RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/ 410 
 
14 February 201 7 
(17-0860) Page: 1/7 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
 OUTSTANDING CONTRIBU TIONS FROM MEMBERS A ND OBSERVERS  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This memorandum summarizes the situation with respect to  Members ' and Observers' 
contribution s as at 31 December 201 6. It also provides information and recommendations 
regarding the situatio n of Members  and Observers  subject to Administrative Measures and 
Members  following a payment  plan as at 10 Februa ry 2017. 
2  MEMBERS CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 201 6 
2.1.  The WTO received a total amount of 201.8 MCHF from Members in 201 6. The rate of 
contribu tion received in 2016  is the highest to date , including the annual contribution for 2016 and 
arrears of contributions . 
Figure 1 Total a nnual receipt  (in MCHF ) 
190.3192.0196.4198.8 198.3
191.1201.8
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
 
Table 1 Members' contributions received in 201 6 
Receipt per c ontribution year  MCHF  
2016 contri butions representing 96% of assessed contributions  186.9  
2015 outstanding contributions  13.9 
Prior to 2015 contributions  1.0 
Total 201.8  
 WT/BFA/W/ 410 
 
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  Table 2 Members' outstanding contributions as at 31 December 2016  
Outstanding per c ontribution year  MCHF 
2016 c ontributions  8.6 
2015 contributions  1.8 
Prior to 2015 contributions  6.1 
Total 16.5 
2.2.  The outstanding  Members'  contributions amount to 16.5 MCHF at the end of 2016; 
decreasing by more than 30% compared to last year .  
 Two new Members acceded to WTO in 201 6: Afghanis tan and Liberia;  
 97 Members have no outstanding balance as at 31 December 2016;  
 67 Members have an outstanding balance  amounting to a total of 16 .5 MCHF.  
Figure 2 Members' outstanding contributions at year -end (in MCHF ) 
24.631.5 31.3 31.0
27.6
25.3 25.4 25.9
23.725.925.1
22.0
19.323.7
16.5
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
 
 
3  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO A DMINISTRATIVE MEASURES   
3.1.  As at 31 December  2016: 
a. Thirteen  Members were subject to Administrative Measures for a total amount 
outstanding of 6.7 MCHF , representing 40% of the total amount outstanding.   
Table 3 Members under Administrative Measures  as at 31 Dec ember 2016  
Cat. I (5)  Cat. II (3)  Cat. III (5)  
Cameroon  Dominica  Central African Republic  
Congo  Suriname  Djibouti*  
Dominican Republic  Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic 
of Guinea -Bissau  
Vanuatu   Mauritania  
Yemen   Niger*  
*  Members not compliant  with paym ent plan  terms  as their part of their agreed 2016 contribution to their 
payment plan is still outstanding.  
 WT/BFA/W/ 410 
 
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  3.2.  As at 10 February 2017: 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Members subject to Administrative Measures is 
updated with the annual assessed cont ributions.  
Table 4 Members under Administrative Measures  as at 10 February 2017  
Cat. I ( 18) Cat. II ( 4) Cat. III ( 11) 
Afghanistan  Cameroon  Burundi*  
Antigua and Barbuda  Congo  Central African Republic  
Benin  Dominican Republic  Djibouti*  
Bolivia, Plurina tional State of  Vanuatu  Dominica  
Democratic Republic of the 
Congo   The Gambia*  
El Salvador   Guinea -Bissau  
Grenada   Mauritania  
Guinea   Niger*  
Lesotho   Sierra Leone*  
Malawi   Suriname  
Mozambique   Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic 
of 
Papua New Guinea    
Paraguay    
Rwanda    
Saint Vincent and the 
Grenadines    
Solomon Islands    
Swaziland    
Uganda    
*  Members not compliant  with payment plan  terms . 
 
b. Thirty -three  Members are subject to Administrative Measures with a total amount 
outstanding of 11.1 MCHF i ncluding 2017 contributions:  
 
