RESTRICTED  
  
WT/GC/M/157  
 
22 June 2015  
(15-3221)  Page: 1/23  
General Council 
5 May 2015    
 
  
 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
HELD IN THE CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD ON 5 MAY 2015 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr Fern ando de Mateo (Mexico) 
A Formal TNC Meeting was held on 27 April 2015. The minutes of this meeting are contained in 
TN/C/M/36. At the request of the Director-General, his statement, together with the reports of the 
Chairs of the Negotiating Bodies (JOB/TNC/47), as well as all statements made by delegations at 
the TNC meeting as contained in TN/C/M/36 are incorporated by reference into the records of the 
General Council meeting and shall fo rm an integral part thereof. 
 
In the course of the Council meeting the Chairm an, the Director-General and several delegations 
welcomed the Republic of Seychelles as the 161st Member of the WTO. Ambassador Selby Pillay 
(Republic of Seychelles) delivered a statement to the Council.1  
 
Subjects discussed:2 
 
1   LAUNCH OF THE LOGO OF THE TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL 
CONFERENCE – STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ................................................ 2  
2   REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE .................... 3  
3   IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALI OU TCOMES – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN ........... 7  
4   WORK PROGRAMME ON SMALL ECONOMIES – REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF 
THE DEDICATED SESSION OF THE COMMI TTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ............. 10  
5   TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CO NFERENCE ................................................ 11  
5.1   Election of Officers .................................................................................................... 11 
5.2   Attendance of Observers from Governments and International Intergovernmental 
Organiza tions ................................................................................................................. . 12 
5.3   Attendance of Non-Governmental Organizations ............................................................ 12 
5.4   Progress report on logistical preparat ions – Statement by the Chairman of the MC10 
Task Force .................................................................................................................... .. 13 
6   WAIVERS UNDER ARTICLE IX  OF THE WTO AGREEMENT ........................................... 15  
6.1   United States – Caribbean Basin Econ omic Recovery Act (CBERA as amended) – 
Draft Decision ................................................................................................................ . 15 
7   IMPROVING THE GUIDELINES FOR GRANTING INTERGOVERNMENTAL 
ORGANIZATIONS PERMANENT OBSERVER STATUS IN THE WTO – STATEMENT BY 
THE CHAIRMAN .............................................................................................................. 17  
                                               
1 The statement delivered by Ambass ador Pillay (Republic of Seychelles) is reproduced in Annex I.  
2 The proposed agenda was circulated in WT/GC/W/698. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  8   COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION - REPORT ON 
MEETING OF MARCH 2015 .............................................................................................. 17  
9   WTO PENSION PLAN MANAGEMENT BO ARD – ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN – 
PROPOSAL BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GENERA L COUNCI L ............................................ 18  
10   MEETING IN MARRAKESH ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF  THE WTO ....................... 18  
11   CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AND OF 
THE COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS – STATEMENT BY THE 
CHAIRMAN ..................................................................................................................... 20 
12   STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN IN CONNECTION WITH ADMINSTRATIVE 
MAESURES FOR MEMBER S IN ARRE ARS ......................................................................... 20  
ANNEX I: STATEMENT BY THE SEYCHELLES .................................................................... 21  
ANNEX II: STATEMENT BY THE OECS ON CBERA - REQUEST FOR A WAIVER 
UNDER ARTICLE IX OF THE WTO AGREEMENT - DELIVERED AT THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GO ODS HELD IN MARCH 2015  .......................................... 23
 
 
 1  LAUNCH OF THE LOGO OF THE TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE – 
STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 
1.1.  The Chairman invited the Director-General to launch the official logo of the Tenth Session of 
the Ministerial Conference, to be held in Nairobi, in December.  
1.2.  The Director-General said he was delighted to be launching the logo for the 10th Ministerial 
Conference, which was being launched simultaneously in Nairobi that morning. He recalled that 
when Members agreed to hold MC10 in Nairobi in December 2014, Minister Amina Mohamed accepted the honour not just on behalf of Kenya, but on behalf of Africa as a whole. The logo had 
been developed in close cooperation with the Host Government, and as such it reflected this 
important dimension. It was his hope that each time Members saw the logo they would be reminiscent of the many people in Africa, and a ll over the world, who were counting on Members 
to deliver substantive outcomes in Nairobi whic h would support much-needed global growth and 
development. He thought it was appropriate for the first WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Africa to be one which delivered for Africa.   
1.3.  The representative of Kenya thanked the Di rector-General for his statement on the launch of 
the Logo of the Tenth Session of the Ministerial Conference, and expressed the appreciation of the 
Government of Kenya to the WTO Secretariat for its collaboration in its design and finalization. A launching ceremony of the MC10 logo was simultaneously being held in Nairobi, with a lot of 
publicity not only on the Conference itself, but also on the important contribution that the WTO 
could make in expanding international trade and in vestments, in creating jobs, and lifting many 
people out of poverty, particularly in developing and least-developed countries. He noted that, the 
finalization of the Logo and its timely launch was an important milestone in the preparations of 
MC10.  
1.4.  He assured Members that other aspects of the Ministerial Conference preparations, including 
logistical preparations, were progressing smoothly in Nairobi. The National Preparatory Committee 
established by the Host Government was working continuously with the support and cooperation of 
the Secretariat. More information on the progress of the preparatory process would be provided by 
the Chairman of the MC10 Task Force under Agenda  item 5 (D). Arrangements for the organization 
of an information session at the WTO were under way. During the information session officials 
from the National Preparatory Committee would br ief Members on the logistical preparations for 
the 10
th WTO Ministerial Conference. 
1.5.  He pointed out that with the launch of the Logo, Members needed to accelerate momentum 
on the substance, including the conclusion of th e Post-Bali work program. In this regard, the 
Government of Kenya was committed to playing its role as the Host Government with a view to having a successful MC10 outcome. Finally, he in formed Members that the Kenyan Mission in 
Geneva was available to delegations for consultation, assistance or clarification on issues relating 
to the preparations for MC10.  WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  1.6.  The General Council took note of the stat ements made by the Director-General and the 
representative of Kenya. 
2  REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRADE NEGOTI ATIONS COMMITTEE 
2.1.  The Chairman invited the Director-General, C h a i r m a n  o f  t h e  T N C ,  t o  r e p o r t  o n  t h e  T N C ' s  
activities since his last report to the Council. 
2.2.  The Director-General, Chairman of the TNC3, recalled that since the General Council in 
February, the TNC had held its 36th formal meeting on 27 April. He had also convened a Room W 
meeting on 18 March. At both meetings, Members had had an opportunity to review their progress 
in developing a work program on the remaining DDA issues by July this year. At the formal TNC, Members had heard directly from the Chairs of negotiating bodies on their recent consultations. The full texts of the Chairs reports, together with his assessment had been made available to 
delegations in document JOB/TNC/47. In order to avoid a repetition of the discussions he 
considered that it made sense to add all the statements that had been made at the TNC to the 
record of this meeting unless otherwise requeste d by delegates. As a result, his statement, 
statements from the Chairs, and statements from Members – would be reflected in the minutes of 
the TNC, which would be included in the record of the General Council.  
2.3.  At the TNC, he reported that Members had had the opportunity to express their views on the 
way forward. Overall he believed that the exchan ge of views on the progress being made and on 
the challenges still faced had been useful. He drew three conclusions on what he had heard from Chairs at the TNC, and also from his own consultations.  
2.4.  To reiterate his assessment, he reported that firstly, a lot of good work had been done in the 
past few weeks, particularly in the three core ar eas. This positive engagement was essential, but 
Members could not escape the fact that there were "gateway" issues that needed to be tackled very quickly. However at the TNC, many delega tions had noted the need to be aware of the 
damaging consequences that any kind of de-facto sequencing may have.  
2.5.  Secondly, development and LDC issues must  continue to remain central to Members work, 
and this was a clear message from many delegations and groups at the TNC. In connection to this, 
he pointed out that the 5
th Global Review of Aid for Trade in June would provide an important focus 
to the development component of delegations work . The Global Review would also mark the re-
launch of the Enhanced Integrated Framework for the LDCs. He would closely remain engaged with broader efforts such as the UN's work on fina ncing for development and discussions on the post-
2015 development agenda. Still speaking on LDC concerns, he raised the issue of the 
operationalization of the LDC Services Waiver, an d recalled the very successful high-level meeting 
on this issue in February. Over 25 Members indica ted LDC services sectors and modes of supply to 
which they would give preferential treatment. However, so far, only one Member had followed 
through and submitted a notification. He thought it was very important that Members deliver on these commitments – keeping in mind the agreed indicative timeline of the end of July.  
2.6.  Thirdly, while progress had been difficult, engagement levels had been very high, and there 
were reasons to be positive. Delegations had been constructive and had moved to a solution-finding mode. A number of new ideas and papers had emerged. Delegates now had a number of areas where there were potential outcomes that could be acceptable to all Members. He believed 
that what was important now was to begin to seek an overall balance. So far, the key potential 
trade-offs between the different areas were not clearly on the table.  
2.7.  This was why, as announced at the TNC, he would increasingly look at ways to facilitate a 
discussion on the horizontal trade-offs, including through the Room W process. The importance of 
the horizontal process underlined how vital it was for substantive movement in all areas be made to facilitate trade-offs. Members and Groups had emphasized at the TNC meeting that delegates 
must not only bear in mind the mandate from Ministers, but crucially, must deliver on it – and to 
do so with an appropriate level of ambition. He re-emphasized his statement at the TNC, that 
                                               
3 The Director-General's statement was circulated as JOB/GC/77. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  whatever the nature of the work program Members wo uld deliver in July, it had to be credible. He 
stated that in his view the work program must fulfil three criteria:  
 It must be substantive and meaningful;  
 It must provide clear guidance on how to conclude the negotiations; and  
 It must be a springboard to a successful MC10.  
 
