. /.  RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/BFA/113 
11 November 2009 
 (09-5619) 
  
 
 
 
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 OF THE COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, 
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION 
 
As at 31 october 2009  
  1. In accordance with the proce dures for an annual overview of World Trade Organization 
(WTO) activities and for reporting under the WT O, adopted by the General Council on 
15 November 1995 (WT/GC/M/8, item 11), a report on the activities of the WTO Committee on 
Budget, Finance and Administrati on in 2009 is hereby submitted. 
 2. It will be recalled that the Committee met fo rmally and informally on a number of occasions 
and has presented reports to the General Council on a regular basis
1. 
 I. ON-GOING RESPONSIBILITIES 
3. The Committee monitored on a re gular basis the fina ncial and budgetary situation of the 
Organization and the receipt of contributions, incl uding the implementation of the related schemes and 
measures pertaining to the receipt of  contributions.  It considered el ements related to human resources 
management, took note of the progress reports on th e WTO Pension Plan and on the building project of 
the WTO.  It also examined the Director-General’s Budgetary and Fi nancial Report for 2008, the Report 
on Extra-Budgetary Funds for 2008, and the Report of th e External Auditors thereon.  At the time of 
finalizing this report, the Commit tee is discussing the Director-G eneral's budget proposals for the 
biennium 2010-2011.  
II. MAJOR AREAS OF ACTIVITIES 
A. B
UILDING PROJECT OF THE WTO 
4. In February 2009, the jury, composed of the Ch air of the CBFA, a representative of the Host 
Country, the Secretariat and indepe ndent architects, awarded the firs t prize for the design of the new 
building to 'Wittfoht Architekten' fro m Stuttgart.  The project cost amounts to CHF 40 million, financed 
by a loan from the Host Country and another CHF 10 million for the underground parking, financed by 
the Host Country according to the Agreement with the Swiss Confederation.  At the end of September, 
the referendum on the de-classification of land for the new building was approved by the City of Geneva 
population with a rate of 62 per cent .  However, a law suit has been fi led in the Cantonal Administrative 
Tribunal, requesting the cancellation of the referendum. 
5. The construction permit for the intra-muros proj ect was requested in Ju ly and is now pending 
due to a request to have the CWR listed as an hist oric monument  The loan for the intra-muros works 
(CHF 20 million) is scheduled to  be approved by the Federal Chambers on 9 December 2009. 
                                                      
1 Reports:  WT/BFA/109 covering the meeting held on 17 March 2009;  WT/BFA/110 covering the 
meeting held on 11 May 2009;  WT/BFA/111 covering the meeting held on 9 July 2009;  and WT/BFA/112 
covering the report of the meeting held on 8 October 2009. WT/BFA/113 
Page 2  
 
  6. The renovation works on the first sector in the South Wing of the CWR were completed on time 
at the beginning of October and are currently being continued in the second sector in the South Wing. 
 B. I
MPLEMENTATION OF IPSAS   (WT/BFA/W/183) 
7. The Committee noted that the introduction of the Public Sector Accounting Standards 
(IPSAS) was in response to a global trend in orde r to provide public sector organizations with best 
practice standards, thereby giving a more realis tic picture of their financial performance.  The 
Committee recommended the implementation of the I PSAS to the General Council in May, with the 
objective of issuing IPSAS-compliant financia l statements for the 2012 reporting period. 
 
C. MEMBERS UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES (WT/BFA/  W/184) 
8. The Committee was informed th at the Gabonese Republic had accepted a payment scheme to 
liquidate its outstanding contributions in arrears ove r a period of three years, starting in 2010.  The 
outstanding balance of CHF 352,246 would be cleared  through three annual and equal instalments.  
The corresponding recommendation was submitte d to the General Council in May 2009. 
D. WORKING GROUP ON ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES  
9. The Committee noted the establishment of a Wo rking Group with a mandate to review the 
Administrative Measures applicable to Members wi th outstanding contributions and to consider the 
outstanding dues from Observers.   A first meeting was held in July and the Chair of the Working 
Group held bilateral consultations with the Members in question.   The Working Group will continue 
its work in 2010. 
E. ACTUARIAL POSITION OF THE WTO  PENSION PLAN  (WT/BFA/  W/186) 
10. After extensive discussions, the Committee approved the amendment of the normal retirement 
age from 62 to 65 for WTO staff members recruited on or after 1 January 2010 as well as an increase in the contribution rate to the WTO Pension Plan fro m 22.5 per cent to 23.7 per cent as of the same 
date.  The recommendation of the Management Board to amend Articles 2 and 20 of the Pension Plan 
Regulations was submitted to the General Council. 
 F. T
RUST FUND FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF LDC S IN THE SEVENTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE  
(WT/BFA/  W/187) 
11. As has become the practice, a trust fund was esta blished to facilitate the participation of Least 
Developed Countries in the 7th Ministerial Conference, covering air travel, accommodation and per 
diem allowances for one minister and two officials.  The corresponding recommendation was  
submitted to the General Council.  
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