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WT/BFA/191  
30 November  2020 
(20-8666) Page: 1/10 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
  
REPORT OF THE MEETING HELD ON 19 NOVEM BER 2020 
The Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration (CBFA) met on 19 Novem ber. His 
Excellency  Ambassador Manuel Teehankee  (Permanent Representative of Philippines  to the WTO ), 
welcomed Members .  
 
The Chairman welcomed Members to the meeting noting that the Committee had, t hroughout the 
year, been focussing on agenda items relating mainly to budget and finance, with a few items on 
human resources topics. He said that the present agenda in cludes other administration topics, as 
reflected in agenda items A, B and C.  
 
The agenda for the meeting was released on 9 November, with reference WTO/AIR/BFA/41, together 
with an annotated agenda, JOB/BFA/47 was adopted, with no requests for "Other Busi ness".  
 
1  UPDATE ON THE COVID -19 SITUATION  
1.1.  The Chairman of the CBFA invited Mr. Tim Yeend, in his capacity as Chairman of the 
WTO Secretariat's Health Task Force  (HTF) , provide an update to Members on the COVID -19 
situation. Mr. Yeend thanked the Committee for the opportunity to brief the CBFA on the current 
health situation at the WTO and the activities of the Health Task Force.  
1.2.  The Chairman of the HTF stated that the situation in Geneva and  Switzerland has deteriorated 
markedly in recent weeks. As a result, the WTO Secretariat had had to respond in a way that ensures  
the continued high priority to appropriate health conditions as well as being consistent with the 
directives from relevant Can tonal and Federal authorities. He added that  the HTF also pay s close 
attention to the prevailing health situation in France as many staff members live there.  
1.3.  He recap ped that even before the second wave of the last few weeks, the WTO already had 
stringent and effective measures in place. Disinfectant stations were installed in all common areas 
of the Secretariat ; ventilation and fresh air intake were as were  filters replaced more frequently ; 
and c leaning and disinfecting frequencies in common areas and high -touch surfaces such as door 
handles and elevator buttons were increased. In addition, all people coming to the premises are 
registered and have their temperature measured  and masks are distributed with staff and delegates 
– and all are strongly encouraged  to wear them.  
1.4.  The Secretariat has also put in  place stringent social distancing measures for meetings and in 
public areas, as well as increased attention paid to individual work areas of staff. This was backed 
up by an effective contact tracing apparatus for Secretariat staff - and the ability to respond quickly 
if any adverse information was received – for example the quick sanitisation of offices and 
quarantining of exposed staff.  
1.5.  In terms of the current situation, the Swiss a uthorities consider that whi le the situation is still 
serious , things appear to be more stable  than a few weeks ago and it is no longer getting worse. 
Earlier in November, Geneva  ranked among the European regions with the highest number of 
contaminations per capita. The number of new cases reached the peak in Switzerland,  of more than 
10,000 on Nov ember  6, whereas the more recent figures have been more promising, for example 
4,200  on November 17. This would appear to be the result of the stricter measures put in place by 
the Swiss and cantonal authorities.  
1.6.  While the measures which were already in place at the Secretariat continue to be the 
cornerstone of the mitigation approach, the current second wave has put additional strain on the WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  system. The number of Secretariat staff testing positive has increased in recent weeks and this is a 
concern - even if the numbers have not mirrored the broader increases seen in the wider community.  
1.7.  On 6 November, the Secretariat had 16 active cases who tested positive and 38 staff were 
requested to quarantine. Fortunately, thi s number has dropped a little and there are  currently 
9 active cases and 21 staff in quarantine.  
1.8.  The Chairman of the HTF added that, as part of the Secretariat's  response to the present 
situation , all meetings had been moved back to a mainly virtual format , save for up to five people 
in the meeting room, usually comprising the Chair person  and Secretariat staff. He said that a major 
effort had been made to reduce the number of onsite staff in recent weeks and this has seen some 
decrease in numbers to around 170 people in the building each day.  Adding that the HTF would st ill 
seek to reduce this number further and has emphasized to staff that they should only come to the 
building if they are needed to ensure essential business continuity - such as the servicin g of meetings 
or general essential services like security and facilities management - or if there is time -sensitive 
work that simply cannot be done from home.  
1.9.  The stricter enforcement of these conditions will  hopefully see numbers continue to drop , while 
still ensuring business continuity  principally through virtual means . 
1.10.  He said the HTF is  monitoring the situation very closely and will make further changes if there 
is a need  and will continue to keep WTO Members informed of the situation at every step of the way. 
