RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/GC/COM/2
17February 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0340)
Original: English
ADHOC PROCEDURES ONPARTICIPATION
OFCERTAIN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
INTHE WORK OFTHE WTO BODIES
Statement bytheChairman oftheGeneral Council
TheChairman oftheGeneral Council proposed ataninformal meeting ofHeads ofDelegations
totheGeneral Council thatthefollowing adhocprocedures beadopted, pending finalagreement on
guidelines forobserver status forinternational intergovernmental organizations intheWTO.
These adhocprocedures were accepted bytheHeads ofDelegations.
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1. Thesectoral councils willinvite thefourorganizations which attended thefirstmeeting ofthe
General Council (United Nations, UNCTAD, IMFandtheWorld Bank) totheirfirstmeeting. This
would follow fromthedecision taken attheGeneral Council inthisrespect. InthecaseoftheCouncil
onTRIPS, WIPO willalsobeinvited asagreed bythePreparatory Committee.
2. TheothersubsidiarybodiesoftheGeneralCouncilnamely,theBalance-of-PaymentsCommittee
andtheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment, andwiththeexception oftheCommittee onBudget,
willalsoinvite totheir firstmeeting those organizations which have heldobserver status inthe
comparable GATT 1947 bodies. TheTPRB willactaccordingly. InthecaseoftheCommittee on
Trade andEnvironment, those organizations which attended themeetings oftheSub-Committee on
Trade andEnvironment asobservers willbeinvited tothefirstmeeting.
3. Finally, theChairmen ofthesectoral councils willconsult onwhether toinvite certain
organizations tothefirstmeetings oftheirrespective subsidiary bodies.
Noorganizations would beinvited toattend meetings oftheDSB, untiladecision hasbeen
taken onthismatter.