WORLD TRADE WT/L/28
7February 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0230)
RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR SESSIONS OFTHE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
AND MEETINGS OFTHE GENERAL COUNCIL
Adopted bytheGeneral Council on31January 1995*
_____________
RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR SESSIONS OFTHE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Note: Forthepurposes oftheseRules, theterm"WTO Agreement" includes theMultilateral
Trade Agreements.
Chapter I—Sessions
Rule1
Regular sessions oftheMinisterial Conference shallbeheldatleastonceevery twoyears.
Thedateofeachregular session shallbefixed bytheMinisterial Conference ataprevious session.
Rule2
Aspecial session may, however, beheldatanother dateontheinitiative oftheChairperson,
attherequest ofaMember concurred inbythemajority oftheMembers, orbyadecision oftheGeneral
Council. Notice oftheconvening ofanysuchsession shallbegiven toMembers atleasttwenty-one
daysbefore theopening ofthesession. Intheevent thatthetwenty-first dayfallsonaweekend or
aholiday, thenotice shallbeissued nolaterthanthepreceding WTO working day.
Chapter II—Agenda
Rule3
Theprovisional agenda foreachregular session shall bedrawn upbytheSecretariat in
consultation withtheChairperson andshallbecommunicated toMembers atleastfiveweeks before
theopening ofthesession. Itshallbeopen toanyMember topropose items forinclusion inthis
provisional agenda uptosixweeks before theopening ofthesession. Additional items ontheagenda
shallbeproposed under "Other Business" attheopening ofthesession. Inclusion ofthese items on
theagenda shalldepend upon theagreement oftheMinisterial Conference.
*TheGeneral Council adopted therules assetoutinthisdocument withtheexception oftheprovisions insquare brackets
(Rule 11oftheRules oftheMinisterial Conference andRules 11and12oftheRules fortheGeneral Council). TheGeneral
Council authorized itsChairman toholdinformal consultations onthese issues withaviewtoadopting thematafuture meeting.WT/L/28
Page2
Rule4
Theprovisional agenda foraspecial session shallbedrawn upbytheSecretariat inconsultation
withtheChairperson andshallbecommunicated toMembers atleasttwenty-one daysbefore theopening
ofthesession. ItshallbeopentoanyMember topropose items forinclusion inthisprovisional agenda
uptotwenty-onedaysbeforetheopeningofthesession.Additionalitemsontheagendashallbeproposed
under "Other Business" attheopening ofthesession. Inclusion ofthese items ontheagenda shall
depend upon theagreement oftheMinisterial Conference.
Rule5
Thefirstitemofbusiness ateachsession shallbetheconsideration andapproval oftheagenda.
Rule6
TheMinisterial Conference mayamend theagenda orgivepriority tocertain items atanytime
inthecourse oftheSession.
Chapter III—Credentials
Rule7
Each Member shallberepresented byanaccredited representative.
Rule8
Eachrepresentative maybeaccompanied bysuchalternates andadvisers astherepresentative
mayrequire.
Rule9
Thecredentials ofrepresentatives shallbesubmitted totheSecretariat atleastoneweek before
theopening ofthesession. They shalltaketheform ofacommunication from oronbehalf ofthe
Minister forForeign Affairs orthecompetent authority oftheMember authorizing therepresentative
toperform onbehalf oftheMember thefunctions indicated intheWTO Agreement.1TheChairperson
afterconsulting withtheSecretariat shalldrawattention toanycasewhere arepresentative hasomitted
topresent credentials induetimeandform.
Chapter IV—Observers
Rule10
Representatives ofStates orseparate customs territories mayattend themeetings asobservers
ontheinvitation oftheMinisterial Conference inaccordance withparagraphs 9to11oftheguidelines
inAnnex 2tothese Rules.
1Itisunderstood thatinthecaseofaseparate customs territory Member thecredentials ofitsrepresentatives shallhave
noimplication astosovereignty.WT/L/28
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Rule11
Representatives ofinternational intergovernmental organizations mayattend themeetings as
observers ontheinvitation oftheMinisterial Conference inaccordance withtheguidelines inAnnex []
tothese Rules.
