WORLD TRADE WT/L/36
10February 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0272)
AGREEMENT ON
THE TRANSFER OFASSETS, LIABILITIES, RECORDS, STAFF AND FUNCTIONS
FROM THE INTERIM COMMISSION OFTHE INTERNATIONAL TRADE ORGANIZATION
AND THE GATT TOTHE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Decision approved bytheGeneral Council on31January 1995
TheCONTRACTING PARTIES totheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade (hereinafter referred
toasthe"GATT 1947"), theExecutive Committee oftheInterim Commission oftheInternational
Trade Organization (hereinafter referred toasthe"ICITO") andthePreparatory Committee forthe
World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred toasthe"Preparatory Committee"),
Noting that:
ArticlesVI:1andXVI:2oftheMarrakeshAgreementEstablishingtheWorldTradeOrganization
(hereinafter referred toasthe"WTO Agreement") provide thatthere shallbeaSecretariat of
theWTO andthat,totheextent practicable, theSecretariat oftheGATT 1947 shallbecome
theSecretariat oftheWTO;
theduties oftheSecretariat oftheGATT 1947 arepresently being performed bythestaffof
theICITO;
theDirector-General oftheWTO, according toArticle VI:3oftheWTO Agreement, willbe
abletoappoint themembers ofthestaffoftheWTO Secretariat onlyaftertheMinisterial
Conference orGeneral Council oftheWTO hasadopted regulations governing theduties and
conditions ofservice ofthestaff;
Recalling thatparagraph 8(a)oftheMinisterial Decision ontheEstablishment ofthePreparatory
Committee adopted on14April 1994 authorizes thePreparatory Committee totake,asappropriate,
decisions inadvance oftheestablishment oftheWTO, interalia,onfinancial regulations, thebudget
estimates forthefirstyearofoperation oftheWTO, thetransfer oftheproperty oftheICITO and
theGATT 1947totheWTO, andtheterms andconditions ofthetransfer ofICITO stafftotheSecretariat
oftheWTO;
Agree asfollows:
1. Asfrom thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, allassets andliabilities ofthe
GATT 1947 andtheICITO shallbeassets andliabilities oftheWTO. Theassets andliabilities of
theGATT 1947 andtheICITO shallinclude theassets heldandtheliabilities incurred inthename
ofICITO/GATT.
./.WT/L/36
Page2
2. TheDirector-General oftheWTO, acting inaccordance withtheprovisions ofArticles VI:3
andXVI:2 oftheWTO Agreement, shallappoint themembers ofthestaffoftheSecretariat ofthe
WTO onorbefore 30June1995, provided thattheGeneral Council oftheWTO hasadopted prior
tothatdateregulations governing theduties andconditions ofservice ofthemembers ofthestaffof
theWTO Secretariat, including regulations oncontract ofemployment policy, salaries andpensions.
3. ThestaffoftheICITO shall perform theduties oftheSecretariat oftheWTO until the
appointment ofthestaffoftheSecretariat oftheWTO. ThestaffoftheICITO shallcontinue toperform
theduties oftheGATT 1947 Secretariat andthose oftheSecretariat ofthebodies established under
theTokyo Round Agreements untiltheappointment ofthestaffoftheSecretariat oftheWTO; thereafter
these duties shallbeperformed bytheSecretariat oftheWTO.
4. TheICITO isherewith dissolved asofthedateonwhich themembers oftheSecretariat of
theWTO areappointed. Onthatdatetherecords oftheICITO shallbetransferred totheWTO.
5. TheDirector-GeneraloftheWTOshallperformthedepositaryfunctionsoftheDirector-General
oftheGATT 1947afterthedateonwhich thelegalinstruments through which thecontracting parties
apply theGATT 1947areterminated. Onthatdatetherecords oftheGATT 1947shallbetransferred
totheWTO.
6. There shallbeacommon budget fortheGATT 1947 andtheWTO from thedateofentry
intoforce oftheWTO Agreement untilthedateasofwhich thelegalinstruments through which the
contracting parties apply theGATT 1947areterminated. During thatperiod thebasisforassessment
ofthecontracting parties totheGATT 1947, oftheMembers oftheWTO andofcontracting parties
thatarealsoMembers oftheWTO shallbethesame, andasingle payment totheWTO shallbedue
byallcontracting parties totheGATT 1947 andMembers oftheWTO.
7. TheDirector-General oftheGATT 1947and,afterthedateoftheentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement, theDirector-General oftheWTO areherewith authorized totake, inconsultation with
theCommittees onBudget, Finance andAdministration oftheGATT 1947andtheWTO, thenecessary
actions toadjust thecontractual arrangements oftheICITO andoftheGATT 1947, including the
arrangements onfinancial andpersonnel matters, tothechanges provided forunder paragraphs 1to
6above.
8. ThisAgreement shallinitially apply untilthedateofthefirstmeeting oftheGeneral Council
oftheWTO. Itshallremain inforcebeyond thatdateprovided thatitisapproved bytheGeneral Council
oftheWTO.
9. ThetextofthisAgreement, doneinasingle copy, intheEnglish, French andSpanish languages,
eachtextbeing authentic, shallbedeposited withtheDirector-General oftheGATT 1947.
DONE atGeneva thiseighth dayofDecember onethousand ninehundred andninety-four.
FortheICITOFortheGATT 1947 ForthePreparatory
Committee
Executive Secretary Chairman ofthe
CONTRACTING
PARTIESChairman