the waiver terminates." 
11.5.  At the July meeting, the General Council considered the following waivers for review under 
Article IX:4: 
i. LDCs - Article 70.9 of the TRIPS Agreement with respect to Pharmaceutical Products, 
granted on 8 July 2002 until 1 January 2016 (WT/L/478) 
ii. Preferential Treatment for Least-Developed Countries, granted on 27 May 2009 until 
30 June 2019 (WT/L/759) 
iii. United States - Former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, granted on 27 July 2007 
until 31 December 2016 (WT/L/694, WT/L/927) 
iv. United States – Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, granted on 27 May 2009 
until 31 December 2014 (WT/L/753, WT/L/928) 
v. United States – African Growth and Opportunity Act, granted on 27 May 2009 until 
30 September 2015 (WT/L/754, WT/L/929) 
vi. United States – Andean Trade Preference Act, granted on 27 May 2009 until 
31 December 2014 (WT/L/755, WT/L/930) 
11.6.  In doing so, the General Council considered reports on implementation of the respective 
waivers in documents WT/L/927, WT/L/928, WT/L /929 and WT/L/930. The General Council took 
note of the reports and agreed to revert to the re view of multi-year waiver s under Article IX.4 of 
the WTO Agreement at its meeting in December. 
12  IMPROVING GUIDELINES FOR GRANTING INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 
PERMANENT OBSERVER STATUS IN THE WTO – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
12.1.  In November 2011, the General Council agreed that the Chairperson of the General Council 
start a process of consultations on improving the guidelines for granting observer status to 
Intergovernmental Organizations in the WTO, following a communication by the Arab Group in 
document WT/GC/W/643, which was then supplemented by a further communication in document WT/GC/W/654. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  12.1  Statement by the Chairman (WT/ GC/M/150; WT/GC/M/151 and WT/GC/M/153) 
12.2.  At the March meeting, the Chairman urged continued engagement to address the issue, in a 
constructive manner and with a solution-finding spirit. He said he would brief his successor so that 
he could consider how to address the matter.  
12.3.  The representatives of Jordan (on behalf of  the Arab Group) and United States spoke. The 
General Council took note of the statements. 
12.4.  At the May meeting, the Chairman said that he would continue to seek the views of 
delegations, and would report to the General Council as appropriate.  
12.5.  The representatives of Jordan (on behalf of  the Arab Group) and United States spoke. The 
General Council took note of the statements. 
12.6.  At the October meeting, the Chairman said that he could not report any change in the 
positions previously expressed on this matter. He intended to continue consultations and to report 
to the General Council as appropriate. 
12.7.  The representatives of Jordan (on behalf of  the Arab Group), Dominican Republic (on behalf 
of the IGDC) and United States spoke. The General Council took note of the statements. 
12.2  Communication from the Arab Group (WT/GC/M/152) 12.8.  At the July meeting, the Chairman drew  attention to the communication from the Arab 
Group in document WT/GC/159, requesting the item to be placed on the agenda of the meeting. In 
that communication, the Arab Group had also requested to re-circulate their proposal on Improving the Guidelines for Granting IGOs Permanent Observer Status in the WTO, contained in document WT/GC/W/643.  
12.9.  The representatives of Jordan (on behalf of the Arab Group) and Plurintational State of 
Bolivia, and the Chairman spoke. The Gene ral Council took note of the statements. 
13  TRADE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES OF CERTAIN MEMBERS – COMMUNICATION FROM 
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (WT/GC/M/151 AND WT/GC/M/152) 
13.1.  At the May meeting, the Chairman drew attention to the communication in document 
WT/GC/157 submitted by the Russian Federation requ esting that this item be put on the agenda.  
13.2.  The representatives of the Russian Federation; United States; Canada; and European Union 
spoke. The General Council took note of the statements. 
13.3.  At the July meeting, the Russian Federati on made a statement on certain trade restrictive 
measures of the United States and some other Members against Russian companies.  
13.4.  The representatives of the United Stat es; Cuba; Nicaragua; Bolivarian Republic of 
Venezuela; Argentina; Plurinational State of Bolivia; European Union; Zimbabwe; Ecuador and Canada spoke. The General Council took note of the statements. 
14  TRADE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES BY RUSSIA – COMMUNICATION FROM THE 
EUROPEAN UNION (WT/GC/M/151) 
14.1.  At the May meeting, the Chairman drew attention to the communication in document 
WT/GC/158 submitted by the European Union reques ting that this item be put on the agenda.  
14.2.  The representatives of the European Union; Ukraine; United States; Canada; Japan; 
Switzerland; New Zealand; Republic of Korea; Norway; Chinese Taipei; Australia; and Russian Federation spoke. The General Council took note of the statements. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  15  TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE – DATE AND VENUE 
(WT/GC/M/151; WT/GC/M/152; AND WT/GC/M/153) 
15.1.  Article IV of the Marrakesh Agreement provided that " There shall be a Ministerial Conference 
of representatives of all Members, which shall meet at least once every two years ." At Bali, under 
item 3 of the Agenda, Ministers had instructed th e General Council to hold consultations regarding 
the date and venue of the Tenth Session of the Ministerial Conference – MC10. 
15.2.  At the May meeting, the Chairman announced  that consultations would start shortly, with a 
view to Members taking a decision collectively on the date and venue of the next Ministerial 
Conference at the July General Council meeting.  
15.3.  The General Council took note of the statement. 15.4.  At the July meeting, the Chairman said he  had held two rounds of consultations with Group 
coordinators and with several other delegations. There was a very broad agreement among all 
delegations and Group coordinators that MC10 shou ld take place during the first fortnight of 
December 2015. He informed the Council that, during his consultations, the Government of Kenya 
had expressed an interest to host MC10.9 He also drew attention to the communication from 
Turkey which had been circulated on 23 July in documents WT/GC/160 and WT/GC/160/Add.1 where its government formally offered to host MC10. He would continue his consultations and 
hoped that Members would be in a position to take a formal decision at their October General 
Council meeting.  
15.5.  The representatives of Turkey and Keny a spoke. The General Council took note of the 
statements. 
15.6.  At the October meeting, the Chairman report ed that all delegations he spoke with expressed 
their appreciation and gratitude for the offers  of the Governments of Turkey (WT/GC/160 and 
WT/GC/160/Add.1) and Kenya (WT/GC/162) to host MC10. Based on his consultations, he said 
that the General Council was not yet in a position to decide on the venue for MC10. He would 
continue his consultations and urged Members to come forward and meet with him to advance discussions and build consensus. 
15.7.  The representatives of Turkey and Keny a spoke. The General Council took note of the 
statements. 
16  TRADE AND THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA – STATEMENT BY THE 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL (WT/GC/M/152) 
16.1.  At the July meeting, the Director-General noted he had been actively engaged to ensure 
that trade was given a prominent role in the post-2015 Development Agenda and its Sustainable 
Development Goals, for which work was entering its final phase. He noted that a proposal for 
Sustainable Development Goals had now been forwarded to the UN General Assembly and would 
be the basis for the incorporation of Sustainable Development Goals into the post-2015 development agenda.  Trade was reflected in this text under Goal 17, which was to strengthen 
both the implementation of the goals and the gl obal partnership for sustainable development.  
16.2.  The representatives of the United States; European Union; Paraguay; China; and Dominican 
Republic spoke. The General Council took note of the Director-General's report and of the 
statements. 
17  DERESTRICTION OF HISTORICAL BILA TERAL NEGOTIATING DOCUMENTATION OF 
THE KENNEDY ROUND – DRAFT DECISION (WT/GC/M/152) 
17.1.  At the July meeting, the Chairman drew th e Council's attention to the Draft Decision on the 
Derestriction of Historical Bilateral Negotiating Documentation of the Kennedy Round contained in 
document G/MA/W/113. He said that the decision was forwarded to the General Council by the 
                                               