He expressed appreciat ion for  their cooperation in the implementation of the HTF's  guidelines.  
1.11.  In summing up, he said the HTF will continue to work very closely with UNOG and other 
UN agencies in Geneva and with the Swiss Mission and relevant authorities.  He then th anked 
Members  for giving him the opportunity to brief them. 
1.12.  The Chairman said the more recent downtrend  is pleasing . 
1.13.  A Member said it is important for the HTF to be as transparent as possible on the COVID -19's 
effects on the operations of the Organization and first and WTO staff and their families . He said the  
health and well -being of staff members are top priority for all.  
1.14.  A Member said his delegation appreciates how the Secretariat keeps the work going as much 
as possible a nd take the necessary measures to adapt to the realities of today and tomorrow.  
1.15.  The Committee took note of the update . 
2  UPDATE ON WTO SECRETARIA T'S TRAINING IN STANDARDS OF CONDUCT: 
RESPECT&HARMONY@WTO; DIVERSITY & INCLUSION; AND ETHICS@WTO – 
WT/BFA/W/5 37 
2.1.  The Chairman recall ed that the Secretariat had provided an update, at the meeting of the CBFA 
held on 3 October 2019, on learning activities undertaken in 2017 and 2018, including plans to 
develop a comprehensive training programme.  
2.2.  An Official of the WTO S ecretar iat made a presentation on the Secretariat's training in 
standards of conduc t, with particular focus on Respect&harmony@WTO, diversity & inclusion and 
ethics@WTO.  
2.3.  She said that a town hall meeting on ethics had been held three year s prior and was conducted 
by the head of the Office of Internal Oversight in collaboration with the Ethics Officer of ITU and 
WIPO. Th is was followed by the issuance of an a dministrative memorandum entitled  "right to work 
in an environment free from discri mination, harassment and abuse authority"  and an e-learning 
programme based on the same subject . To date, 80% of staff have undertaken this e -learning 
programme.  
2.4.  In addition to the e -learning programme, several resource personnel  have been assigned roles  
to assist staff member s on the implementation aspects of the policy . WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  2.5.  The Official of the Secretariat said that, i n addition to the work on Respect and Harmony, work 
on diversity and inclusion  had started in 2020 . She shared that training had been provided b y 
external experts , citing that diversity is about the workforce  whilst  inclusion is about the workplace  
and its  culture. Diversity is a reality  whereas  inclusion is a choice. She highlighted that u nless people 
are consciously inclusive, they will be uncon sciously exclusive. To build an inclusive organisation, 
there ought to be consciously adapt ation in  the way people  work to make sure that everyone, 
regardless of background, feels a sense of belonging, feels respected, valued, and seen for who they 
are. 
2.6.  She added that an individual expert in the field had given a personal perspective and spoke 
about her experience . This included that she at  times she felt she had to conform in diverse 
organizations in which she worked and what this meant for her was that sh e was not being true to 
herself and as a result she could not give of her best. She mentioned the importance of speaking up 
when things do not feel right.  
2.7.  On ethics, the Official of the Secretariat said t he WTO must be able to project an image which 
convinces all those with whom it has contact that its staff fully accept the high responsibilities their 
status demands. In this regard, we binars are being  launched . She gave a n example of an ethical 
scenario. She added that the WTO Secretariat is currently liaising with international organization s 
with a view to sharing the services of an Ethics Officer.  
2.8.  Following on from a statement made earlier that the courses are offered in English and French, 
a Member aske d if there were plans to provid e this training in Spanish as well.  In a later intervention, 
DDG Brauner said that this would be done.  
2.9.  A Member said their delegation believes that the spirit of Article 6 of the WTO Agreement  is 
that the Secretariat and its staff ought to discharge their duties in a manner consistent with the 
principles of integrity, impartiality and independence. She expressed appreciation that training 
programme has been put in place, helping to identify various forms of prohibited conduct and 
minimize any bad behaviour s or negative impact s. 
2.10.  A Member said his delegation is encouraged by the steps described in the report, which utilize 
virtual learning to promote ethical conduct in line with the WTO's organizational values  and 
expressed the h ope that these virtual courses and webinars will go a long way in preventing 
misconduct, harassment, including sexual harassment, retaliation, and other types of unwanted 
conduct at the WTO.  He added that his delegation appreciate s the efforts to promote diversity and 
inclusion and hope these  will contribute  to and strengthen the ongoing efforts to promote these 
principles in the selection and hiring process in the WTO. He said that, at the last Committee meeting, 
Members reviewed t he Secretariat 's report on diversity and hiring . He said his delegation appreciate s 
the fact that there are clearly parallel efforts on the way to make sure that once those hiring decision s 
have been made that there is an inclusive and welcoming environmen t and a push to maintain that 
within the building.  