Chapter V—Officers
Rule12
During thecourse ofeachregular session aChairperson andthree Vice-Chairpersons shall
beelected from among theMembers. They shallholdoffice from theendofthatsession untilthe
endofthenextregular session.
Rule13
IftheChairperson isabsent fromanymeeting orpartthereof, oneofthethreeVice-Chairpersons
shallperform thefunctions oftheChairperson. IfnoVice-Chairperson ispresent theMinisterial
Conference shallelectaninterim Chairperson forthatmeeting orthatpartofthemeeting.
Rule14
IftheChairperson cannolonger perform thefunctions oftheoffice, theMinisterial Conference
shalldesignate oneoftheVice-Chairpersons toperform those functions pending election ofanew
Chairperson inaccordance withrule12.
Rule15
TheChairperson shall normally participate intheproceedings assuch andnotasthe
representative ofaMember. TheChairperson may, however, atanytimerequest permission toact
ineither capacity.
Chapter VI—Conduct ofbusiness
Rule16
Asimple majority oftheMembers shallconstitute aquorum.
Rule17
Inaddition toexercising thepowers conferred elsewhere bythese rules, theChairperson shall
declare theopening andclosing ofeachmeeting, shalldirect thediscussion, accord therighttospeak,
submit questions fordecision, announce decisions, ruleonpoints oforder and,subject tothese rules,
havecomplete control oftheproceedings. TheChairperson mayalsocallaspeaker toorder ifthe
remarks ofthespeaker arenotrelevant.WT/L/28
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Rule18
During thediscussion ofanymatter, arepresentative mayraiseapoint oforder. Inthiscase
theChairperson shallimmediately statetheruling. Iftheruling ischallenged, theChairperson shall
immediately submit itfordecision anditshallstand unless overruled.
Rule19
During thediscussion ofanymatter arepresentative maymove theadjournment ofthedebate.
Anysuchmotion shallhavepriority. Inaddition totheproponent ofthemotion, onerepresentative
maybeallowed tospeak infavour of,andtworepresentatives against, themotion, afterwhich the
motion shallbesubmitted fordecision immediately.
Rule20
Arepresentative mayatanytimemove theclosure ofthedebate. Inaddition totheproponent
ofthemotion, notmore thanonerepresentative maybegranted permission tospeak infavour ofthe
motion andnotmore thantworepresentatives maybegranted permission tospeak against themotion,
afterwhich themotion shallbesubmitted fordecision immediately.
Rule21
During thecourse ofthedebate, theChairperson mayannounce thelistofspeakers and,with
theconsent ofthemeeting, declare thelistclosed. TheChairperson may, however, accord theright
ofreply toanyrepresentative ifaspeech delivered afterthelisthasbeendeclared closed makes this
desirable.
Rule22
TheChairperson, withtheconsent ofthemeeting, maylimitthetimeallowed toeachspeaker.
Rule23
Proposals andamendments toproposals shallnormally beintroduced inwriting andcirculated
toallrepresentatives notlaterthantwelve hours before thecommencement ofthemeeting atwhich
theyaretobediscussed.
Rule24
Iftwoormore proposals aremoved relating tothesamequestion, themeeting shallfirstdecide
onthemost far-reaching proposal andthenonthenextmost far-reaching proposal andsoon.
Rule25
When anamendment ismoved toaproposal, theamendment shallbesubmitted fordecision
firstand,ifitisadopted, theamended proposal shallthenbesubmitted fordecision.
Rule26
When twoormore amendments aremoved toaproposal, themeeting shalldecide firston
theamendment farthest removed insubstance from theoriginal proposal, then, ifnecessary, onthe
amendment nextfarthest removed, andsoonuntilalltheamendments havebeensubmitted fordecision.WT/L/28
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Rule27
Parts ofaproposal maybedecided onseparately ifarepresentative requests thattheproposal
bedivided.
Chapter VII—Decision-Making
Rule28
TheMinisterialConferenceshalltakedecisionsinaccordancewiththedecision-makingprovisions
oftheWTO Agreement, inparticular Article IXthereof entitled "Decision-Making".
