Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
2nd CPTPP Commission, Auckland, 9 October 2019Concluding Joint Statement
Senior Officials and delegations representing Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan,Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Viet Nam met in Auckland, New Zealand, 7-9October, for the second meeting of the CPTPP Commission and associated CPTPP Committees.
At a time when the rules-based international trading system is undergoing a period of stress, thetask of implementation to deliver on one of the world’s newest, most comprehensive and ambitious
trade agreements is fundamentally important. Following its entry into force in December 2018, themeetings in Auckland heralded the next stage in the evolution of the CPTPP.
Alongside the Commission, the following Committees met for the first time in Auckland: Trade inGoods; Rules of Origin; Agricultural Trade; Technical Barriers to Trade; Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures; Small and Medium Sized Enterprises; State Owned Enterprises; Development;
Cooperation and Capacity Building; Competitiveness and Business Facilitation; Environment; and theLabour Council.
Discussions in the Committees and the Commission centred on monitoring and ensuring the full andproper implementation of the Agreement, in order to deliver effectively on the outcomes negotiatedby members. The Auckland meetings also focused on establishing and tracking progress in the work
programmes foreshadowed under the Agreement. This included identifying areas for cooperation
between CPTPP members to advance the objectives in respective chapters.
Senior Officials received an update on progress in ratification from those signatories still in theprocess of undertaking their domestic processes and expressed their support and encouragement
for efforts to have the Agreement enter into force for all signatories as soon as possible.
Noting the decision at the first CPTPP Commission in January on procedures for accession, Senior
Officials also welcomed the continued interest shown by other economies in possible accession to
the CPTPP and reaffirmed the interest CPTPP members have in expanding the Agreement over timethrough the accession of those economies willing to meet the CPTPP’s high standards.
The Commission also set in train arrangements for the remaining institutional bodies yet to meet,and tasked experts to consider the data that would be valuable to gather and share in order tounderstand better the contribution the CPTPP can make to economic partnership among its
members over time.
The Commission adopted two formal decisions, (i) on its Rules of Procedure under Article 27.4 and(ii) to establish a Roster of Panel Chairs as provided for under Article 28.11.
A first Environment Public Forum, focused on the topic of Oceans and Marine Environment, was held
alongside the Auckland meetings. It provided an opportunity for interested civil society groups,
including non-governmental organisations, the scientific and business communities to engage onmatters relevant to the work of the Environment Committee. A workshop was also held with

representatives of small and medium sized (SME) enterprises to promote dialogue on ways in which
trade agreements can address the particular issues faced by SMEs in international trade.
The next CPTPP Commission and associated meetings will take place in Mexico in mid-2020.