2.8.  Following the realistic assessment of progre ss at last week's meeting, he believed Members 
all shared the same sense of urgency. His consultations would be intensified in the coming weeks 
together with the negotiating group Chairs and the Chairman of the General Council. But progress would be up to delegates. He urged members to redouble efforts, to stay engaged, to keep being creative, to keep bringing fresh ideas to the table, and to stay focused on what was doable stating 
"We can provide the pitch, the ball, an d the kit — but you are the players." 
2.9.  The representative of Guatemala, on behalf of the SVEs, thanked the DG for his report on the 
state of play, and also thanked the Chairs of the different negotiating groups for their reports and 
for involving the SVEs Group in their consultations. He stated that the principles of bottom-up, 
transparency and inclusiveness were essential to the Group and encouraged that the efforts being made to ensure these principles continued to gu ide the negotiations should be continued. The 
SVEs were committed to advance on the Post-Bali work program in order to reach an agreement 
by the deadline of July 2015. This was why SVEs  saw the importance of highlighting again the 
elements that were essential for the Group on the different negotiation topics.  
2.10.  With regard to Agriculture, the Group thanked Members for the assurance that no new 
market access would be sought from SVEs. The Group wished to emphasize once again that any 
outcome in the Agriculture negotiations had to take into account the special circumstances of SVEs and preserve the flexibilities for SVE countries in all the three pillars. She believed that the Rev.4. 
Modalities text should be the basis of discussion in this area.  
2.11.  With reference to NAMA negotiations, SVEs welcomed the recognition expressed by 
Members in preserving the flexibilities for SVEs, in cluding flexibilities applicable to SVEs on binding 
coverage. The treatment that was currently reflected in the texts on NAMA were the minimum 
flexibilities needed to achieve a balanced outcome in the negotiations. However, if as a result of 
the negotiations the level of ambition was reduced, SVEs would expect a consequent reduction in the commitments for the Group.  
2.12.  With regard to Services, SVEs underscored that Members, in accordance with the objectives 
of the DDA had to ensure that the developmen t objective of the Round were central to the 
negotiations on trade in services, and should be included in any negotiated outcome. In that 
regard, the negotiations under the market access pillar of trade in services had to, first and 
foremost, take into consideration the sectors and modes of supply which were of interest to developing countries. GATS Article XIX and Article IV, Annex C of the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Declaration and the Guidelines and Procedures on the Negotiations in Trade in Services continued 
to be the cornerstones for the Group deliberations for trade in services. The negotiations on services should therefore continue to be guided by  the flexibilities afforded to developing countries 
in Article XIX:2. SVEs believed that the process of liberalization should, as had been elaborated in 
the Guidelines and Procedures on the Negotiatio ns in Trade in Services, take place with due 
respect for national policy objectives, the level of development and the size of economies of individual Members. For the Group, it was important that due consideration be given to proposals 
on trade-related concerns of small economies as  highlighted in Paragraph 8 of Annex C of the 
Hong Kong Declaration. This was critical to realize the fuller integration of small, vulnerable economies into the multilateral trading system.  
2.13.   In addition to the those core areas in  the Round, SVEs agreed with the Chair of the TNC 
that progress must be made towards agreeing on a post-Bali work program across all negotiating areas and Members could not afford to work only on selected negotiating mandates. This was why the SVEs Group remained ready to participate in future consultations including the horizontal 
process, and would continue contributing in a constructive manner to achieve a balanced work 
program in July, which could pave the way to a successful Ministerial in Nairobi.   WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  2.14.  The representative of Bangladesh, on behalf  of the LDCs, thanked the Chairs of the different 
negotiating bodies and Members for their increa sed engagement and consultations in different 
negotiating areas, including areas of particular interest to LDCs. However, the Group expressed 
disappointment that no substantive agreement ha d been reached to date among key Members. 
Given the fact that Members had to prepare a clear, precise and defined work program by 
July 2015, delegations should optimally utilize the short time to narrow down divergences and forge consensus. In view of the limited time available, Members needed to remain engaged in 
consultations. He stressed that the needs of small and less resourced missions had to be taken 
into account in the scheduling of meetings with the view to ensuring LDCs full participation. 
2.15.  The Group understood that the outcome of  the Tenth Ministerial Conference depended on 
the substance and choreography of  the post-Bali work program, therefore, Members all needed to 
constructively remain engaged in developing it. The LDC Group emphasized that LDCs concerns 
and aspirations needed to be well reflected in the work program.  
2.16.  The Group mentioned that without a logical and tangible output on key areas which included 
Agriculture, NAMA, Services, Development and LDC issues, the DDA should not be concluded. 
Similarly, there should be meaningful outcomes on Rules (subsidies, countervailing, anti-dumping 
and RTA) for the Doha Round to be concluded in a meaningful way. The Group reiterated that the 
principle of the single undertaking embodied in paragraph 47 of the Doha Declaration had to be 
respected as negotiations moved ahead on all DDA issues. 
2.17.  Agriculture, he said, would set the level of ambition in the negotiations, and there should be 
a balance between Agriculture, NAMA and Services. Development should be the centre of 
negotiations and the principle of the single undertaking should be preserved in line with 
paragraph 47. Members had to focus on the conclusion of the DDA without introducing new issues. The draft modalities texts should be the basis of negotiations. Language on Special and Differential 
Treatment for LDCs and developing countries should be preserved. Furthermore, the Group 
indicated its interest in discussions on domestic support especially those that distort the market, as well as export competition in line with the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. LDC products 
should be mandatorily given 100% DFQF. In NAMA, market access alone in the traditional sense 
was not the key concern for most LDCs, which was more related to non-tariff barriers (NTBs). Members should therefore give practical effect to the agreement to eliminate all NTBs on products originating from LDCs. 
2.18.  With regard to Services, the Group stated that work had to proceed on the basis of Annex C 
of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, which, inter alia , called upon Members to pursue the full 
and effective implementation of the modalities for the special treatment of LDC Members in the 
negotiations on trade in services. All S&D treatmen t enshrined in the GATS Articles IV.3 and XIX.2 
had to be adhered to. This included the flexibility  to open fewer sectors and liberalize fewer types 
of transactions; the right to progressively extend market access in line with development 
situations; and, when making access to its markets available to foreign service suppliers, the 
ability to attach conditions to such access. On the Operationalization of LDCs Services Waiver, the Group urged Members to submit notifications at the earliest possible time, and within the July 2015 deadline and in a precise format that conferred commercially meaningful benefits to 
LDCs.  
2.19.  The LDC Group welcomed the decision to extend the EIF up to 2022, with a two years 
operational period. At the same time, the Group urged Members to scale up contribution in view of 
the inclusion of new aspects to the EIF programme and called on new Members, especially 
emerging ones, to join the EIF Trust Fund with th e launching of EIF second phase. With regard to 
Aid for Trade, LDCs were keenly waiting to participate in the 5
th Global Review of Aid for Trade. 
LDCs expected that the Global Review would help in suggesting ways to channel significant portion 
of Aid for Trade to LDCs to build trade infrastructure. 
2.20.  On TRIPS, he recalled that LDCs had already submitted a duly motivated request to the 
TRIPS Council on the extension of TRIPS complianc e to pharmaceutical products, starting from 
January 2016. He urged Members to consider LDCs' request sympathetically and support the easy 
access to medicine for millions of poor people in LDCs. He called on Members to make a decision on the extension as one of the important output s for the Nairobi Ministerial Conference. On S&D 
treatment, LDCs were about to complete the exerci se on developing textual language to submit it 
before July, and wanted this to be reflected in the July work program. On Cotton, the Group noted WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  that no concrete steps had been taken despite Members repeated promises that LDC specific 