Rule29
When, inaccordance withtheWTO Agreement, decisions arerequired tobetaken byvote,
suchvotes shallbetaken byballot. Ballot papers shallbedistributed torepresentatives ofMembers
present atthesession andaballot boxplaced intheconference room. However, therepresentative
ofanyMember mayrequest, ortheChairperson maysuggest, thatavotebetaken bytheraising of
cards orbyrollcall.Inaddition, where inaccordance withtheWTO Agreement avotebyaqualified
majority ofallMembers isrequired tobetaken, theMinisterial Conference maydecide, uponrequest
fromaMember orthesuggestion oftheChairperson, thatthevotebetaken byairmail ballots orballots
transmitted bytelegraph ortelefacsimile inaccordance withtheprocedures described inAnnex 1to
these Rules.
Chapter VIII—Languages
Rule30
English, French andSpanish shallbetheworking languages.
Chapter IX—Records
Rule31
Summary records ofthemeetings oftheMinisterial Conference shallbekeptbytheSecretariat.2
Chapter X—Publicity ofmeetings
Rule32
Themeetings oftheMinisterial Conference shallordinarily beheldinprivate. Itmaybedecided
thataparticular meeting ormeetings should beheldinpublic.
2Thecustomary practice under theGATT 1947, whereby representatives may, upon theirrequest, verify those portions
ofthedraft records containing their statements, prior totheissuance ofsuch records, shall becontinued.WT/L/28
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Rule33
After aprivate meeting hasbeenheld, theChairperson mayissueacommuniqué tothePress.
Chapter XI—Revision
Rule34
TheMinisterial Conference maydecide atanytimetorevise these rulesoranypartofthem.WT/L/28
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RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR MEETINGS OFTHE GENERAL COUNCIL
Note: Forthepurposes oftheseRules, theterm"WTO Agreement" includes theMultilateral
Trade Agreements.
Chapter I—Meetings
Rule1
TheGeneral Council shallmeetasappropriate.
Rule2
Meetings oftheGeneral Council shallbeconvened bytheDirector-General byanotice issued
notlessthantencalendar daysprior tothedatesetforthemeeting. Intheevent thatthetenth day
fallsonaweekend oraholiday, thenotice shallbeissued nolaterthanthepreceding WTO working
day. Meetings maybeconvened withshorter notice formatters ofsignificant importance orurgency
attherequest ofaMember concurred inbythemajority oftheMembers.
Chapter II—Agenda
Rule3
Alistoftheitems proposed fortheagenda ofthemeeting shallbecommunicated toMembers
together withtheconvening notice forthemeeting. ItshallbeopentoanyMember tosuggest items
forinclusion intheproposed agenda upto,andnotincluding, thedayonwhich thenotice ofthemeeting
istobeissued.
Rule4
Requests foritems tobeplaced ontheagenda ofaforthcoming meeting shallbecommunicated
totheSecretariat inwriting, together withtheaccompanying documentation tobeissued inconnection
withthatitem. Documentation forconsideration atameeting shallbecirculated notlaterthanthe
dayonwhich thenotice ofthemeeting istobeissued.
Rule5
Aproposed agenda shallbecirculated bytheSecretariat oneortwodaysbefore themeeting.
Rule6
Thefirstitemofbusiness ateachmeeting shallbetheconsideration andapproval oftheagenda.
Representatives maysuggest amendments totheproposed agenda, oradditions totheagenda under
"Other Business". Representatives shall provide theChairperson ortheSecretariat, andtheother
Members directly concerned, whenever possible, advance notice ofitems intended toberaised under
"Other Business".WT/L/28
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Rule7
TheGeneral Council mayamend theagenda orgivepriority tocertain items atanytimein
thecourse ofthemeeting.
Chapter III—Representation
Rule8
Each Member shallberepresented byanaccredited representative.
Rule9
Eachrepresentative maybeaccompanied bysuchalternates andadvisers astherepresentative
mayrequire.
Chapter IV—Observers
Rule10
Representatives ofStates orseparate customs territories mayattend themeetings asobservers
ontheinvitation oftheGeneral Council inaccordance withparagraphs 9to11oftheguidelines in
Annex 2tothese Rules.
