RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/VAL/W/20
13October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4367)
Committee onCustoms Valuation
ARTICLE 20.3OFTHE AGREEMENT ONCUSTOMS VALUATION
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
Chairman 'sRequest forInformation conerning theimplementation oftheAgreement
TheCommittee onCustoms Valuation hasheldthree informal meetings todiscuss aproposal
bytheUnited States foranincreased rolefortheCommittee intechnical assistance activities designed
tofacilitate andaccelerate implementation totheWTO Agreement onCustoms Valuation. These
meetings haveprimarily focused onimproving awareness andunderstanding oftheactivities already
carried outorbeing carried outbyinternational organizations andMembers either bilaterally or
regionally. They haveadditionally allowed anairing ofviews regarding related structural, procedural
andsubstantive issues.
Following theseconsultations, theCommittee hasagreed toengage inamoreactive roleinitially
bydiscussing technical assistance needs andactivities aimed atimplementation oftheAgreement in
amore systematic andformal manner. Oneoftheaimsofsuchdiscussions would betostreamline
andtailor technical assistance activities totheparticular needs ofeachdeveloping country Member.
Indeed, oneofthepoints thatemerged fromthediscussions intheinformal meetings wasthefactthat
eachdeveloping country Member wasinaunique situation regarding implementation oftheAgreement
and,therefore, haditsownparticular technical assistance needs.
Itisinthiscontext, thattheCommittee would value information from developing country
Members ontheirparticular situation regarding implementation oftheWTO Agreement onCustoms
Valuation, suchas:
- atwhatstage theyareintheprocess;
- whether theyhaveputintoplace theWCO programme forimplementation andatwhatstages
arethevarious taskforces intheirwork;
- which aretheirparticular technical assistance needs (legal andlegislative, training, computer
software/hardware, documentation, etc.);
- which typeoftechnical expert theywould most benefit from, etc.
Other information thatwould bevaluable totheCommittee is:
- whether thereporting Member hasreceived inthepastanytechnical assistance tofacilitate
implementation oftheAgreement;
- whatkindofassistance;
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- whether itwasbeneficial;
- andwhyorwhynot.
Thisinformation isrequested sothattheCommittee canbetter understand theparticular needs
ofeachdeveloping country Member andbeinamore informed position tocontribute towards technical
assistanceeffortsaimedatfacilitatingandassistingimplementationoftheAgreementforthosedeveloping
country Members whodesire suchassistance. Members whowould likefurther information regarding
theChairman 'srequest forinformation maycontact Janet Chakarian-Renouf attheMarket Access
Division oftheWTO Secretariat (Tel. no.739-5549). Areview ofreplies willbeconducted atan
informal meeting oftheCommittee devoted todiscussing technical assistance inthefirstquarter 1998.