WT/TPR/ R/14 
 
29 June 2023  
(23-4439) Page: 1/3 
Trade Policy Review Body   
 
SEVENTH APPRAISAL OF THE T RADE POLICY REVIEW MECHANISM  
REPORT ON THE SECOND  DEDICATED SESSION ON THE SECRETARIAT REPORT OF 23 JUNE 2023 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr Saqer Abdullah ALMOQBEL (Kingdom of  Saudi  Arabia ) 
1. The second  dedicated session on Trade Policy Review (TPR) reports (so-called "Basket 2") was 
held on 23 June 2023. The meeting was chaired by Ambassador H.E. Mr Saqer  ALMOQBEL 
(Kingdom  of Saudi  Arabia) . 
2. The Chair  opened the meeting by highlighting Members' constructive spirit and positive 
engagement during the first dedicated discussion on  TPR reports held on 12 June 2023.  The Chair 
said that , based on Members' many valuable and thoughtful suggestions, he had rewor ked the  draft 
conclusions contained in paragraph 2.10 of the revised informal Chair Note of 26  May 2023. The 
Secretariat  displayed the Chair's reworked draft conclusions on a screen during the meeting  for 
Members' consideration.  
3. The Chair further noted tha t, in reworking  the draft conclusions, he had sought to make them 
more focused while keeping them sufficiently broad to allow for flexibility and adaptability to 
changing circumstances. The Chair added that  specific examples  mentioned by Members (including  
examples of new and emerging issues  suggested for inclusion in the Secretariat report ) would appear 
in the relevant descriptive part  of the Chair Note , rather than the conclusions . 
4. Members welcomed the Chair's  reworked  text and said that it accurately reflected th e state of 
Members' discussions on TPR reports.  Noting that Members had consistently highlighted the need 
for shorter and more focused Secretariat reports since the start of the Seventh Appraisal, one 
Member su ggested to strengthen the text in the conclusion inviting the Secretariat to produce 
shorter and more focused reports. In response, one Member said that the qualifier "to the extent 
possible" contained in the Chair's  reworked  text was needed as the Secreta riat was simultaneously 
being encouraged to shorten its reports and cover additional issues . 
5. One Member commented on  the Secretariat's use of  so-called "non -official" sources in its 
report and invited the Secretariat to use such sources with caution. Anoth er Member said it was 
important to preserve the independence  in the Secretariat's TPR reporting function and avoid any 
constraints on the Secretariat's ability to make considered decisions on  the use of sources . 
6. Several Members said that the Secretariat report could play an important role in  providing  a 
horizontal view of each Member's WTO notification record . Noting that TPRs could  support Members' 
adherence to notification  commitments , while  also recalling that the TPR exercise was not intended 
to serve as a basis for the enforcement of specific WTO obligations or to impose new policy 
commitments on Members , several Members welcomed the reference in the Chair's reworked third 
conclusion to "a qualified assessment of submitted and outstanding notifications" in the Secretariat 
report. One Member commented that notifications should not be a focus of the Secretariat report  as 
they were already considered in specific WTO bodies and said that its authorities were still evaluating 
the Chair's  reworke d text on this issue.  
7. Several Members referred to the synergies between TPRs and WTO technical assistance . It 
was noted that  the TPR process  offered  a good opportunity to connect capital -based trade officials 
with WTO Secretariat experts to facilitate the preparation and submission of notifications , including 
in the run up to a TPR. In this vein, one  Member encouraged the Secretariat to  incorporate into  its WT/TPR/R/14  
 