Rule11
Representatives ofinternational intergovernmental organizations mayattend themeetings as
observers ontheinvitation oftheGeneral Council inaccordance withtheguidelines inAnnex []to
these Rules.
Chapter V—Officers
Rule12
[The General Council shall elect aChairperson andaVice-Chairperson from among the
representatives ofMembers. Theelection shalltakeplace atthefirstmeeting oftheyearandshall
takeimmediate effect. TheChairperson andVice-Chairperson shallholdoffice untiltheendofthe
firstmeeting ofthefollowing year.]
Rule13
IftheChairpersonisabsentfromanymeetingorpartthereof,theVice-Chairpersonshallperform
thefunctions oftheChairperson. IftheVice-Chairperson isnotpresent theGeneral Council shall
electaninterim Chairperson forthatmeeting orthatpartofthemeeting.WT/L/28
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Rule14
IftheChairperson cannolonger perform thefunctions oftheoffice, theGeneral Council shall
designate theVice-Chairperson referred toinRule12toperform those functions pending theelection
ofanewChairperson.
Rule15
TheChairperson shall normally participate intheproceedings assuch andnotasthe
representative ofaMember. TheChairperson may, however, atanytimerequest permission toact
ineither capacity.
Chapter VI—Conduct ofbusiness
Rule16
Asimple majority oftheMembers shallconstitute aquorum.
Rule17
Inaddition toexercising thepowers conferred elsewhere bythese rules, theChairperson shall
declare theopening andclosing ofeachmeeting, shalldirect thediscussion, accord therighttospeak,
submit questions fordecision, announce decisions, ruleonpoints oforder and,subject tothese rules,
havecomplete control oftheproceedings. TheChairperson mayalsocallaspeaker toorder ifthe
remarks ofthespeaker arenotrelevant.
Rule18
During thediscussion ofanymatter, arepresentative mayraiseapoint oforder. Inthiscase
theChairperson shallimmediately statetheruling. Iftheruling ischallenged, theChairperson shall
immediately submit itfordecision anditshallstand unless overruled.
Rule19
During thediscussion ofanymatter, arepresentative maymove theadjournment ofthedebate.
Anysuchmotion shallhavepriority. Inaddition totheproponent ofthemotion, onerepresentative
maybeallowed tospeak infavour of,andtworepresentatives against, themotion, afterwhich the
motion shallbesubmitted fordecision immediately.
Rule20
Arepresentative mayatanytimemove theclosure ofthedebate. Inaddition totheproponent
ofthemotion, notmore thanonerepresentative maybegranted permission tospeak infavour ofthe
motion andnotmore thantworepresentatives maybegranted permission tospeak against themotion,
afterwhich themotion shallbesubmitted fordecision immediately.WT/L/28
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Rule21
During thecourse ofthedebate, theChairperson mayannounce thelistofspeakers and,with
theconsent ofthemeeting, declare thelistclosed. TheChairperson may, however, accord theright
ofreply toanyrepresentative ifaspeech delivered afterthelisthasbeendeclared closed makes this
desirable.
Rule22
TheChairperson, withtheconsent ofthemeeting, maylimitthetimeallowed toeachspeaker.
Rule23
Representatives shall endeavour, totheextent thatasituation permits, tokeep their oral
statements brief. Representatives wishing todevelop theirposition onaparticular matter infuller detail
maycirculate awritten statement fordistribution toMembers, thesummary ofwhich, atthe
representative 'srequest, maybereflected intherecords oftheGeneral Council.
Rule24
Inorder toexpedite theconduct ofbusiness, theChairperson mayinvite representatives that
wishtoexpress theirsupport foragiven proposal toshow theirhands, inorder tobedulyrecorded
intherecordsoftheGeneralCouncilassupportingstatements;thus,onlyrepresentativeswithdissenting
views orwishing tomake explicit points orproposals would actually beinvited tomake astatement.
Thisprocedure shallonlybeapplied inorder toavoid undue repetition ofpoints already made, and
willnotpreclude anyrepresentative whosowishes from taking thefloor.