9 Kenya circulated its offer on 31 July in document WT/GC/162. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  Committee on Market Access through the Council for Trade in Goods following its meeting on 
19 June 2014. He proposed that the General Council adopt the draft.  
17.2.  The General Council so agreed.10 
18  STATEMENT ON COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA – STATEMENT BY 
PANAMA (WT/GC/M/150) 
18.1.  At the March meeting, the representative of Panama made a statement on its commercial 
relations with Venezuela.  
18.2.  The representatives of the Bolivarian Repub lic of Venezuela; Plurinational State of Bolivia; 
Cuba; Nicaragua; and Ecuador spoke. The General Council took note of the statements. 
19  UNITED NATIONS DESIGNATED INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SIDS – STATEMENT 
BY BARBADOS (WT/GC/M/152) 
19.1.  At the July meeting, the representative of Barbados provided a detailed update on the 
United Nations Designated International Year of the SIDS.  
19.2.  The representative of New Zealand spoke. The General Council took note of the statements. 
20  WITHDRAWAL OF INVOCATION OF AR TICLE XIII WITH RESPECT TO CHINA – 
STATEMENT BY EL SALVADOR (WT/GC/M/152) 
20.1.  At the July meeting, the representative of El Salvador informed Members that as of 
2 July 2014, its Government had withdrawn its reservation under Article XIII of the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization with respect to the People's Republic of China reflected in document WT/L/926.  
20.2.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
21  WITHDRAWAL OF NOTIFICATION UN DER ARTICLE XXVIII – STATEMENT BY 
UKRAINE (WT/GC/M/153) 
21.1.  At the October meeting, the representative  of Ukraine informed Members of the withdrawal 
of Communication G/SECRET/34, dated 12 September 2012, concerning negotiations and 
consultations for modification of certain concessions included in Schedule CLXII – Ukraine under Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994. 
21.2.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
22  WTO PENSION PLAN 22.1  Election of Chairperson, Members, and Alternates to the Management Board 
(WT/GC/M/150 and WT/GC/M/152) 
22.1.  Article 4(a) of the Regulations of the WTO Pension Plan provides, inter alia , for the election 
by the General Council of a Chairperson, four members and four alternates to the Management Board of the Pension Plan, each for a three-year term. 
                                               
