. /.  RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/BFA/W/156 
23 March 2007 
 (07-1237) 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration  
 
 
 
 
FUTURE BUILDING NEEDS OF THE WTO 
 
Report by the Director-General  
 
1. In October 2006, the General Council adopted a series of recommendations by the Committee 
on Budget, Finance and Administration concerning th e future building needs of the WTO.  These 
recommendations were essentially in three parts: 
 ¾ first, that the Director-General hold inte nsive discussions with the Swiss authorities 
concerning an appropriate solution to the immediate housing needs of the WTO; 
 ¾ secondly, that the Director-General be invited to urge the Swiss authorities to vacate 
the premises occupied by the IUHEI Library in the CWR at the earliest possible date, 
in view of the pressing space and security concerns facing the WTO; and 
 ¾ thirdly, that the Director-General be authorized to commence discussions with the 
Swiss authorities with respect to a comprehensive examination of all aspects concerning the identification of a suitable site  and all other relevant issues regarding a 
possible new permanent headquarters for the WTO and without prejudice to the final 
outcome. 
2. A first report on the discussions which had been held with the Swiss authorities since the 
adoption of those recommendations was submitte d to the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration under cover of document WT/BFA/W/150. The present report summarizes the 
outcome of the discussions that have taken place in th e course of the six meetings held with the Swiss 
authorities since that first report. 
I. IMMEDIATE HOUSING NEEDS OF THE WTO 
3. As previously reported, only two possible op tions for meeting the immediate housing needs 
of the WTO have thus far been identified. The fi rst is the building at Chemin des Mines 15 and 15 bis 
(the so-called Serono building). The second is the pr emises currently occupied by the IUHEI library 
in the Centre William Rappard (CWR). The Director-G eneral is of the view that the rue Rothschild 
premises do not provide adequate temporary solu tion for the immediate housing needs of the WTO. 
4.  A further option is the Avenue de France proj ect, but this would not become available until 
late 2009 and would thus not ease the immediate h ousing problems facing the Organization.  The 
Swiss authorities have informally indicated their readin ess to take over that project and rent part or all 
of the building to the WTO pending a long-term solution.    
5. Although the vacating of the IUHEI Library space will allow for the return to the CWR of 
some of the staff currently working in the rue Rothsch ild annexe, it is clear that it will not be possible 
to move all of the staff currently in that annexe  back to the CWR. This shortage of space will be 
further aggravated as new demands for office space emerge. WT/BFA/W/156 
Page 2  
 
  6. The Swiss authorities have indicated that they will continue to pay the rent for the rue 
Rothschild annexe (amounting to CHF 890,496 annually ) until the completion of the alterations to the 
CWR premises currently occupied by the IUHEI Library.  The work is estimated to be finished by the 
end of February 2008. As noted above, the vacat ed library space will not be sufficient to 
accommodate all the staff in th e rue Rothschild annexe, making additional accommodation necessary. 
The Secretariat has informed the Host country of this situation and of its expectation that these 
additional premises will be provided to the WTO under the same conditions as the rue Rothschild 
annexe.  
 
II. VACATING THE CWR PREMISES CURRENTLY OCCUPIED BY THE IUHEI 
LIBRARY 
7. The Swiss authorities have confirmed that the IUHEI Library will vacate the CWR premises 
on 31 August 2007. The planning of the necessary altera tions to the premises is already in hand, and 
the transformation work will begin immediately in September 2007. 
III. OPTIONS FOR A  NEW PERMANENT HEADQUARTERS 
8. The discussions with the Swiss authorities have  continued to focus on three options for 
meeting the long-term space needs of the WTO. Th ese options include the on-site extension of the 
CWR and the construction of a new building on one of two possible sites in the Canton of Geneva. 
Each of these options poses different diffi culties, which are being investigated. 
9. In the coming weeks, the aim is to concentrat e on the technical and financial aspects of each 
option, with a view to assessing their feasibility and submitting a detailed report to the Committee and 
to the General Council before the summer break. 
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