cotton issues would be dealt with ambitiously, ex peditiously and specifically. The Group called on 
Members to live up to their promises. The LDCs supported the C4 in addressing the cotton issue to get results within or outside the agricultural negotiations as a part of the successful conclusion of 
the Doha Development Round. As far as process was concerned, he requested that consultations 
be as inclusive and transparent as possible and, regarding the Director General's-led process, he 
requested that LDCs be invited to attend consultations at the level of Ambassador plus-one, as this 
was the only way LDCs could be accountable and representative to the Group. 
2.21.  The representative of Chile said that over the past weeks work had become more intense 
with a view to achieving results. In Agriculture, NAMA and Services Members had carried out 
analysis, had heard proposals, had held discu ssions and debates. There had been a lot of 
participation both at technical and Ambassadors' level, which showed there was both interest and 
commitment. This dynamism of the WTO negotiat ing pillar, reactivated by the agreements of 
November 2014, reflected the spirit of Bali, and looked to Nairobi as the milestone that should 
mark a new phase for the WTO. The Doha objectives were still very much alive, and Members 
should be able to define the paths to take to meet them, and the tools to use to implement them, in a realistic, positive, imaginative, generous and forward-looking manner.  
2.22.   However, he recognized that it was still too early to talk about convergence especially on 
issues which had been at a standstill for years and still required a lot of reflection. Chile had defined many years ago a development model based on the openness of its economy and with aligning with the highest international standards in the different trade agreements,  together with 
a firm commitment to multilateralism, which was the only area where it was possible for Members 
to ensure global legal certainty. Chile was moving forward in its openness in bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral areas. 
2.23.  He acknowledged the difficulty of achievin g global agreements which satisfied the entire 
membership, and it was for this reason that Chile was ready to help in the process, and this was an on-going commitment. Chile did not agree with working in a sequential manner, and wanted to 
see results in all negotiating areas in Nairobi. Chile therefore believed that repeating the same 
positions was of no benefit, remained open to exploring new ideas and called upon all Members to avoid unyielding positions, so as to be able to move forward. Delegations needed to be creative 
and open-minded. Chile could see potential results in a number of areas.  
2.24.  In agriculture, it was important to Chile that  the outcome on domestic support be better 
than it currently was now and that there be no regression. Chile was therefore open to considering the elements of the pillar with a view to substantial reductions in the domestic subsidies of all the 
Members currently applying them, and believed that  efforts must be stepped up to seek this 
convergence . Regarding market access, Chile's position was clear: it wanted to see substantial 
improvements. In this respect, any safeguard mechanism had to be linked to tariff reduction 
commitments. In principle, Chile did not like safeguard mechanisms, since they were 
unpredictable. However, in order to move forwar d in the negotiations and ensure a successful 
outcome in Nairobi, Chile would agree to seek an alternative, providing that it was as limited as possible. In short, Chile could not support the G33 proposal as it stood, but was open to assessing 
alternatives based on the logic that the best thing would be to have a more ambitious multilateral 
system than the one that currently existed. Furt hermore, the mechanism should not include free 
trade agreements. 
2.25.  In NAMA, his delegation wished to see considerable tariff reductions. However, with a view 
to achieving consensus, Chile remained open to exploring alternatives to move forward. A number 
of possible methods had been suggested, such as average reduction with Swiss formula or revised 
Swiss formula with higher coefficients. These su ggestions needed to be analysed in depth. 
2.26.  Regarding services, there were signs that in market access water could be reduced in the 
commitments, and as regards disciplines, like the majority, Chile felt that national regulations should be part of the work program, focusing on issues that had broad support in the areas of 
transparency and procedural rules. Chile also be lieved that rules should form part of the work 
program and contribute to the outcome of the thr ee main pillars, particularly as regards future 
issues such as the sustainability of world fishery resources. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  2.27.  Chile, like every Member, wanted to see a successful outcome in Nairobi. Efforts needed to 
be stepped up, and capitals needed to be involve since political will was needed to guide the technical work. This responsibility fell to the ambassadors who represented not only their economies at the WTO, but also WTO principles in their respective capitals. Both spheres needed 
to be brought closer together for a successful conclusion to the post-Bali negotiations . 
2.28.  The profound changes that were taking plac e in all areas on a daily basis, the new digital, 
communicational and productive environment, and the political responsibility towards societies to 
build a better world, were the inevitable framework in which present and future work laid. Perhaps 
a long-term strategic perspective based on a future setting in which there were profound changes to humanity would enable Members to see that today they had the opportunity to take a qualitative step forward in trade multilateralism. This would provide the basis for the new phase of 
work after Nairobi. 
2.29.  The representative of Chinese Taipei associ ated her delegation with the statement made by 
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on behalf of the RA Ms Group at the TNC meeting on 27 April. Like 
other Members, she noted the recent active engagement to discuss new ideas and proposals to 
move the Post-Bali work program forward. However, she raised concerns about the lack of concrete progress thus far, in particular that the contours of the work program still could not be 
identified, and about the issue of sequencing ment ioned by some Members. She reiterated that, if 
a balanced, credible and meaningful outcome was going to be achieved at MC10, the three core 
issues — Agriculture, NAMA and Services — should move in parallel and be tackled simultaneously and horizontally. She pointed out there was not the luxury of time for sequencing, as only two 
more months were left before the July deadline. Sequencing was not realistic and workable. 
Besides the three major pillars, Agriculture, NAMA  and Services, Members should not lose sight of 
Rules issues, and anti-dumping in particular.  Anti-dumping measures could be closely related to 
market access issues, as abuse of these measures caused serious trade-distorting effects. It was 
an integral part of the market access negotiations and should be an important component in the work program. Members should therefore resume the discussion on AD very soon. The delegation 
of Chinese Taipei stood ready to engage fully with other Members and to do its best to complete 
the work program by the end of July. 
2.30.  The General Council took note of the Director-General's report and of the statements. 
3  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALI OUTCOMES – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
3.1.  The Chairman4 recalled that this item had been on the agenda since July 2014, to have an 
opportunity to assess the work taking place in those regular bodies which were directly working on 
the various Bali decisions. He recalled that in February Ambassador Fried had provided an 
overview of the areas in the implementation of th e Bali Decisions — his report had been circulated 
to delegations in JOB/GC/75. Since taking over the chairmanship of the General Council, he had continued to keep a dialogue with Chairs of regular bodies, including those with direct Bali 
mandates, and with the chairman of the TNC, to review work in all areas and in particular the work 
taking place in direct follow-up to the mandates in the Bali Ministerial Decisions. In particular, he noted that a productive meeting with the Chairs of regular bodies had been held on 28 April. At that meeting, Chairs had discussed both the work taking place in their bodies, including with 
respect to the implementation of the Bali Decisi ons, and also – more broadly – the work to be 
undertaken in preparation for MC10. 
3.2.  He noted that the TRIPS non-violation and situation complaints Decision taken at MC9 
directed the TRIPS Council to continue its examination of the scope and modalities for complaints 
of so-called non-violation and situation complaints to the TRIPS Agreement and make recommendations to their next Session. It was ag reed that, in the meantime, Members would not 
initiate such complaints under the TRIPS Agre ement. Since then, the Council for TRIPS had 
discussed the matter at each of its formal meetings, and would continue to do so at its next meeting in June, with a view to agreeing on recommendations for MC10. 
3.3.  With regards to Electronic Commerce, at the February General Council meeting, the former 
General Council Chairman had briefly reported on the Tenth Dedicated Discussion on cross-cutting 
                                               