10 The decision can be found in document WT/L/933. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  22.2.  At the March meeting, the Chairman, in a communication circulated in document 
WT/GC/W/679, indicated that the term of office  of the current membership of the Management 
Board would expire on 7 May 2014. He proposed that the General Council agree to elect the candidates whose names were listed in that document, to serve in those positions on the Pension 
Plan Management Board for a three-year term.  
22.3.  The General Council so agreed.
11 
22.4.  At the July meeting, the Chairman, in a communication circulated in document 
WT/GC/W/683, indicated that a member, Ms Aiko Kimura (Japan), previously elected to the 
Management Board by the General Council, was no longer available to serve on the Board, and that it was therefore necessary for the Council to decide on her replacement. He proposed that the General Council agree to elect Mr Robert Prochazka (Austria) to serve as member on the 
Management Board for the remainder of the term.  
22.5.  The General Council so agreed.
12  
22.2  Annual Report and Letter of Final Comm ents on the Financial Statements of the 
WTO Pension Plan (WT/GC/M/152) 
22.6.  At the July meeting, the Chairman of the Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan 
introduced the Annual Report of the Management Board for 2013 contained in document 
WT/L/924, and the Letter of Final Comments on th e Financial Statements of the WTO Pension Plan 
for the Financial Year ended on 31 December 2013 in document WT/L/925/Rev.1.  
22.7.  The General Council took note of the A nnual Report, the Letter of Final Comments, and of 
the statement. 
22.3  Agreement on the Transfer of Pension Rights of Participants in the WTO Pension 
Plan (WTOPP) and in the Coordinated Agencies Plans (WT/GC/M/152) 
22.8.  At the July meeting, the Chairman drew  attention to WT/GC/W/682 and reported that the 
WTOPP Management Board had recently approved extending the agreement to three additional 
coordinated agencies, subject to the concurrence of the General Council: The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT); European Institute for 
Securities Studies (ISS); European Union Satellite Centre (Satcen). He proposed that the General 
Council take note of his statement and concur wi th extending the Agreement on the Transfer of 
Pension Rights of participants in the WTO Pensio n Plan and the Coordinated Agencies plans to the 
three agencies he had just mentioned.  
22.9.  The General Council so agreed. 
23  ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES FOR MEMBERS IN ARREARS (WT/GC/M/150; 
WT/GC/M/151; WT/GC/M/152; AND WT/GC/M/153) 
23.1.  In October 2012, the General Council approved a recommendation from the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration regarding revised Administrative Measures for Members in arrears, as contained in WT/BFA/132, Annex I. Th ese 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 Chairman 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 II and III to 
inform the Secretariat as to when the payment of arrears might be expected. 
23.2.  At the General Council meetings in March, May, July and October, the Chairman of the 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration provided information with regard to which 
Members were under Administrative Measures. The General Council took note of the statements. 
                                               