Rule25
Representatives should avoid unduly longdebates under "Other Business". Discussions on
substantive issues under "Other Business" shallbeavoided, andtheGeneral Council shalllimititself
totaking noteoftheannouncement bythesponsoring delegation, aswellasanyreactions tosuchan
announcement byother delegations directly concerned.
Rule26
While theGeneral Council isnotexpected totakeaction inrespect ofanitemintroduced as
"Other Business", nothing shallprevent theGeneral Council, ifitsodecides, totakeaction inrespect
ofanysuchitemataparticular meeting, orinrespect ofanyitemforwhich documentation wasnot
circulated atleasttencalendar daysinadvance.
Rule27
Representatives should make every effort toavoid therepetition ofafulldebate ateachmeeting
onanyissue thathasalready beenfullydebated inthepastandonwhich there appears tohavebeen
nochange inMembers 'positions already onrecord.
Rule28
Proposals andamendments toproposals shallnormally beintroduced inwriting andcirculated
toallrepresentatives notlaterthantwelve hours before thecommencement ofthemeeting atwhich
theyaretobediscussed.WT/L/28
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Rule29
Iftwoormore proposals aremoved relating tothesamequestion, themeeting shallfirstdecide
onthemost far-reaching proposal andthenonthenextmost far-reaching proposal andsoon.
Rule30
When anamendment ismoved toaproposal, theamendment shallbesubmitted fordecision
firstand,ifitisadopted, theamended proposal shallthenbesubmitted fordecision.
Rule31
When twoormore amendments aremoved toaproposal, themeeting shalldecide firston
theamendment farthest removed insubstance from theoriginal proposal, then, ifnecessary, onthe
amendment nextfarthest removed, andsoonuntilalltheamendments havebeensubmitted fordecision.
Rule32
Parts ofaproposal maybedecided onseparately ifarepresentative requests thattheproposal
bedivided.
Chapter VII—Decision-Making
Rule33
TheGeneral Council shalltakedecisions inaccordance withthedecision-making provisions
oftheWTO Agreement, inparticular Article IXthereof entitled "Decision-Making".
Rule34
When, inaccordance withtheWTO Agreement, decisions arerequired tobetaken byvote,
suchvotes shallbetaken byballot. Ballot papers shallbedistributed torepresentatives ofMembers
present atthemeeting andaballot boxplaced intheconference room. However, therepresentative
ofanyMember mayrequest, ortheChairperson maysuggest, thatavotebetaken bytheraising of
cards orbyrollcall.Inaddition, where inaccordance withtheWTO Agreement avotebyaqualified
majority ofallMembers isrequired tobetaken, theGeneral Council maydecide, upon request from
aMember orthesuggestion oftheChairperson, thatthevotebetaken byairmail ballots orballots
transmitted bytelegraph ortelefacsimile inaccordance withtheprocedures described inAnnex 1to
these Rules.
Chapter VIII—Languages
Rule35
English, French andSpanish shallbetheworking languages.WT/L/28
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Chapter IX—Records
Rule36
Records ofthediscussions oftheGeneral Council shallbeintheform ofminutes.3
Chapter X—Publicity ofmeetings
Rule37
Themeetings oftheGeneral Council shallordinarily beheldinprivate. Itmaybedecided
thataparticular meeting ormeetings should beheldinpublic.
Rule38
After aprivate meeting hasbeenheld, theChairperson mayissueacommuniqué tothePress.
Chapter XI—Revision
Rule39
TheGeneral Council maydecide atanytimetorevise these rules oranypartofthem.
3Thecustomary practice under theGATT 1947, whereby representatives may, upon theirrequest, verify those portions
ofthedraft records containing their statements, prior totheissuance ofsuch records, shall becontinued.WT/L/28
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ANNEX 1
RULES FOR AIRMAIL BALLOTS AND BALLOTS
TRANSMITTED BYTELEGRAPH ORTELEFACSIMILE
Inanycasewhere theMinisterial Conference ortheGeneral Council decides thatavotebe
taken byairmail ballots orballots transmitted bytelegraph ortelefacsimile, ballot papers shall be
distributed torepresentatives ofMembers present atthemeeting andanotice shallbesenttoeach
Member. Thenotice shallcontain suchinformation astheChairperson considers necessary andaclear
statement ofthequestion towhich eachMember shallberequested toanswer "yes" or"no".