 Two Members who acceded to WTO in the last five years (Afghanistan in Category I and 
Vanuatu in Category II);  
 Two Members whose payment plans were cancelled (Central African Republic and 
Mauritania in Category  III); 
 Five Membe rs who did not comply with their payment plans as they have an outstanding 
amount due for 2016 and, are therefore back to Category III (Burundi,  Djibouti, 
The Gambia, Niger and Sierra Leone).  
c. In February 201 7, the Director -General wrote to Ministers of all  the above  Members in 
order to urge their country to liquidate their arrears.  
4  OBSERVERS CONTRIBUTIONS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 201 6 
4.1.  The WTO received a total amount of  CHF 600,841 from Observers in 201 6. 
Table 5 Observers' contributions received in 201 6 
Receipt pe r contribution year  CHF 
(in thousands)  
2016 contributions representing 69% of assessed contributions  435 
2015 outstanding contributions  107 
Prior to 2015 contributions  59 
Total 601 WT/BFA/W/ 410 
 
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4.2.  The outstanding  Observers'  contributions amount to CHF 582,231  at the end of 201 6; a 
decrease of 1.5% compared to last year . 
Table 6 Observers' outstanding contributions as at 31 December 2016  
Outstanding per c ontribution year  CHF 
(in thousands)  
2016 contributions  157 
2015 contributions  59 
Prior to 2015 contributions  366 
Total 582 
 
 Two new Observers acceded to WTO in 2016: Somalia  and Timor -Leste;  
 Thirteen  Observers have no outstanding balance  as at 31 December 201 6; 
 Nine Observers have an outstanding balance amounting to a total of CHF 582,231 . 
Figure 3 Observers' o utstanding contributions at year -end (in MCHF ) 
0.580.670.83 0.840.891.131.24
1.041.16
1.07
0.98
0.560.520.59 0.58
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
 
 
5  OBSERVERS SUBJECT TO  ADMINISTRATIVE MEASU RES  
5.1.  As at 31 D ecember  2016: 
a. Three  Observe rs were subject to Administrative  Measures for a total amount outstanding 
of CHF 483,648 , representing 83% of the total amo unt outstanding.  
Table 7 Observers  under Administrative Measures  as at 31 December 201 6 
Cat. I ( 1) Cat. II (1 ) Cat. III (1)  
Sudan  Libya  Sao Tomé and Principe  
 
5.2.  As at 10 February  2017: 
a. At the start of every year, the list of Observers subject to Administra tive Measures is 
updated with the annual assessed contributions . 
b. Five Observ ers are subject to Administrative Measures with a t otal amount outstanding 
of CHF 688,923 including 201 7 contributions . WT/BFA/W/ 410 
 
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  Table 8 Observe rs under Administrative Measures  as at 1 0 Feb ruary 2017  
Cat. I ( 2) Cat. II (1 ) Cat. III ( 2) 
Lebanese Republic  Sudan  Libya  
Uzbekistan   Sao Tomé and Principe  
 
c. In February 201 7, the Director -General wrote to Ministers of all the above Observers in 
order to urge their country to liquidate their arrear s. 
6  MEMBERS SUBJECT TO PAYMENT  PLAN S 
6.1.  The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members in 
Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of instalment payments aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.  
6.2.  The General  Council ha s approved payment plans for 13 Members in the last eight years. 
Four Members settled their payment plans in anticipation in the last six years: Gabon (in 2012), 
Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo (in 2013)  and, Togo (in 2015) .  
6.3.  Central Afri can Republic  and Mauritania have not complied with the ir payment plan s. As the 
terms were not respected for a period of three years, their payment plan s are no longer valid . 
6.4.  The seven  remaining  Members following a payment  plan have total arrears amounting to 
3.4 MCHF  at the end of 201 6: Burundi, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, The Gambia, Niger and 
Sierra  Leone.  
7  RECO MMENDATION  
7.1.  The Committee invites  the General Council to urge Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures to liquidate their arrears.   
_______________  
 
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  ANNEX  1 
ADMINISTRATIVE MEASUR ES FOR MEMBERS AND OBSE RVERS IN ARREARS  
 
