   
  
JOB/GC/295  
 
23 February 2022  
(22-1766) Page: 1/2 
General Council    
 
AGENDA ITEM 3: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALI, NAIROBI AND BUENOS AIRES 
OUTCOMES – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIR  
WEDNESDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2022  
1.1.  This item remains on our agenda to continue to follow -up, in a horizontal manner, on the 
implementation of ministerial mandates. In this respect, I held a meeting with the Chairs of Regular 
Bodies, and I take this opportunity to warmly thank them for their cooperation and engagement 
during my tenure as Chair of the General Council. As always, their updates on the implementation 
of the Ministerial mandates in their respective areas form the basis of my statement today.  
1.2.  A number of WTO bodies have not yet met since the last General Council meeting, and therefore 
my statement today will only focus  on matters where there have been developments since my last 
report in November.  
1.3.  Let me start with the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce. You will recall that, in the 
General Council Decision of December 2019, Members had agreed to reinvigorate work an d to extend 
the moratorium until MC12 and had instructed the General Council to report to Ministers at MC12. 
In line with that Decision, at the November 2021 General Council meeting, I reported on my e -
commerce consultations in preparation for MC12.  
1.4.  As yo u are aware, despite the many consultations and exchanges held in different 
configurations, delegations could not reach consensus on a draft decision for Ministers' consideration 
at MC12. In that regard, I suggested that the two draft Ministerial Decisions  submitted by Members 
be forwarded to Ministers for their consideration. These two drafts are contained respectively in 
documents WT/GC/W/831 and WT/GC/W/838 and their revisions. They were subsequently issued 
as WT/MIN(21)/W/7 and WT/MIN(21)/W/8.  
1.5.  I will no t repeat Members' well -known positions as these are reflected in my reports to the 
General Council as well as in reports by the chairs of the respective bodies. Suffice to highlight what 
I have observed as GC Chair over the past year.  
1.6.  It is encouraging to  note that, despite the divergent views, Members continue to attach 
importance to e -commerce, particularly in light of the pandemic which has further highlighted its 
opportunities and challenges. Members have been engaging and deepening their discussion un der 
the General Council and in the respective bodies where work continues, but at different levels of 
engagement. The Councils for Trade in Services and Trade in Goods have been active as per the 
reports of the respective Chairs. It is also my understandin g that in the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) a submission focusing on inclusive development was circulated in November 
and will be discussed at the March meeting.  
1.7.  Under the General Council, discussions on the Work Programme and the moratorium co ntinued 
– including through a Structured Discussion that I convened in July. Several submissions were 
considered throughout the year, and some delegations highlighted the need to also discuss 
development concerns.  
1.8.  Going forward, I urge all Members to cont inue with this level of engagement. It is, in my view, 
important for the WTO to remain a forum for Members to discuss e -commerce, in an inclusive 
manner. As I have said in previous meetings, my role was to facilitate discussions – any decision 
with regard to the way forward on the Work Programme and the moratorium is in Members' hands. JOB/GC/295  
 
- 2 - 
 
  I therefore encourage you all to move forward with this work by engaging constructively and listening 
to each other.  
1.9.  As regards the follow -up to the Bali TRQ Decision, Member s engaged in intense discussions in 
the Committee on Agriculture (CoA) during 2021, both in formal and informal settings, to find a 
common agreement on the issue of the future operation of paragraph 4 of the Underfill Mechanism.  
Based on the discussions i n the CoA, a draft decision contained in G/AG/32 was transmitted to the 
General Council for its consideration and for subsequent submission to MC12. After the 
postponement of MC12, and in the absence of a definitive agreement among Members, the General 
Council, at its special meeting on 15 December 2021, agreed to the exceptional extension of the 
deadline for a decision on this matter until 31 March 2022.  
1.10.  The CoA Chair has been consulting Members in different settings on the way forward with a 
view to reac hing a consensus agreement on paragraph 4 before the newly agreed deadline, and this 
issue was discussed at the informal meeting of the CoA on 2 and 18 February 2022.  
1.11.  With respect to the implementation of the Nairobi Decision on Export Competition, Brazil' s 
revised schedule incorporating the Nairobi Decision was certified as of 28 January 2022. With this, 
out of the 16 Members with export subsidy reduction commitments at the time of the Nairobi 
Decision, 15 Members have circulated their draft schedules; dra ft revised schedules of 13 of these 
Members are already certified.  
1.12.  The CoA Chair is holding consultations in advance of the next meeting of the Committee in 
March regarding the conclusion of the second triennial review of the Nairobi Decision on export 
competition.  
1.13.  On Aid for Trade, the CTD in Aid for Trade session met earlier this month to review the status 
of preparations for the Global Review and to hear updates on Aid for Trade financing activities.  We 
have a theme for the Global Review, "Empowering Connected, Sustainable Trade" – with a date to 
be set in due course. There is considerable interest on the part of Members in engaging in the event 
and preparations are advancing well at a technical level – and I encourage Members to respond to 
the monitor ing and evaluation questionnaire in this respect.  
1.14.  On Trade Facilitation, the Committee completed the four -year review of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement on 26 November. It contains 11 Committee's decisions and five recommendations.  
1.15.  Work continues on  updating of the guidelines of the relationship between the Trade Facilitation 
Committee and the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility. A new transparency tool was developed 
last year for tracking requests for technical assistance from the Facility.  
1.16.  The ra te of ratification of the Agreement remains at 94%, with 9 Members still to ratify.  
1.17.  Regarding the Decisions on LDC Rules of Origin; LDCs services waiver; DFQF; the Monitoring 
Mechanism and Trade and Transfer of Technology , I refer you to my earlier report under this item, 
circulated in JOB/GC/283.  
1.18.  This concludes my report.  
 
__________  