4 The Chairman's statement was subsequently circulated as JOB/GC/78. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  issues held on 16 February. This meeting had been chaired by Ambassador Suescum of Panama on 
behalf of the General Council Chair. With respect to work in the relevant bodies, in the Council for Trade in Services, Members had reverted to the US submission addressing cross-border information flows, localization requirements, privacy protection and cloud computing. It was his 
understanding that the Chairman would hold consultations on possible next steps. He said that e-
commerce was a regular item on the agendas of the Committee on Trade and Development and the Council for Trade in Goods, but there had not been much discussion on the matter at recent 
meetings. He recalled that, the Bali Decision on Electronic Commerce instructed the General 
Council to review progress in the implementation of the Work Programme on E-commerce at its session in July and a more comprehensive report would be provided at that meeting by Ambassador Suescum as well as by th e Chairs of the respective bodies. 
3.4.  On Aid for Trade, he stated that good progress was being made in the implementation of the 
decision which mandated the development of a new AfT Work Programme. The preparatory work 
for the Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade was at an advanc ed stage. The Global Review would be 
held at the WTO on 30 June to 2 July, and the draft programme was available for Members' 
information on the WTO's website. The theme of the 5
th Global Review was "Reducing Trade Costs 
for Inclusive, Sustainable Growth", and the event would comprise high-level plenary sessions, as 
well as side events organized by various Members and AfT partners. 
3.5.  With regard to Trade and Transfer of Te chnology, Members had been following up on the 
Ministerial Decision and had continued to discuss the relationship between Trade and Transfer of 
Technology on the basis of themes identified in th e workshop held on this subject in June 2014. At 
the meeting of the Working Group in March 2 015, Members had discussed the importance of 
technology and technical know-how in improving pr oductivity, promoting export growth in general, 
and also in attaining broader development aspi rations of developing countries and the LDCs. 
Members also continued to discuss possible recommendations on the basis of a non-paper titled 
"Facilitating Access to Information on Appropriate Technology Sourcing — Steps to Increase Flows 
of Technology to Developing Countries", which was tabled by a group of developing countries. 
3.6.  He then moved to the "Bali Package" — starti ng with Agriculture. He said that the agenda of 
the 76th regular meeting of the Committee on Agricu lture, which had been held on 4 March, 
included an item on the "Implementation of Bali Outcomes". Under this item Members had followed up on the Bali outcomes on TRQ Administration and Export Competition.  The Decision on 
TRQ Administration required the notification of TRQ fill rates. Based on discussions in the 
Committee on Agriculture in 2014, the Secretariat had circulated at the request of the chairperson a modified notification format. Some Members had started to report TRQ fill rates. The Annex of 
the Bali Decision on TRQ administration also described a TRQ under fill mechanism which had not 
yet been initiated by Members.  
3.7.  On the basis of the Bali Declaration on  Export Competition , dedicated discussions should take 
place on an annual basis. In the November 2014 Committee on Agriculture meeting, the Chair had 
announced the launch of preparations for the Second Dedicated Discussion on Export Competition which would take place during the 2015 June me eting of the Committee. On 26 November 2014 
the Chair had circulated the export competition questionnaire along with a summary of 
suggestions received on how to increase the number and improve the overall quality of replies to 
this questionnaire. The original deadline for resp onses to the questionnaire had been extended to 
24 April. Members' replies to the questionnaire and relevant notifications would be compiled in a 
revised Secretariat background document whic h would form the basis of the 2015 discussion. 
3.8.  He then moved to Development and LDCs issues and started with the Decision on DFQF 
market access for LDCs. He recalled that the Decision instructed the CTD to annually review the 
steps taken to provide DFQF market access to LDCs, and report to the General Council for 
appropriate action. The first Secretariat report af ter MC9 had been prepared for the CTD's annual 
DFQF review and had been discussed in November 2014. The next annual DFQF review would take place at the CTD's final meeting of 2015. Meanwhile, it was encouraging to see that several 
developing countries had not only adopted DFQF schemes for LDCs, but had also gradually 
expanded such access for LDC products. He hoped that further progress would be made prior to the Nairobi Ministerial Conference.  
3.9.  On Preferential Rules of Origin for LD Cs, in 2014, the Committee had conducted the first 
annual review in accordance with the requirements of the Bali Ministerial Decision. At its first WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  meeting in 2015, the Committee on Rules of Origin  had continued the examination of existing 
preferential rules of origin for LDCs. The LDC Group had introduced a new paper (G/RO/W/154) which contained specific questions for preference-granting countries regarding their preferential rules of origin. This topic would remain on the agenda of the CRO in 2015 and the Committee 
would report to the General Council on its discussions in this area after its meeting in October. 
3.10.  In relation to the follow-up on the LDCs Services Waiver, the Council on Trade in Services 
had carried out an assessment of the results of the High-Level Meeting held on 5 February 2015. 
The LDC Group had shared a very detailed analysis of the indications provided by Members at that 
meeting, and assessed it as very constructive and promising. Their overall positive assessment 
was shared by the Membership at large. On 9 Marc h, Canada had submitted the first notification in 
relation to the waiver, in document S/C/N/792. At the Council meeting, a number of delegations 
had expressed appreciation for Canada's notification , although further clarification on the nature of 
its content had been sought from Canada. Members had confirmed their commitment to notifying preferences in line with the indications provid ed at the High-Level Meeting. While several 
delegations had stated that domestic procedures necessary to submit notification were still 
ongoing, a number aimed to meet the indica tive deadline set for the end of July 2015. 
3.11.  He recalled that the Decision concerning the Monitoring Mechanism on Special and 
Differential Treatment stipulated that it served as a focal point within the WTO to analyse and 
review the implementation of S&D provisions. On recent activity in furtherance to this Decision, two meetings of the Dedicated Session had been held since Bali. However, no written submissions from Members had yet been received. The next meeting was scheduled for 16 June. 
3.12.  Finally, on Trade Facilitation, work continued to progress. Members had presented additional 
category 'A' notifications, which brought the curre nt total to 58. Delegations had also tabled new 
acceptance instruments, thereby increasing the number of ratifications to four. At a meeting of the 
Preparatory Committee on 24 March, several Members had informed the Committee of the state of 
their respective ratification processes and had ex pressed the intention of completing them in the 
near future. Many capitals were already working on the matter and it was hoped that to additional 
acceptance instruments would be welcomed shortly. 
3.13.  The representative of Bangladesh, on behalf  of the LDC Group, recalled that the package of 
decisions adopted by Members at Bali was intended to help LDCs further improve their trade 
opportunities. The usefulness of those decisions laid  in their faithful and effective implementation. 
While some progress had been made since Bali, the LDC Group was yet to see concrete results 
from all of the areas under the Bali Decisions. The Group was regularly reviewing the implementation of the Bali Package for LDCs, as progress there would hinge on the elements that 
it would suggest to form part of the post-Bali work program. 
3.14.  On the implementation of the LDC Services  Waiver, the Group took note of the Chairman's 
report and stated that it was going through the pr ocess as set out in Bali. The High-Level Meeting 
had certainly brought a momentum to advance this  issue, as a good number of WTO Members at 
that meeting had indicated the willingness to provide preferential market access to LDC services and service suppliers. Some 25 delegations had offered to undertake specific measures to facilitate export of LDC services and service suppliers. Members had also been urged to submit notifications 
by 31 July 2015. An assessment of this meeting ha d been carried out at the Council on Trade in 
Services in March, which was also positive. The LDCs were yet to see meaningful market access in these sectors and modes where they had potent ial — and the momentum created following the 
High-Level Meeting seemed to have lost some steam recently, as there had been very little 
development with notifications.  Only one had been received from Canada, though specific preferences for LDCs left much to be desired. The LDC Group therefore requested Members to take 
the initiative to fulfil the Bali Decision on the Services Waiver, and to formulate specific 
preferences for LDCs that were meaningful, and could create export opportunities for LDCs, and 
notify these measures by 31 July 2015. The LDCs co uld then move to explore next steps to benefit 
from services trade, but that would depend on th e progress that would be achieved by that time. 
3.15.  On Trade Facilitation, the Group said it was good that the Protocol of Amendment had been 
adopted in November 2014, and was now undergoing the process of ratification by Members. However, how LDCs would be assisted and supported to implement the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement was not clearly spelt out. The fund ear marked under the TFAF was scanty and not 
enough to carry out needs assessment studies. Th erefore, enhancement and further consolidation WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  for this fund was extremely essential if all WTO Members, including LDCs, were to start 
implementing trade facilitation measures. 
3.16.  Overall, the Group believed that the progress  on the implementation of all the Bali issues 
was less than satisfactory and, in some areas, th ere had been no progress at all. The Group hoped 
that Members would continue to attach special priority to implementing the Bali package and help 
it secure the intended benefits that Bali had promised to LDCs. 
3.17.  The representative of the European Union restated his delegation's commitment to ensuring 
an appropriate and comprehensive follow-up to all th e decisions that Ministers took in Bali. The EU 
wished to underline the need of advancing the ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, in a way that would move Members towards the objective of ensuring its entering into force as quickly as possible and ideally by the time of MC10. The EU  was on a good way to achieve this objective. 
With respect to category A commitments there were still several outstanding and the EU believed 
that this should be considered as a matter of urgency. He was also pleased by the progress made regarding issues of concern for developing countries, in particular, the LDCs commending the 
successful High-Level Meeting on the LDC Services Waiver. This had demonstrated the 
commitment to advance in an ambitious manner on this very important issue. He also noted the intensive discussions taking place as part of the work program on agricultural issues. 
3.18.  The representative of Uganda associated his delegation with the statement made by 
Bangladesh on behalf of the LDCs Group. With  respect to the High-Level Meeting on the LDC 
Services Waiver, he acknowledged that it considered it a success but wished to point out that although a key outcome of that meeting was the ag reement for Members to submit notifications by 
31 July 2015, out of the many that had made indi cations, only one had submitted a notification. 
3.19.  Uganda's assessment of the current notification was that, in fact, it was not consistent with 
the mandates of the MC8 and MC9 decisions to oper ationalize the waiver to provide preferential 
treatment to LDC services and services suppliers. The waiver was to notify preferential treatment 
for LDC services and services suppliers and to prov ide certainty that preferences could be provided 
and would not subject to dispute settlement in the WTO for violation of Article II (MFN) as with any 
GSP or other notification of preferences.  Theref ore, it had been decided by all Members that a 
waiver of GATS Article II would be required.   
3.20.  What the current notification sought to do  was to simply provide information on existing 
openness. This was far from what the mandate required. Uganda was pleased that both developed 
and developing Members had announced very spec ific indications at the High Level Meeting 
responding to LDCs' collective request.  It would be unfortunate if after the good news at the HLM on such an important deliverable from Bali, noti fications were such that LDC services suppliers 
would become further marginalized.  
3.21.  Uganda therefore suggested that the format  for the notifications be closer to the model 
used in the LDC's submission and contained in JOB/SERV/194. Uganda stressed that it was 
important that Members would not follow the ap proach of some Members and urged all Members 
to submit their notification by July 2015. 
