. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
TN/TF/M/42 
21 July 2011 
 
 (11-3689) 
Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation  
  
 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
 
Held in the Centre William Rappard 
from 11 – 15 July 2011 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Eduardo Ernesto Sperisen-Yurt (Guatemala) 
 
 1. The Chairman recalled that the agenda for th e session had been circulated in WTO/AIR/3778. 
2. As Members would have noticed from the airgram, the meeting aimed at accomplishing three 
primary tasks:  First, it was meant to evaluate the current state-of-play, taking stock of the recent 
progress made.  It equally aimed at harvesting the concrete advances by integrating them into the 
Draft Consolidated Negotiating Text.  In addition, delegations would be able to review the road 
ahead. 
3. With regard to those next steps, he informed  Members that he would be making a proposal on 
Friday on how he wished to organize the negotia ting process over the next few months.  He intended 
to continue to respect fully the three pillars of "Member-driven", "inclusiveness" and "transparency" 
that had served the Negotiating Group well so far, a nd to continue with the facilitator process that 
Members had been using since the beginning of this year.  He would be proposing a number of adjustments to that process, which he would describe on Friday. 
4. The agenda was adopted. 
A. REPORTS BY THE FACILITATORS , CONSIDERATION OF REVISED TEXTS FOR INCLUSION INTO 
THE DRAFT CONSOLIDATED NEGOTIATING TEXT AND REVIEW OF NEXT STEPS  
5. This part of the meeting w as conducted in informal mode. 
6. The Negotiating Group took note of the statements made. 
B. A D HOC ATTENDANCE OF RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS , INCLUDING THE 
IMF,  OECD,  UNCTAD,  WCO  AND THE WORLD BANK, AT THE NEXT MEETING OF THE 
NEGOTIATING GROUP  
7. The Chairman suggested inviting relevant inte rnational organizations, including the IMF, 
OECD, UNCTAD, WCO and the World Bank to attend the next formal meeting of the Negotiating 
Group on an ad hoc basis, as provided for in the Work Plan. 
8. It was so agreed. TN/TF/M/42 
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  C. O
THER BUSINESS  
9. The Chairman addressed the issue of the Nego tiating Group's next meeting and suggested to 
hold it from 26-30 September.  Details regarding its content and structure would be communicated to 
Members in due course.  
10. It was so agreed.  
11. The representative of Chile bid farewell to the de legations scheduled to leave Geneva.  All of 
them had provided important input in different fo rms and functions.  Chile was very appreciative of 
their work and wished them all th e best for the future.  For those representatives who had already left, 
such as Darío Celaya from Argentina, Chile requested that its thanks be passed on. 
12. The representative of Canada joined Chile in th anking leaving delegates for their important 
contribution.  Canada also wished to thank the pa rting lead negotiators from capital.  The negotiations 
could not be done without the experts from capital.   
13. The Chairman thanked everybody for their hard  work and extended his best wishes for the 
future. 
14. The Negotiating Group took note of the statements made. 
15. The meeting was adjourned. 
 
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