Category  Administrative Measures  
I After one but less than two full year's  assessed contributions remain outstanding at 
the end of the year:  
1. Representatives of Members will not be nominated to preside over WTO bodies  
2. Documentation will not be posted to delegations in Geneva nor to the Members' 
and Observers' capitals.  
3. At the beginning of each year, the Director -General will notify the Ministers of 
the Members and Observ ers responsible for the WTO of the applicable 
administrative measures.  
4. The Director -General will contact annually the Minister of the Members' and 
Observers' responsible for the WTO, or any other official at the appropriate 
level emphasizing the question o f arrears.  
5. The Secretariat will report annually to the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration on the implementation of administrative measures.  
6. Members and Observers will be subject to specific reporting  at the General 
Council meetings.1 
II After two but less than three full year's  assessed contributions remain outstanding 
at the end of the year, in addition to the measures of Category  I: 
1. The access of the WTO Members' web site will be discontinued.2 
2. The ability of Members to act on the recommend ations by the Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administration to the General Council on financial matters 
will be removed.  
3. Observers will be denied access to training or technical assistance.  
4. The Chairs of the accession working group of Observers will remi nd the 
delegation of Observers, during their working group meeting, of their financial 
obligations.  
III After three full year's  assessed contributions remain outstanding at the end of the 
year, in addition to the measures of Categories I and II:  
1. Members a nd Observers will be designated as Inactive Members and Inactive 
Observers, respectively.  
2. Inactive Members will be denied access to training or technical assistance other 
than that necessary to meet their WTO Article XIV -2 obligations.  
3. The accession workin g groups do not meet either formally or informally.  
WTO will suspend its request for annual contributions from Inactive Observers.  
Request for annual contributions will resume the year the Observers are not 
anymore designated as Inactive.3 
4. Inactive Membe rs and Observers taking the floor in the General Council will be 
identified as such.  
 
                                                
1 See General Council procedures.  
2 Applicable to Members and Observers. Under current policy, Observers have a differentiated access to 
documents post ed on the Members' Website.  
3 To be enforced starting 1 January 2013.  WT/BFA/W/ 410 
 
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GENERAL COUNCIL PROC EDURES FOR MEMBERS A ND OBSERVERS  
SUBJECT TO ADMINISTR ATIVE MEASURES  
 
 
At the beginning of each calendar year,  the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration will notify to the General Council the list of Members and Observers under 
Administrative Measures, with a recommendation that these Members and Observers be urged to 
liquidate their arrears.  
 
At the end of each meeting of the General Counci l, the Chairman of the Committee 
on Budget, Finance and Administration will provide information with regard to which Members and 
Observers are under Administrative Measures. The Chairman of the General Council will request 
Members and Observers in Categori es II and III to inform the Secretariat as to when the payment  
of arrears may be expected.  
 
Each year  the Director General will report on the results of his contacts with Members’ 
and Observers’ authorities on the issue of arrears.  
 
 
* * * * * * *  
 
 
SPECIA L PROVISIONS FOR THE  SUSPENSION OF ADMINI STRATIVE MEASURES  
FOR INACTIVE MEMBERS  AND OBSERVERS4 
 
 
The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Members 
in Category III which agree to, and abide by, a defined schedule of instalment  payment s aimed at 
liquidating all arrears.5 
 
Those Members with pre -1988 arrears that were assessed at the minimum contribution 
may benefit from a reduction in those arrears to the level of the 1989 minimum contribution. For 
each full payment  of an  annual contribution between 1988 and 1994, any contracting party with 
pre-1988 arrears may cancel an equal number of assessments for 1987 and ea rlier years upon 
payment  of the  1989 minimum contribution amounting to CHF  19,137. The difference between a 
pre-1988 assessment and the payment  of CHF  19,137 would be funded by the Miscellaneous 
Income  of the  WTO.6 
 
The General Council can suspend the application of Administrative Measures for Observers 
that are in Category III on 1 January 2013, which agree to, an d abide by, a defined schedule of 
installment payment s aimed at liquidating all arrears.   
 
 
__________  
 
 
                                                
4 Notwithstanding  the WTO Financial Regulations (WT/L/156/Rev 2).  
5 Amend earlier decisions of the General Council  in 1988 ( C/M/226 ) and 1994 (C/M/273) to reflect the 
reduced number of c ategories.  
6 As approved by the General Council in 1994 (C/M/273).