3.22.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's statement and of the other statements. 
4  WORK PROGRAMME ON SMALL ECONOMIES – REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE 
DEDICATED SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT 
4.1.  The Chairman recalled that in line with the framework and procedure agreed to by the 
General Council in 2002, the Work Programme on Small Economies was a standing item on the 
General Council's agenda. The Committee on Trad e and Development regularly reported to the 
Council on the progress of work in its Dedicated Sessions on this subject. He further recalled that at Bali, Ministers had adopted a decision re-confirming their commitment to the work programme 
and had instructed the CTD to continue its work in Dedicated Sessions under the overall 
responsibility of the General Council. 
4.2.  The Chairman read out the report on work  i n  t h i s  a r e a  o n  b e h a l f  o f  A m b a s s a d o r  S e n e  
(Senegal), Chairman of the CTD in  Dedicated Session, as follows; WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  "Members may recall that in my last statement to the General Council in February, I 
reported that the proponents of Small Economies were following up on the Decision taken at the WTO's 9
th Ministerial Conference in Bali. That decision instructs the WTO Secretariat to 
provide relevant information and factual analysis for discussion among Members concerning 
item "K" of the Small Economies' Work Programme and, in particular, the challenges and 
opportunities experienced by small economies when  linking into global value chains in trade 
in goods and services. 
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to report that the Secretariat has now finished its analysis. A 
background note, on "Challenges and Opportuni ties experienced by Small Economies when 
linking into Global Value Chains in trade in Goods and Services," has been circulated in English in document WT/COMTD/SE/W/31. It will be discussed at the next meeting of the 
Dedicated Session, now scheduled for 5 June. Meanwhile, French and Spanish translations of 
the note are being prepared and will be made available to delegations well before the meeting." 
4.3.  The representative of Guatemala, on behalf  of the SVEs, thanked the Chair of the CTD for his 
report, and also the Secretariat for the hard work put it the study on "The Challenges and 
Opportunities Experienced by Small Economies when Linking into Global Value Chains in Trade in 
Goods and Services", contained in document WT/COMTD/SE/W/31. The SVEs recognized the 
importance and novelty of an SVE-focused study that would provide facts that might facilitate a better understanding of the challenges that SVEs faced while integrating in global value chains. The Group would carefully analyse the information contained in the study and would actively 
participate in the discussions of the study within the CTD Dedicated Session on Small Economies.  
4.4.  The representative of the European Union we lcomed the finalization of the research by the 
Secretariat, and stated that it would examine the paper and hoped Members would discuss it in 
some depth in the CTD-DS. He also referred to an OECD study funded by the EU on "Developing 
Countries Participation in Global Value Chains: Implications for Trade and Trade Related Polices". The study had been launched in Geneva on 23 April, at the International Centre for Trade and 
Sustainable Development. The study was robust and should feed into the CTD-DS reflection of 
global value chains. The EU believed that the auth ors of that study could be usefully invited to 
present it and discuss it within the CTD-DS. 
4.5.  The General Council took note of the report  of the Chairman of the Dedicated Session of the 
Committee on Trade and Development and of the statements. 
5  TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 5.1.  The Chairman recalled that, in December 2014, the General Council had agreed on the date 
and venue for the Tenth Session of the Ministerial Conference which would take place in Nairobi, 
Kenya, from 15 to 18 December 2015. As Members moved on in their preparations for MC10, there were a number of administrative matters on which the General Council had to take a 
decision on. As laid out in the agenda for the meeting, these matters were on the: (a) Election of 
Officers; (b) Attendance of Observers from Go vernments and International Intergovernmental 
Organizations; and (c) Attendance of NGOs. He had conducted consultations on all these matters, and, including with the coordinators of WTO Groups He wished to report on these consultations, as 
well as to propose actions for the General Council to take on some of the sub-items. Under the 
fourth sub-item (d), the Chairman of the MC10 Ta sk Force, Deputy Director-General Shark, would 
provide an update on the logistical preparations for the Conference.  
5.1  Election of Officers 
5.2.  The Chairman recalled that the Rules of Pr ocedure (Rule 12) for the Ministerial Conference 
established that "During the course of each regular session a Chairperson and three Vice-
Chairpersons shall be elected from among the Member s. They shall hold office from the end of that 
session until the end of the next regular session." As delegations would recall, at MC9, Ministers had requested the General Council to hold consultati ons with a view to deciding on the election of 
Officers of the next Ministerial Conference. In this respect, he noted that the customary practice 
had always been that a representative of the Government hosting a Ministerial Conference outside 
Geneva was elected as Chair. The three vice-chairmanships were then shared across the other WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  broad groupings of Members. From the consultati ons he had undertaken, including a meeting with 
Group coordinators and several delegations held on 22 April, it seemed that this past practice could be repeated for MC10. Therefore, he proposed that the General Council formally elect Ms Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the 
Republic of Kenya, to chair the Conference. Furthe rmore, regarding the three Vice-Chairs, in view 
of the fact that the Chair would come from Africa, and in line with customary practice, he proposed to invite the representatives of the other three broad groupings — i.e. Latin America and the 
Caribbean, Asia and the developed countries — to consult with their constituents so that the 
Council could revert to this matter at its July meeting, and agree on the full slate of officers for MC10 at that time.   
5.3.   The General Council so agreed. 
5.2  Attendance of Observers from Govern ments and International Intergovernmental 
Organizations 
5.4.  The Chairman suggested that the issues of  attendance of observers from Governments and 
IGOs be taken up separately. First, with regard to attendance of observer s from Governments, he 
had suggested in his consultations that the Council repeat past practice, which was to invite the Governments with observer status at MC9 to attend MC10. This concerned therefore the 
Governments with regular observer status in th e General Council — with due adjustments related 
to accessions since MC9 — plus the following six Governments which had previously been granted observer status only at Ministerial Conferences: Cook Islands, Eritrea, Niue, San Marino, Timor-Leste and Tuvalu. In light of the convergence arou nd this suggestion which had been apparent in 
consultations, he proposed that the General Counc il agree to follow the procedure he had outlined. 
5.5.  The General Council so agreed. 
5.6.  Secondly, with regard to the attendance of  IGOs, he recalled that past practice up to MC7 
had been to invite those IGOs which had observer status in the previous Ministerial Conference to 
attend the next one. The list of the Observer IGOs invited to MC7 could be found in document 
WT/MIN(09)/INF/6/Rev.1. He further recalled that for MC8 and MC9, consensus on repeating past 
practice with respect to IGOs attendance could not be reached, and that therefore no IGOs had 
been invited to attend both of those sessions of the Ministerial Conference. From the consultations he had conducted on IGO's participation, including on the possibility to repeat past practice for MC10, it was clear that more time was needed for delegations to consider this matter. He 
therefore proposed to continue his consultations in different configurations, including small groups, 
and that the General Council revert to this sub-item at its July meeting. He urged all delegations to work with a positive spirit and constructive approach to allow IGOs participation at MC10. 
5.7.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
5.3  Attendance of Non-Go vernmental Organizations 
5.8.  The Chairman recalled that for all previo us Ministerial Conferences, attendance of Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGOs) had been governed by a procedure which had been agreed by 
the General Council in July 1996. This procedure was as follows: 
(i) A limited number of accredited NGO representatives are allowed to attend only the 
Plenary Sessions of the Conference, without the right to speak; 
(ii) applications from NGOs to be registered are accepted on the basis of Article V, 
paragraph 2 of the WTO Agreement, i.e. NGOs "concerned with matters related to those of 
the WTO"; and 
(iii) a deadline is established for the registration of NGOs that wished to attend the 
Conference. 
5.9.  In his consultations, there had been conver gence about repeating this practice. He therefore 
proposed to follow the procedure he had read out, with a deadline for registration fixed for WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  13 November 2015. Once the registration procedure was finalized, the Secretariat would circulate 
the list of registered NGOs to all Members. 
5.10.  The General Council so agreed. 
5.4  Progress report on logist ical preparations – Statement by the Chairman of the MC10 
Task Force 
5.11.  The Chairman invited Deputy Director-Gener al Dave Shark, as Chairman of the MC10 Task 
Force, to provide the General Council with an update on the logistical preparations for the 
Conference. 
5.12.  Deputy Director-General Shar k, Chairman of the MC10 Task Force5, said that since Nairobi 
had been chosen as the venue, the WTO's MC10 Ta sk Force, which he chaired, had been working 
very closely with its Kenyans counterparts. This had included three missions to Nairobi, digital 
video conferences and countless phone calls and exch anges via email.  Overall, he was pleased to 
report that preparations were going well and was confident of a good environment for a productive Conference. He reported that at every stage, the Kenyan Government had emphasized that MC10 
was a national priority, and this had been re flected in the remarkably quick start to the 
preparatory work and the solid engagement on all the areas of work that the Task Force discussed 
with them. 
5.13.  He noted that MC10 would take place at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, or 
KICC. The management of the KICC had deep experience in handling large events, and the Task Force found them to be a good partner in every way.  There was sufficient space and facility for all the key needs of the Ministerial Conference, including a little more space for bilateral and 
plurilateral meetings than had been available in the recent past. The Task Force had also secured 
one large and one medium-sized conference r oom at a nearby hotel in order to ensure 
accommodation requests for space for regional and other group meetings during periods of peak 
demand. The Kenyan Government had chosen to ma nage the allocation of hotel space through an 
event organizer and had allocated that task to the firm Gina Din. This was a normal practice that had also been followed at past Ministerial Conferences in order to ensure that all needs were met 
for delegations both large and small. The details were spelt out in the information notes that had 
already been circulated to Members.
6 The Task Force had met with Gina Din and found the firm to 
be highly professional and service-oriented. He understood that some delegations had gone ahead to directly make hotels bookings. While this was understandable, since in some cases Members 
might have embassies who worked closely with particular hotels, he strongly urged Members to go 
through the event organizer as requested by the Ke nyan Authorities. Spaces in hotels had been 
block booked by the Kenyan Government and Gina Din was responsible for allocating it. If 
Members had already made reservations directly with hotels, then a request to Gina Din should be 
made, indicating that these reservations had been placed. 
5.14.  The accreditation process for the Conference would begin in the coming months for 
Members, Observers, NGO's and the press. The Ta sk Force was upgrading its IT capabilities to 
facilitate the accreditation process and would be providing an informal briefing for Members and Observers on this and other IT related work on 6 May 2015. Further information on the accreditation process would be provided to Members as preparations advanced. 
5.15.  Security was always an important area of preparations for Ministerial Conferences and this 
one was no exception. The Task Force had had ve ry detailed discussions on this with the Kenyan 
authorities during a mission a few prior and came away reassured. The Task Force found that the 
Kenyan Authorities took the issue of security  very seriously. It was whole-of-Government 
endeavour, and the work of all the agencies and entities that would have a role in security was well coordinated by the Ministry of Interior. The Ta sk Force found the security officials to be highly 
professional, with a strong sense of commitment to ensure that all necessary resources for 
security effort would be made available. The KICC would have multiple layers of security — and security at the hotels would be enhanced. Security measures would be put in place for means of 
                                               