TheChairperson oftheMinisterial Conference ortheGeneral Council shalldetermine thedate
andhourbywhich votes mustbereceived. Thetime-limit shallbesetatnolaterthan30daysafter
thedatethenotice issent.AnyMember fromwhich avotehasnotbeenreceived within suchtime-limit
shallberegarded asnotvoting.
Members entitled toparticipate inavotebyairmail ballots orballots transmitted bytelegraph
ortelefacsimile arethose which areMembers atthetimeofthedecision tosubmit thematter inquestion
toavote.WT/L/28
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ANNEX 2
GUIDELINES FOR OBSERVER STATUS FOR GOVERNMENTS INTHE WTO
1. GovernmentsseekingobserverstatusintheMinisterialConferenceshalladdressacommunication
tothatbody indicating theirreasons forseeking suchstatus. Such requests shallbeexamined ona
case-by-case basis bytheMinisterial Conference.
2. Governments accorded observer status atsessions oftheMinisterial Conference shall not
automatically havethatstatus atmeetings oftheGeneral Council oritssubsidiary bodies. However,
governments accorded suchstatus intheGeneral Council anditssubsidiary bodies inaccordance with
theprocedures described below, shallbeinvited toattend sessions oftheMinisterial Conference as
observers.
3. Thepurpose ofobserver status intheGeneral Council anditssubsidiary bodies istoallow
agovernment tobetter acquaint itself withtheWTO anditsactivities, andtoprepare andinitiate
negotiations foraccession totheWTO Agreement.
4. Governments wishing torequest observer status intheGeneral Council shalladdress tothat
bodyacommunication expressing theintent toinitiate negotiations foraccession totheWTO Agreement
within amaximum period offiveyears, andprovide adescription oftheircurrent economic andtrade
policies, aswellasanyintended future reforms ofthese policies.
5. TheGeneralCouncilshallexaminerequestsforobserverstatusbygovernmentsonacase-by-case
basis.
6. Observer status intheGeneral Council shallbegranted initially foraperiod offiveyears.
Inaddition tobeing invited tosessions oftheMinisterial Conference, governments withobserver status
intheGeneral Council mayparticipate asobservers atmeetings ofworking parties andother subsidiary
bodies oftheGeneral Council asappropriate, withtheexception oftheCommittee onBudget, Finance
andAdministration.
7. During itsperiod ofobservership, anobserver government shallprovide theMembers ofthe
WTO withanyadditional information itconsiders relevant concerning developments initseconomic
andtradepolicies.AttherequestofanyMemberortheobservergovernmentitself,anymattercontained
insuchinformation maybebrought totheattention oftheGeneral Council aftergovernments have
beenallowed sufficient timetoexamine theinformation.
8. (a) If,attheendoffiveyears, anobserver government hasnotyetinitiated aprocess of
negotiation withaviewtoacceding totheWTO Agreement, itmayrequest anextension
ofitsstatus asobserver. Such arequest shall bemade inwriting andshall be
accompanied byacomprehensive, up-dated description oftherequesting government 's
current economic andtrade policies, aswellasanindication ofitsfuture plans in
relation toinitiating accession negotiations.
(b) Upon receiving sucharequest, theGeneral Council shallreview thesituation, and
decide upontheextension ofthestatus ofobserver andtheduration ofsuchextension.WT/L/28
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9. Observer governments shallhaveaccess tothemain WTO document series. They mayalso
request technical assistance from theSecretariat inrelation totheoperation oftheWTO system in
general, aswellastonegotiations onaccession totheWTO Agreement.
10. Representatives ofgovernments accorded observer status maybeinvited tospeak atmeetings
ofthebodies towhich theyareobservers normally afterMembers ofthatbody havespoken. The
righttospeak doesnotinclude therighttomake proposals, unless agovernment isspecifically invited
todoso,nortoparticipate indecision-making.
11. Observer governments shallberequired tomake financial contributions forservices provided
totheminconnection withtheirobserver status intheWTO, subject tofinancial regulations established
pursuant toArticle VII:2 oftheWTO Agreement.