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  report the views of the Member under review regarding the benefits of WTO technical assistance 
received, possible improvements to make such assistance more effective , and areas of further need , 
and suggested a specific amendment to the Chair's draft text on this issue.  Several Members 
support ed the proposed text. One Member said that the views of the Member under review on WTO 
technical assistance  received in  the Secretariat report  should be accompanied by relevant factual 
information compiled by the Secretariat.  
8. Other points raised by Members regarding the Se cretariat report and related issues included: 
(i) the Secretariat should be encouraged to coordinate closely with the Member under review so that 
as many issues as possible can be resolved through virtual meetings  in advance of the Secretariat's 
visit to capital , and so that in-person meetings with capital -based officials c ould be more efficient  
and effective ; (ii) the section on "trade policies by measure" (Section 3) is the core of the Secretariat 
report and the Secretariat should therefore be encouraged to shorten other sections  of its report , 
including by moving the description of the institutional framework in Section 2 to an annex or online 
profile , and by focusing Section 1  (Economic Environment) on trade -related issues ; (iii)  ensuring 
consistency acr oss Secretariat reports is a top priority for many Members; and (iv) the Secretariat 
should be encouraged to give attention in its report to new and emerging trade polic y areas , 
including industrial support, trade -related environmental issues and supply ch ain issues . 
9. Members broadly supported the Chair's suggestion to  include a reference to the Government 
report in the descriptive part of the Chair Note rather than the conclusions.  
10. Some Members underscored that they consider both the conclusions and the descriptive part 
of the Chair Note, once finalized, as outcomes of the Seventh Appraisal.  
11. The Chair closed the meeting by indicating that the next session on "TPR Reports " would take 
place on  Monday , 10 July 2023 at 3 p.m. in r oom D. He noted that the descriptive part of the report 
will be circulated to Members before the third session of this first basket of issues.  The Chair's 
proposed conclusions resulting from this second dedicated session  are contained in Table  1 (below ). 
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  WT/TPR/R/14  
 
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  Table  1 Compared texts of the conclusions on I ssue  2 of the revised informal Chair  Note  
Original text  Modified text  Comments  
Issue 2   
[(1) Members agreed that the 
Secretariat should retain its 
independence and responsibility in 
writing objective, coherent, and 
consistent reports across all Members. 
Without compromising the quality of 
the information and analysis, the 
Secretariat was invited, to the extent 
possible, to produce shorter, more 
focused reports; be more analytical; 
and include new developments in 
trade policies, as well as outstanding 
specific issues raised in previous 
Reviews.]  [(1) Members agreed that the 
Secretariat should retain its 
independence and re sponsibility in 
writing objective, coherent, and 
consistent reports across all 
Members.]  [(1) Members agreed that 
the Secretariat should retain 
its independence and 
responsibility in writing 
objective, coherent, and 
consistent reports across all 
Members. ] 
 [(2) Members invited the Secretariat 
to produce, to the extent possible, 
shorter, objective and more focused 
reports, without compromising their 
quality, and to cover issues relevant to 
new and emerging trade policies as 
well as outstanding spe cific issues 
raised in the previous Review.]  [(2) Members invited the 
Secretariat to produce [, to 
the extent possible, ] shorter , 
objective  and more focused 
reports, without 
compromising their quality, 
and to cover issues relevant 
to new and emerging trade 
policies as well as 
outstanding specific issues 
raised in the previous 
Review.]  
 [(3) Members encouraged the 
Secretariat to include in its report a 
qualitative assessment of submitted 
and outstanding notifications as well 
as information on WTO technical 
assistance provided to the developing 
Members under review.]  [(3) Members encouraged 
the Secretariat to include in 
its report [a qualitative 
assessment of submitted and 
outstanding notifications]  as 
well as [to invite the Member 
under review benefitting 
from WTO technical 
assistance to give their views 
on the benefits thereof]  
information on WTO technical 
assistance provided to the 
developing Members under 
review.]  
[(2) Members agreed that 
Government Reports should remain 
mandatory  as set out in Annex  3 to 
the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing 
the WTO. Members encouraged the 
Secretariat to continue assisting 
Members, notably LDCs, in preparing 
such reports. ] [(2) Members agreed that 
Government Reports should remain 
mandatory  as set out in Annex  3 to 
the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing 
the WTO. Members encouraged the 
Secretariat to continue assisting 
Members, notably LDCs, in preparing 
such reports. ] [(2) Members agreed that 
Government Reports should 
remain mandatory  as set o ut 
in Annex  3 to the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the 
WTO. Members encouraged 
the Secretariat to continue 
assisting Members, notably 
LDCs, in preparing such 
reports. ] 
 
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