5 The statements made by DDG Shark and the Direct or-General under this it em were subsequently 
circulated in JOB/GC/79. 
6 WT/MIN(15)/INF/1-4. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  transport for Ministers, other VIPs, and the shuttles to be used to transport delegates. An 
Information Note on security issues would also be issued in the near future. An information note on health issues was also in an advanced state of preparation and would be issued shortly. 
5.16.  As per normal practice, a team from Kenya would be coming to Geneva for an Information 
Session with Members. The date had not been set yet, but it was expected to take place between 
late June and the July General Council meeting. Again, as usual, during the visit of the Kenyan team arrangements would be made for individu al meetings between the Members and the Team. 
This would be to give delegations wishing to delve deeply into particular issues the opportunity to 
do so.  A further Information Session would be held closer to the Ministerial Conference in the autumn. 
5.17.  Concerning the Trust Fund for LDC particip ation at MC10, he recalled that both the General 
Council Chair and the Director-General had emphasiz ed the importance of ensuring that the proud 
tradition of supporting the costs of LDC participation at Ministerial Conferences through this Trust Fund be maintained. He said positive responses had been received from a number of delegations 
and this was deeply appreciated. But there was still a way to go. On behalf of the Chair and the 
Director-General, he strongly urged Members to consult with capitals with a view to helping meet this important need. 
5.18.  The Director-General reiterated the i ssue of the Special Trust Fund to support the 
participation of LDCs at MC10. He thanked those Members who had responded positively so far. 
But as DDG Shark had said, there was still a substantial funding gap as things stood. He urged Members to act in bridging this gap. The ability of least-developed Members to fully engage was a 
fundamental test of the organization. It would be an essential prerequisite for success in Nairobi – 
just as it had been in Bali. Members had to support LDCs participation in every way, and he trusted that everything would be done to respond to this very urgent call.  
5.19.  The representative of Kenya welcomed th e formal endorsement by the General Council of 
Ambassador Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary Mi nistry of Foreign Affairs and International 
Trade of Kenya as the Chairperson of the 10th Ministerial Conference. He stated that the Cabinet 
Secretary was ready to take up this most challenging post during the MC10 and was prepared to 
work closely with all the Members in order to have a successful outcome at MC10. 
5.20.  The representative of the European Unio n referred to the participation of members of 
Parliament and stressed the importance of ensuring that members of Parliament had a clear status 
in terms of their participation in Ministerial Conferences. This issue merited being addressed in a 
satisfactory fashion as quickly as possible. In the interim, Members needed to again explore ways to facilitate the participation of members of Parliament at MC10. In this regard, the EU invited the 
Chair of the General Council, and the Secretariat, to actively address this issue. The EU believed 
that in the interest of finding a pragmatic way forw ard, the approach used in Bali and at the Hong 
Kong Ministerial Conference should be pursued. 
5.21.  The representative of Lesotho, on behalf of the African Group, in relation to the adoption of 
the logo, supported the statement of Kenya. The Group echoed the call by the Director-General, 
that MC10 "must deliver for Africa", this it sa id, was the only way the theme of the song " hakuna 
matata"  — no problems -— could be realised. He further noted the statements made by the DDG 
Shark which expressed among others, the confidence in the logistical preparations as well as the 
security arrangement. This would go a long way in making MC10 a successful conference. He concluded by stating that Africa awaited to we lcome Members, and Africa awaited a successful 
conclusion of the DDA at MC10. Africa awaited su ccessful deliberations, and Africa awaited delivery 
for Africa also at the MC10. 
5.22.  The representative of Kingdom of Saudi Arab ia, on behalf of the Arab Group, congratulated 
Minister Amina Mohammed for being chosen to ch air MC10 and expressed his confidence that she 
would lead the Conference with a high standard of conduct towards a successful outcome. The Group also thanked the Chairman for his diligent efforts in conducting consultations on this important issue during the last two weeks. 
5.23.  The Group believed that all Intergovernmen tal Organizations (IGOs) should be treated on 
an equal footing, and that the process of considering their participation in MC10 should remain a WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  technical, transparent and objective one, as well as the screening process which should be 
undertaken on the basis of Annex III of the rules of procedure of the Ministerial Conference. The 
Arab Group remained strongly committed to supp orting WTO Member consensus to welcome each 
qualified IGO as observer to MC10. However, it considered just as strongly that all requests had to 
receive equal treatment by the Membership. 
5.24.  The representative of Tanzania congratulate d the Director-General for his leadership of the 
process towards MC10, and Kenya for the launch of the MC10 Logo, as well as for the steady 
progress being made in the preparatory process for MC10. The Tanzanian delegate was grateful 
that the Cabinet Minister Amina Mohamed of Kenya would Chair MC10. He joined Kenya in supporting its work towards a successful MC10 that  should deliver for Africa and the entire 
developing world. 
5.25.  The Chairman said that on the participation of parliamentarians consultations would 
continue, alongside the question of IGOs. He noted that there was sometimes an overlap of this 
item and item 7, which had to do with permanent observers in the WTO.  
5.26.  The General Council took note of the statements. 
6  WAIVERS UNDER ARTICLE IX OF THE WTO AGREEMENT 
6.1  United States – Caribbean Basin Econ o m i c  R e c o v e r y  A c t  ( C B E R A  a s  a m e n d e d )  –  
Draft Decision (G/C/W/708) 
6.1.  The Chairman drew Members attention to the draft decision in document G/C/W/708 which 
concerned the request for a waiver by the United States on the Caribbean Basin Economic 
Recovery Act. He then invited Ambassador Héctor Casanueva (Chile), Chairman of the Goods 
Council, to report on the Council's consideration of this matter. 
6.2.  Ambassador Héctor Casanueva (Chile), Chairman of the Goods Council, informed the General 
Council that the Council for Trade in Goods, at its meeting held on 26 March 2015, had approved 
the request for a waiver presented by the United States of America relating to the Caribbean Basin 
Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) as amended. At  that meeting the Council in Goods had also 
recommended by consensus that the draft deci sion contained in document GC/C/W/708 be 
conveyed to the General Council for its adoption. 
6.3.  The Chairman proposed that the General Council in accordance with the Decision-Making 
Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed to in November 1995 
(WT/L/93) adopt the draft Decision referred to. 
6.4.  The General Council so agreed. 
6.5.  The representative of the United States said the US trade preferences programs for the 
Central American and Caribbean region had been initially launched in 1983 by the Caribbean Basin 
Economic Recovery Act (CBERA). Since its implementation, CBERA had continued to generate 
important benefits for beneficiary countries and te rritories. The expansion of benefits through the 
enactment of subsequent legislation represente d an important affirmation of the ongoing US 
commitment to economic development in the Cari bbean Basin, by expanding duty-free access to 
the US market for eligible goods. The CBERA program had helped beneficiary countries diversify their exports. On a region-wide basis, this export diversification had led to a more balanced production and export base and had reduced the re gion’s vulnerability to fluctuations in markets 
for traditional products. At present, 16 countries and territories received benefits under the 
program: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent 
and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. 
6.6.  He highlighted some of the key developments since the last waiver had been granted in 
2009. On 12 January 2010, a massive earthquake had struck Haiti, causing catastrophic damage 
inside and around Port-au-Prince. The earthquake had killed more than 230,000 people, had 
displaced more that 1.5 million, and had affected  more that 3 million. Working with many other 
countries, the United States had responded to the humanitarian emergency following the WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  earthquake. An important element of the overall recovery strategy was job creation. The United 
States had passed the HELP Act, which expanded preferences for apparel and established new preferences for certain, non-apparel textile goods from Haiti. The HELP Act also extended other trade preferences under the CBERA by 10 years, to 30 September 2020. In May 2013, the United 
States and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) had signed a revised Trade and Investment 
Framework Agreement that would provide a forum for bilateral talks to enhance trade and investment and discuss trade issues between the United States and CARICOM. On 9 April 2015, 
President Obama had met with Caribbean leaders at the US-CARICOM Summit in Kingston, 
Jamaica. President Obama had reaffirmed the import ance of the United States' relationship with 
the region, and the United States' commitment to partner with Caribbean countries to advance economic development, security, and good gove rnance. On 16 April 2015, leaders of the Senate 
Finance and House Ways and Means Committees had introduced legislation that would, among 
other things, extend the HOPE and HELP Acts to 2025. 
6.7.  The United States was committed to working in partnership with its neighbours in the 
Caribbean to improve livelihoods and expand economic opportunities. In this effort, the Caribbean 
Basin countries had undertaken to strengthen their policy orientation to promote economic growth and to diversify exports. The CBERA provided a vita l contribution to the efforts in this partnership 
by creating opportunities to expand trade between the United States and beneficiary countries, 
thus promoting economic opportunity and growth in the region. 
6.8.  The representative of Jamaica, on behalf of CARICOM, thanked the United States for securing 
an extension and expansion of the waiver for the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. It had 
supported the United States request, and apprecia ted the decision of the Council to once again 
approve this waiver for a programme which continued to be vitally important to the Caribbean trade relations with the United States, and the overall economic development of its region.  
6.9.  Speaking for Jamaica, he expressed its support for the step taken and further highlighted the 
significant role that such arrangements played in enabling greater participation and deeper integration in the global trade and economic system, especially for small and vulnerable economies 
like Jamaica. He noted the US delegations' highlig ht of its efforts to respond to the tragedy in 
Haiti, including through trade and job creation. He further noted the outcomes of the US- Caribbean summit held in Kingston, Jamaica, and looked forward to the continued positive engagement with the US in a spirit of partnershi p to deepen bilateral trade relations and advance 
the objectives of the Act. Jamaica was confident that Members of this Council would continue to 
support these requests. 
6.10.  The delegation of Haiti associated itself fu lly with the statement made by Jamaica on behalf 
of CARICOM and also thanked the United States for introducing the request for the extension of 
the CEBRA. Haiti emphasized that the General Counc il had to take note of the importance of the 
contribution of this Waiver in the promotion of  economic and social development in Haiti, and 
hoped that Haiti would be able to continue its project of economic cooperation with the United 
States within the framework of this Act. Haiti thanked the General Council for adopting the waiver. 
6.11.  The representative of Barbados supported the request by the US for a waiver with respect 
to the Caribbean Basin Recovery Act and in this regard, joined in the statement delivered by 
Jamaica on behalf of CARICOM. Barbados was ap preciative of the support extended and looked 
forward to continued cooperation.  
6.12.  The representative of Trinidad and Tobago joined CARICOM colleagues in supporting the 
waiver by the United States with respect to CE BRA, and thanked them for the support given to 
Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the CARICOM community. 
6.13.  The representative of Dominica, on behalf  of OECS, associated fully with the statement 
made on behalf of CARICOM, and requested that it s statement delivered on behalf of the OECS at 
the March CTG be recorded in the minutes of this meeting.7 
6.14.  The General Council took note of the statements. 
                                               