11 The decision can be found in document WT/L/922. 
12 The decision can be found in document WT/L/934. WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  24  APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS TO WTO BODIES (WT/GC/M/150; WT/GC/M/152; AND 
WT/GC/M/153) 
24.1.  At the March meeting, the Chairman recalle d that in accordance with the Guidelines for 
Appointment of Officers to WTO Bodies approved by the General Council in December 2002 
(WT/L/510), he, together with his colleagues – Ambassador Fried (Canada), Chairman of the 
Dispute Settlement Body, and Ambassador Matus (Chile), former Chairman of the General Council – had conducted consultations with Delegations on a slate of names for the appointment of Chairs 
to WTO regular bodies listed in Groups 1, 2, 4 an d 5 in the Annex to the Guidelines. They had also 
consulted on the appointment of Chairpersons to four negotiating bodies, namely: the Committee on Trade and Environment in Special Session, the Committee on Trade and Development in Special Session, the TRIPS Council in Special Session and the Services Council in Special Session. 
In undertaking the process set out in the Guidelines, he had put into effect the practical steps to 
improve their implementation agreed by the General Council in July 2012 (JOB/GC/22).  
24.2.  In line with the practical steps, they had started their consultations by meeting first with 
Group Coordinators. Subsequently, and in accordance  with Paragraph 7(d) of the Guidelines, they 
had provided a specified time-period in which th ey would be available to hear the views and 
suggestions of interested delegations. Those co nsultations had taken place over two weeks, in 
order to provide a greater opportunity for all interested delegations to meet with them. They had 
consulted all delegations that had come forward and had requested a meeting, and regularly had kept Group Coordinators informed of progress. Th at process had included an informal open-ended 
Heads-of-Delegation meeting which had been held the previous day. 
24.3.  On the WTO regular bodies, based on consultations, there was a consensus on the following 
slate of names: 
General Council 
 H.E. Mr. Jonathan FRIED (Canada) 
Dispute Settlement Body 
 H.E. Mr Fernando DE MATEO (Mexico) 
Trade Policy Review Body 
 H.E. Ms Mariam MD SALLEH (Malaysia) 
Council for Trade in Goods 
 H.E. Mr Joaquim REITER (Sweden) 
Council for Trade in Services 
 H.E. Mr CHOI Seokyoung (Rep. of Korea) 
Council for TRIPS 
 H.E. Mr Mothusi PALAI (Botswana) 
Committee on Trade and 
  Development H.E. Mr Pierre Claver NDAYIRAGIJE (Burundi) 
Committee on Balance-of- 
  Payments Restrictions H.E. Mr Martin EYJÓLFSSON (Iceland) 
Committee on Budget, Finance  
  and  Administration H.E. Mr Francisco LIMA (El Salvador) 
Committee on Trade and  
  Environment H.E. Ms Päivi KAIRAMO (Finland) 
Committee on Regional Trade  
  Agreements H.E. Francisco PIREZ GORDILLO (Uruguay) 
Working Group on Trade, Debt and  
  Finance H.E. Mr Bertrand de CROMBRUGGHE de 
PICQUENDAELE (Belgium) 
Working Group on Trade and  
  Transfer of Technology  H.E. Mr Abdolazeez AL-OTAIBI (Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia) WT/GC/W/687 
 
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  24.4.  Appointments for those bodies would be for one year, in keeping with the general rule in the 
Guidelines. The appointments would be made fo rmally by the WTO bodies concerned at their 
subsequent meetings in 2014. 
24.5.  On the negotiating bodies, following consultations, there was consensus on the following 
appointments: 
Committee on Trade and 
  Development in Special Session 
 H.E. Mr Harald NEPLE (Norway) 
Committee on Trade and  
  Environment in Special Session H.E. Ms Wiboonlasana RUAMRAKSA (Thailand) 
 
Council for TRIPS in Special Session 
  
H.E. Mr Dacio CASTILLO (Honduras) 
Council for Services in Special Session  H.E. Mr Gabriel DUQUE (Colombia) 
24.6.  Those appointments would also be made formally by the bodies concerned at their next 
meeting. The General Council took note of the statement and of the consensus on the slate of names for the appointment of officers. 
24.7.  The representatives of Chinese Taipei; Do minican Republic; and Lesotho (on behalf of the 
African Group); and the Chairman spoke. 
24.8.  In keeping with Paragraph 7.3 of the Guidel ines for Appointment of Officers to WTO Bodies 
– the outgoing Chairpersons of the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG) and the Council for Trade in 
Services (CTS) were to conduct consultations to select Chairpersons for the bodies established 
under their respective Councils. In relation to this, both Chairpersons announced that they would be starting consultations for the appointment of Chairpersons of the subsidiary bodies of the 
Council for Trade in Goods and Trade in Services. The General Council took note of the statements. 
24.9.  At the July meeting, the Chairman announced that Ambassador Joakim Reiter (Sweden) 
would soon relinquish his post and it would be necessary to hold consultations to appoint a new 
Chair for the Council for Trade in Goods. He intend ed to take up consultations on that appointment 
after the summer break, with the assistance of Ambassador Fernando De Mateo (Mexico), Chairman of the Dispute Settlement Body.  
24.10.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
24.11.  At the October meeting, the Chairman reported that having followed the guidelines in 
WT/L/510 and the practical steps built by Member s, consensus was reached on the appointment of 
Ambassador Atanas Atanassov Paparizov (Bulgaria) as Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods 
for the remainder of the term. Ambassador Paparizov would formally be appointed at the next 
meeting of the Goods Council. 
24.12.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
25  ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON (WT/GC/M/150) 
25.1.  At the March meeting, the Chairman, as the outgoing presiding officer of the General 
Council, made a statement. The General Council then unanimously elected H.E. Mr Jonathan Fried 
(Canada) to the Chair.  
25.2.  The Director-General, the newly-elected Chairman, and the representatives of Japan and 
European Union spoke.  The General Council took note of the statements. 
 
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