RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/644 
27 January 2006 
 (06-0374) 
  
  
 
ACCESSION OF THE KINGDOM OF TONGA 
Decision of 15 December 2005 
 The Ministerial Conference,   Having regard to  paragraph 2 of Article XII and paragr aph 1 of Article IX of the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organizati on (the "WTO Agreement"), and the Decision-
Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of th e Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World 
Trade Organization agreed by the General Council (WT/L/93); 
 Taking note  of the application of the Kingdom of Tonga for accession to the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the World Trad e Organization dated 30 June 1995; 
 Noting  the results of the negotiations directed toward the establishment of the terms of 
accession of the Kingdom of Tonga to the WTO Agre ement and having prepared a Protocol on the 
Accession of the Kingdom of Tonga; 
 Decides  as follows: 
 The Kingdom of Tonga may accede to the WTO Agreement on the terms and conditions set 
out in the Protocol annexed to this Decision. WT/L/644 
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   PROTOCOL 
ON THE ACCESSION OF THE KINGDOM OF TONGA 
Preamble
 
 The World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO"), pursuant to Article XII 
of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and the Kingdom of Tonga,  
 Taking note of the Report of the Working Party on the Accession of the Kingdom of Tonga to 
the WTO Agreement repro duced in document WT/ACC/TON/17, dated 2 December 2005 (hereinafter 
referred to as the "Working Party Report"), 
 Having regard to the results of  the negotiations on the accession of the Kingdom of Tonga to the 
WTO Agreement,  
 Agree as follows: 
PART I -  GENERAL 
1. Upon entry into force of this Protocol pursua nt to paragraph 8, the Kingdom of Tonga accedes 
to the WTO Agreement pursuant to  Article XII of that Agreement and thereby becomes a Member of 
the WTO.  
2. The WTO Agreement to which the Kingdom of Tonga accedes shall be the WTO Agreement, 
including the Explanatory Notes to that Agreement, as  rectified, amended or ot herwise modified by such 
legal instruments as may have entered into force before the date of entry into force of this Protocol.  This 
Protocol, which shall include the commitments referred to in para graph 188 of the Working Party 
Report, shall be an integral part of the WTO Agreement. 
3. Except as otherwis e provided for in paragraph 188 of  the Working Party Report, those 
obligations in the Multilateral Trade Agreements annexed to the WTO Agreement that are to be 
implemented over a period of time starting with the entry into force of that Agreement shall be 
implemented by the Kingdom of Tonga as if it had accepted that Agreement on the date of its entry into force. 
4. The Kingdom of Tonga may maintain a measure in consistent with paragr aph 1 of Article II of 
the GATS provided that such a measure was recorded in  the list of Article II Exemptions annexed to this 
Protocol and meets the conditions of the A nnex to the GATS on Article II Exemptions. 
PART II - SCHEDULES 
5. The Schedules reproduced in Annex I to th is Protocol shall become the Schedule of 
Concessions and Commitm ents annexed to the General Agr eement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the "GATT 1994") and the Schedule of Specific Co mmitments annexed to the 
General Agreement on Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as "GATS") relating to the Kingdom of 
Tonga.  The staging of the concessi ons and commitments listed in th e Schedules shall be implemented 
as specified in the relevant pa rts of the respective Schedules.  WT/L/644 
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  6. For the purpose of the reference in paragraph 6( a) of Article II of the GATT 1994 to the date of 
that Agreement, the applicable date in respect of the Schedules of Conc essions and Commitments 
annexed to this Protocol shall be the date  of entry into force of this Protocol. 
PART III - FINAL PROVISIONS 
7. This Protocol shall be open for acceptance, by  signature or otherwise, by the Kingdom of Tonga 
until 31 July 2006. 
8. This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the day upon which it shall 
have been accepted by the Kingdom of Tonga.  
9. This Protocol shall be deposited with the Director-General of the WTO.  The Director-General 
of the WTO shall promptly furnish a certified copy of this Protocol and a notification of acceptance by 
the Kingdom of Tonga thereto pursuant to paragrap h 9 to each Member of the WTO and to the 
Kingdom of Tonga.   
 This Protocol shall be register ed in accordance with the provisi ons of Article 102 of the Charter 
of the United Nations.   
 Done at Hong Kong this fiftee nth day of December, two thousand and five, in a single copy in 
the English, French and Spanish languages, each te xt being authentic, except that a Schedule annexed 
hereto may specify that it its authen tic in only one of these languages. WT/L/644 
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  ANNEX I 
SCHEDULE CLIX – KINGDOM OF TONGA 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/TON/17/Add.1) 
_______________ 
SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS ON SERVICES 
LIST OF ARTICLE II EXEMPTIONS 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/TON/17/Add.2)  
__________