7 The statement of Dominica, on behalf of the OECS, made at the March CTG meeting, is reproduced in 
Annex II.   WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  7  IMPROVING THE GUIDELINES FO R GRANTING INTERGOVERNMENTAL 
ORGANIZATIONS PERMANENT OBSERVER STAT US IN THE WTO – STATEMENT BY THE 
CHAIRMAN 
7.1.  The Chairman recalled that this matter had been on the General Council's agenda since 
February 2012. This was because, at its November 2011 meeting, the General Council had agreed 
to initiate a process of consultations to consider the issue of Observer Status for IGOs in the WTO, 
further to a communication by the Arab Group entitled "Improving the Guidelines for Granting 
Observer Status to Intergovernmental Organizations in the WTO" (WT/GC/W/643), which was then 
supplemented by a further communication in document WT/GC/W/654. 
7.2.  Since then, his predecessors had conducted consultations on this matter, including, in 2013, 
in the context of the preparations for MC9 – and also throughout 2014. He had also been briefed in 
detail on this issue by Amb. Fried, former Chairman of the General Council, in line with the 
statement he had made at the February meeting.  He was therefore fully aware of the complexity of the matter, and intended to take this responsi bility very seriously. He would continue seeking 
delegations' views, and would report to the General Council as appropriate. He also intended to 
work with an open mind and constructive spirit, and urged all delegations to do the same.  
7.3.  The representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Arab Group, thanked the 
Chairman for his consultation with Members on the observer status for IGOs in the WTO. The issue 
of granting observer status to IGOs in the WTO was not specific to any particular organization, but a larger systemic one. He noted that a number of  IGOs had been facing difficulty in having 
requests for observer status properly considered by the WTO. It was crucial for Members to 
evaluate and revise the rules governing the process of granting IGOs observer status in the WTO.  
7.4.  The Group believed that all IGOs seeking pe rmanent and/or ad hoc observer status should 
receive favourable unbiased and uniform treatment. This requirement, which manifested the full 
participation principle, stemmed in no less measure from the fact that Article V of the Marrakesh 
Agreement directed WTO Members to ensure the effective cooperation and consultation with IGO's concerned with WTO matters. Therefore, it was important for the WTO to revisit its cooperation 
with IGOs on the conditions associated with the WTO mandate and activities. These conditions had 
to be clear and objective. The observership granting process should be neutral and transparent for all IGOs. The Arab Group wished to reaffirm its view that the responsibility for improving the Guidelines fell equally on each Member, and was in no way specific to certain groups. The Group 
looked forward to a positive engagement from the whole Membership to resolve this issue. 
7.5.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's statement and of the other statement.  
8  COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMI NISTRATION - REPORT ON MEETING OF 
MARCH 2015 (WT/BFA/148) 
8.1.  The Chairman drew the Council's attention to the report of the Budget Committee in 
document WT/BFA/148 and invited Ambassador Daniel Blockert (Sweden), Chairman of the 
Committee, to introduce it. 
8.2.  Ambassador Daniel Blockert (Sweden), Chai rman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration, said that at its meeting in Marc h, the Committee had reviewed the report of the 
Working Group on After Service Health Insuranc e (ASHI). The Working Group had continued to 
develop elements of a draft report by identifyin g possible cost controls to address the estimated 
ASHI liabilities and the budgetary impact of the medical insurance plan. It intended to complete its work on developing recommendations prior to the summer break.  
8.3.  The Committee had then been informed about the progress made on the Organizational 
review initiated by the Director-General at the end of 2013. The Secretariat had also listed pending items which were still waiting for decisions, such as policies on promotions and mediation. 
Members had expressed interest in the implementation of new policies and stated their wish to be 
kept informed on further developments. The Committee had also reviewed the overview of the 2014 Annual Report on Diversity. Members had welcomed that Report and thanked the Secretariat for the effort deployed to enlarge and maintain  diversity within the Secretariat. The Committee 
had encouraged the Secretariat to continue its efforts in that direction. Members had also received WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  a n  u p d a t e  o f  t h e  2 0 1 5  l e a r n i n g  p r o g r a m m e  and the WTO Standards of Conduct training. A 
member of the Secretariat had presented the provisional financial situation of the 4th quarter 2014. 
He said the final audited 2014 financial performance report would be released in June.  
8.4.  The Secretariat had informed the Committee that as from 1 of April, the WTO banking 
partners had introduced a negative interest of -0.75% on some of the WTO's bank accounts in 
Swiss Francs. The Secretariat would further examine the situation and would update the Committee regularly. Finally, the Secretariat had pr ovided additional information on a proposal to 
establish a building Renovation Fund. Following the completion of the new building and the 
renovations to the existing facilities the WTO had become the owner of the premises. The Swiss 
authorities strongly encouraged the establishment of such a fund.  Experts from FIPOI would provide technical information to the CBFA on what the Swiss authorities expect to be a proper 
endowment of the fund. 
8.5.  The General Council took note of the statement, and adopted the report in WT/BFA/148. 
9  WTO PENSION PLAN MANAGEMENT BO ARD – ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN – 
PROPOSAL BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL (WT/GC/W/697) 
9.1.  The Chairman recalled that Article 4(a) of the Regulations of the WTO Pension Plan provided, 
inter alia , for the election by the General Council of a Chairman, four members and four alternates 
to the Management Board of the Pension Plan. In  a communication circulated to delegations in 
document WT/GC/W/697, he had indicated that  the Chairman to the Management Board, 
Mr Krzysztof Trepczynski (Poland), previously elected 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 
his replacement. Accordingly, in his communication, he had proposed the names of a 
representative who had kindly agreed to be put forward for election as chairperson. Delegations had been invited to submit comments regarding th e proposed nomination by close-of-business on 
30 April. No comment had been received regarding the proposed nominations. The Chairman 
therefore proposed that the General Council elect Mr Johannes Rühl (Switzerland) to serve as Chairman on the Board for the remainder of the term, i.e. until May 2017. 
9.2.  The General Council so agreed. 
9.3.  The Chairman thanked Mr Trepczynski for his dedicated work as Chairman of the 
Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan for the past two years, and congratulated Mr. Ruhl. 
10  MEETING IN MARRAKESH ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WTO 
10.1.  The representative of Morocco speaking und er "Other Business", wished to provide a brief 
summary of an important event that had been he ld in Morocco in April to commemorate the 20th 
anniversary of the WTO. The Kingdom of Morocco  had celebrated the WTO's 20th anniversary by 
welcoming the Director-General on his visit to Morocco and by organizing an African ministerial 
and parliamentary conference, which had been he ld on 8 and 9 April 2015 in Marrakesh, the city 
where the GATT negotiations had been concluded two decades before and the WTO was born. 
10.2.  Under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the theme of the African Ministers' 
conference was "20 years of the WTO: Celebratin g successes and challenges for the future". The 
conference had been attended by some 300 participants, including more than 30 African ministerial and parliamentary delegations and 19 African trade ministers. He noted that this forum 
had also been attended by numerous economic, industrial and financial operators from the public 
and private sectors, including a large number from Africa, who had engaged in discussions with high level panellists. 
10.3.  Apart from taking stock of 20 years of WTO activities and examining the future outlook, the 
sessions had focused on the WTO's contribution to Africa's global economic integration, growth and employment, and the building of production and ex port capacity with a view to the continent's 
further integration into the world economy. The conference had also addressed the ratification of 
the Trade Facilitation Agreement concluded in Bali in December 2013, the post Bali negotiating process for the conclusion of the Doha Developmen t Agenda and, finally, the preparations for the 
WTO's 10th Ministerial Conference in Kenya in December 2015. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  10.4.  The African parliamentary conference, orga nized in conjunction with the WTO Secretariat, 
had helped to raise African parliamentarians' awaren ess so as to speed up the ratification of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement by African Parliaments. He said that the African ministerial and parliamentary conference in Marrakesh had been an opportunity for the voice of Africa, and the 
continent's recommendations and ambitions, to be properly heard. Senior officials had been 
unanimous in expressing, loud and clear, that the African continent, with all its potential and human and natural resources, no longer wanted to make do with seasonal aid and assistance, but 
instead sought a role in international trade that would enable it to generate wealth and thus 
respond successfully to the challenges of ec onomic growth and sustainable development. 
10.5.  The views and contributions of the Africa n ministers and parliamentarians had provided a 
better understanding of the needs and expectatio ns of African populations and had highlighted 
Africa's expectations regarding the negotiations  in Geneva. Africa would undoubtedly play a 
fundamental role in redefining the world trade map, i.e. in eliminating remaining distortion in sectors of key interest to the continent, namely agriculture and the processing industry, which had 
a large labour force and which continued to be a topic of interest for African countries with a high 
population density. 
10.6.  In order to properly overcome the obstacles and achieve results, a new dynamic had to be 
encouraged in the negotiations, and rhetoric had to be abandoned in favour of dealing with specific 
business and flows. The road to success depended on making adjustments, asking questions, and 
going even further in ambitions. By making greater efforts to pull the major WTO projects out of the rut in which they unfortunately found themselves, Members would make a considerable 
contribution to this work, which was necessary for humanity and for world governance. The case 
for Africa's improved integration into world trade had never been stronger. The prospect of fairer 
and more equitable agreements should not fade away at each ministerial event. 
10.7.  The work program in the few months leadin g up to the Ministerial Conference in Nairobi 
promised to be intense and arduous. Everyone had to be aware of the challenges yet to be 
overcome. Following on from the WTO Director General's visit and the organization of this African 
conference, Morocco hoped that the spirit of Marrakesh would give renewed impetus to the work in 
Geneva and, in particular, to the preparation of the post-Bali work program and the conclusion of 
the DDA. 
10.8.  The Kingdom of Morocco was a firm suppor ter of the multilateral trading system. As a 
founding Member of the WTO, Morocco had always advocated the transparency and opening up of 
global goods and services markets. Morocco remained fully committed to the multilateral trading system, as it was the only system that enabled every country, regardless of size or power, to 
participate in the development of trade rules and their enforcement. Morocco firmly believed that 
the WTO's multilateral framework was where Afri can economies had the best chance of seeing 
their interests supported and their development process consolidated. 2015 was a defining and 
very important year for the WTO. Several major even ts were planned: the ratification of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement, the implementation of th e Bali Agreement, the post-Bali work program for 
the conclusion of the Doha Round, the Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade, and, to round things 
off, the 10
th WTO Ministerial Conference, which would be held on African soil, in Kenya, in 
December 2015. 
10.9.  In this framework, Morocco would fully assu me its responsibilities and participate actively, 
in Geneva, in the preparation and realization of all these events. Morocco would also continue to 
play its moderating and facilitating role, as in recent years. In concluding, he stressed that, while 
Members celebrated what had been achieved throug h the creation of the WTO, they should resolve 
to spare no efforts in working together to ensure that the shared principles were translated into 
reality throughout the world. The success of th e system agreed on in Marrakesh in 1994 would 
depend on the wisdom with which it was implemented and taken forward. This success was possible if Members had the wisdom, determination, courage and clarity of those who had showed them the way 20 years ago. 
10.10.  The General Council took note of the statement. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  11  CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AND OF THE 
COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
11.1.  The Chairman said that he had been informed that Ambassador Bassirou Sene (Senegal) 
had recently been appointment Ambassador of Senegal to France and had left Geneva. Therefore it 
was necessary to hold consultations to appoint a new Chair for the CTD.  In line with the 
Guidelines for the Appointment of Officers to WTO Bodies (WT/L/510), he would therefore conduct 
consultations with the assistance of Ambassador NEPLE, Chairman of the DSB, and of Ambassador 
Fried, former Chairman of the General Council. Additionally, he recalled that, at the February 
General Council meeting, consensus was reached on re-confirming Ambassador Pirez (Uruguay) as 
Chairman of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements temporarily, to allow consultations on his successor to continue. He would therefore take up this appointment together with the 
consultations on the new CTD Chair. He further thanked Amb. Francisco Pirez (Uruguay), for his 
dedication, his constructive attitude and his full commitment to the system, including his work as the chair of the Committee on RTAs, where he had played a really significant role. The Chairman 
also thanked Amb. Pirez for havi ng agreed to stay on as Chai rman beyond his original term. 
11.2.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's statement. 
12  STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN IN CONNECTION WITH ADMINSTRATIVE MAESURES 
FOR MEMBERS IN ARREARS 
12.1.  The Chairman recalled that the new revised Administrative Measures for Members in 
arrears, contained in WT/BFA/132, Annex I, had entered into force on 1 January 2013. These 
measures included a requirement that, at the en d 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. He therefore invited the Chair of the Budget Committee, Ambassa dor Blockert (Sweden), to provide the Council 
with this information.  
12.2.  Ambassador Blockert, Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration, 
recalled that the General Council had approved the new rules for Members and Observers subject 
to Administrative Measures. These rules were implemented effectively on 1st March 2013 and as 
required by the decision of the General Council,  he would list Members and Observers under all 
categories of Administrative Measures as at 5 May 2015. There were currently thirteen Members and four Observers in Category 1: Benin; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; the State of 
Kuwait; Lesotho; Malawi; Nigeria; Rwanda; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; 
Tanzania; The Former Yugoslav Republic of Ma cedonia; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; 
Equatorial Guinea (Observer); Libya (Observer); Sudan (Observer); and the Syrian Arab Republic 
(Observer).There was one Member in Category 2: Vanuatu. There were seven Members and one 
Observer in Category 3: Central African Republic, Djibouti, Dominica, The Gambia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sao Tomé and Principe (Observer). 
12.3.  The Chairman said that he was also required at each Council meeting to request Members 
and Observers in Categories II and III of the Meas ures to inform the Secretariat as to when 
payment of arrears might be expected.   
12.4.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
_______________ 
  
