WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/L/823 
3 November 2011 
 (11-5594) 
  
  
 
 
 
ACCESSION OF VANUATU 
Decision of 26 October 2011 
 
 
 The General Council, 
 Having regard  to paragraph 2 of Article X II and paragraph 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 WTO Agreement agreed by the General Council 
(WT/L/93); 
 Conducting  the functions of the Ministerial Confer ence in the interval between meetings 
pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article IV of the WTO Agreement;  
 Taking note  of the application of Vanuatu for accession to the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization dated 7 June 1995; 
 Noting the results of the negotiations directed toward the establishment of the terms of 
accession of Vanuatu to the WTO Agreement and having prepared a Protocol on the Accession of 
Vanuatu;  
 Decides as follows: 
  Vanuatu may accede to the WTO Agreement on the terms and conditions set out in the 
Protocol annexed to this Decision.  
_______________ WT/L/823 
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  PROTOCOL ON THE ACCESSION OF VANUATU 
 
Preamble 
 The World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO"), pursuant to the 
approval of the General Council of the WTO accorded  under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization (hereinaft er referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and 
Vanuatu,  
 Taking note of the Report of the Workin g Party on the Accession of Vanuatu to the 
WTO Agreement reproduced in document WT/A CC/VUT/17, dated 11 May 2011 (hereinafter 
referred to as the "Working Party Report"), 
 Having regard to the results of the nego tiations on the accession of Vanuatu to the 
WTO Agreement, 
 Agree as follows: 
PART I - GENERAL 
1. Upon entry into force of this Protocol pur suant to paragraph 8, Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu acced es shall be the WTO Agreement, including 
the Explanatory Notes to that Agreement, as rectifie d, amended or otherwise 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 commitme nts referred to in paragraph 145 of the Working 
Party Report, shall be an integral part of the WTO Agreement.   
3. Except as otherwise provided for in paragr aph 145 of the Working Party Report, those 
obligations in the Multilateral Tr ade 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 Vanuatu as if it had accepted that Agreement on the date of its entry into force. 
4. Vanuatu may maintain a meas ure inconsistent with paragra ph 1 of Article II of the GATS 
provided that such a measure was recorded in th e 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 Commitments annexed to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the "GATT 1994") and the Schedule of Specific Commitments annexed to 
the General Agreement on Trade in Services (hereinaft er referred to as "GATS") relating to Vanuatu.  
The staging of concessions and commitments listed in the Schedules shall be implemented as specified in the relevant parts of the respective Schedules. 
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 resp ect of the Schedules of Concessions and Commitments 
annexed to this Protocol shall be the date  of entry into force of this Protocol.  WT/L/823 
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  PART III - FINAL PROVISIONS 
7. This Protocol shall be open for acceptance,  by signature or otherwise, by Vanuatu until 
31 December 2011. 
8. This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the day upon which it shall 
have been accepted by Vanuatu. 
9. This Protocol shall be deposited with the Director-General of the WTO.  The Director-
General of the WTO shall promptly furnish a certifie d copy of this Protocol and a notification of 
acceptance by Vanuatu thereto pursuant to paragraph 9 to each Member of the WTO and to Vanuatu.   
 This Protocol shall be registered in accordance with the provisions of Article 102 of the 
Charter of the United Nations. 
 Done at Geneva this twenty-sixth day of October two thou sand and eleven, 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 is authentic in only one of these languages. 
 
 
 
 WT/L/823 
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  ANNEX I 
SCHEDULE CLXIII - VANUATU 
Authentic only in the English language 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/VUT/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/VUT/17/Add.2) 
__________