 WT/GC/M/157 
 
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ANNEX I: STATEMENT BY THE SEYCHELLES 
 This statement was delivered by Amb. Pillay (Seych elles) at the General Council Meeting, prior to 
the adoption of the Agenda, on the Seychelles becoming the 161
st Member of the WTO. 
 
_______________  
 
 On behalf of the Government of the Republic of  Seychelles, I would like to express my sincere 
gratitude for the opportunity to address this meeting of the General Council. 
 
My address to this Council follows years of hard  and dedicated work by Seychelles to become a 
fully-fledged Member of this very important and significant Organization. It is in fact no mere 
coincidence that the our National Assembly unanimously ratified the Protocol on the Accession of 
the Republic of Seychelles to the WTO on 24
th of March 2015, with the Instrument of Accession 
swiftly signed the following day by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr James Michel. 
 
As a small island state with a relatively limited resource base, we have managed to overcome various obstacles in order to transform our economy into one which is committed to engaging into the benefits that multilateral trade liberalization can bring, whilst remaining cognizant of the need 
to maintain adequate policy space to ensure that the basic needs of our people are met, and to 
ensure that we continue to create opportunities fo r wealth creation and prosperity for the people of 
Seychelles. 
 
In 2008, our President, His Excellency Mr Michel initiated economic reforms that sought to strengthen our resilience in the face of potential global shocks. Our achievements have since 
demonstrated that whilst it would be unrealistic to think that such a small county can mobilise the 
global economy to strengthen its own economic position, we can certainly stand tall in the face of adversity and build our own resilience, whilst creating our own opportunities.  
Joining WTO serves to further enhance this path that we have taken, it ensures that we do not 
remain bystanders while global processes are shap ed and directed by others, whilst guaranteeing 
that we can create more opportunities for our people while upholding their right to sustainable 
development. 
 Having gone through this long period of acce ssion, we have amassed pertinent knowledge and 
experience that we feel can be of great value to this Organization, especially in areas of 
environment, fisheries and sustainable development. After all, it is no surprise that it is Seychelles that is pioneering the concept of the blue economy. A concept which we hope can be recognized and supported by this body. 
 
Our call to develop our Blue Economy aims to transform our situation from price takers in global economy, to shapers of new models of developm ent. However, to develop the Blue Economy we 
will need to leverage the research and technological support from across the globe. WTO is well 
placed to facilitate this access to the key drivers of our Blue Economy transformation.  
It is through such sustainable approaches that we  can hope to fully exploit our existing natural 
resources for the benefit of both current and future generations. 
 As a new Member to this global forum, we look forward to working with the WTO Secretariat to 
further assist us in building our capacity. We look forward to working with you to complement our 
national efforts towards empowering our private sector, and in particular our small and medium enterprises. 
 
As we enter the WTO, we would like to assure all our partners that Seychelles does not believe in remaining stagnant. We are joining to help maintain momentum, to ensure that we can continue 
linking trade and development in a meaningful manner. Our country now has a platform which 
provides us as a small island nation with an equal opportunity as our large counterparts, to make our voice heard on trade issues. This will give Seychelles more exposure on the international stage. WT/GC/M/157 
 
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Seychelles' future economic success depends on stabil ity, its ability to innovate and the benefits of 
the predictable and transparent rules that this organization brings to our trading environment.  
Finally, allow me to conclude by saying that accession to the WTO is the dawning of a new era in 
the history of Seychelles' development. Despite our vulnerability to external shocks we now have access to many more tools with which to cope with these shocks, thus rendering our economy 
more fundamentally stable and more a ttractive to long term investment. 
  
_______________ 
 
  
 WT/GC/M/157 
 
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  ANNEX II: STATEMENT BY THE OECS ON CBERA — REQUEST FOR A WAIVER UNDER 
ARTICLE IX OF THE WTO AGREEMENT — DELIVERED AT THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL 
FOR TRADE IN GOODS HELD IN MARCH 2015 
 
At the request of Dominica, on behalf of the OECS, the statement made by the OECS at the 
meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods held on 26 March 2015 is reproduced below as part of 
the Minutes of the General Council meeting. 
 
_______________ 
 On behalf of the OECS WTO Members who are listed among the countries eligible to receive the 
duty-free benefits accorded under Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA as amended), 
we would like to express our support for this waiver request.  Over the years of its existence, CBERA has provided opportunities to the beneficiarie s to expand their export trade into the United 
States market and thereby contribute to the economic growth and development of the 
beneficiaries including the OECS Member States. In that regard we wish to express our appreciation to the government of the United States for continuing and expanding this programme 
and for seeking this waiver at the WTO. We therefore ask the Council for the favourable 
consideration of this request.  
__________