2.11.  The Member added that his delegation notes the improvement in the culture of ethics and 
holding those who engage in misconduct accountable, in an agile and transparent manner.  The 
Member suggest ed the Secr etariat include some data on misconduct cases in future reports and 
consider describing how these cases were managed.  
2.12.  A Member asked for details regard ing the use of social networks in the context of ethical 
behaviour, if there are some experiences that could be share d. He said social networks have a huge 
impact on interaction and it is important to ensure that these are used in line with ethical behaviour, 
not only on individual basis but also when one is representing or belongs to an organization.  
2.13.  A Member asked whether the e -learning courses are obligatory for all staff, emphasizing the 
importance of this as  staff come from many different cultures.  
2.14.  DDG Brauner said the ethics training had been triggered in the CBFA  by an intervention from 
a Member . He said the training  is oblig atory, with 80% of staff members having completed it and 
the remaining 20% still to do so.  WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  2.15.  DDG Brauner said s ocial networks are an issue  and hence a town hall meeting had been 
conducted by the external relations division wherein they l aid out some guidelin es on how to handle 
social networks. He added that finding the right balance between giving people the freedom to 
express themselves whilst also behaving  responsibl y in the role they play is a constantly evolving 
dimension . 
2.16.  The Committee took note of the u pdate.  
3  DOCUMENTS ONLINE – WT/BFA/W/536  
3.1.  The Chairman introduced the agenda item by stating that  Documents Online (DOL) is the 
Secretariat's online document repository for WTO official document consultatio n observing that the 
system currently in use is outda ted. He said reference was made to this matter at the CBFA meeting 
that had taken place on 7 July 2020.  
3.2.  An Official of the Secretariat said the Secretariat  had introduced a paperless initiative  in 2010,  
gradually shifting towards a digital world.  All WTO documents were converted to PDF and uploaded 
to Documents Online. This shift was accompanied by giving Members the ability to easily pull digital 
documents that are needed.   
3.3.  In 2013, the Secretariat intr oduced Documents for Meeting service. This has been serving the 
documents electronically to delegates in the meetings. This was followed by the E -Subscription 
service  in 2017 , which is the default distribution method of documents to delegates. This has ena bled 
delegations to find documents of interest to them that were produced during the day, directly sent 
to their mailboxes.  
3.4.  The Secretariat has been promoting these electronic services through E -Learning courses and 
presentations in informal committee ses sions. These initiatives facilitated access to official 
documents and brought significant economies  by reducing paper distribution to delegations, 
meetings and the Secretariat, reducing the number of printed pages from 94.4 million in 2005 to 
14.6 million in 2019.  
3.5.  The Secretariat has started the process geared at improving the system to find a more intuitive 
solution.  This will factor in feedback collected through surveys, presentations and information 
enquiry requests regarding the system. A summary of the  responses points to the following: The 
website lacks intuitiveness; lacks personalization like saving search query and favourite documents; 
lacks intuitive search like google and natural language query; search results are inconsistent, 
unreliable and lack s intuitive refining to narrow the results; need to respond better for mobile, tablet 
devices; need to better support meetings;  need to  improve notifications search and reminders ; need 
to improve e -subscriptions to allow user defined queries and schedules . 
3.6.  User needs will soon be collected and analyzed and technical requirements  established,  using 
the right terminology, to identify suitable matching technology  and assess risks and effort estimation 
for the implementation of replacement system.  
3.7.  A Member comm ended the Secretariat for the extent of progress that has been made in terms 
of moving from printed document to online documents and the impact that has had both in terms of 
saving paper and the environment. She noted that this is a longstanding project th at her delegation 
has been supporting from the beginning. She said it is good to see that challenges have been 
recognized as the online system is an indispensable tool but it does also have areas of opportunity 
in terms of its development and making it mor e user -friendly. She said her delegation is looking 
forward to seeing the developments in the future.  
3.8.  A Member thanked the Secretariat for the update  and welcome d the long overdue update of 
Documents Online platform . He asked that the C BFA continue to be k ept apprised of the 
developments.  He said that some staff from his delegation participated in the focussed groups 
arranged by the Secretariat and thus providing input.   
3.9.  The Member said his delegation hopes the exercise underway would not be done in isolation 
and asked  how th e Document O nline project sits with the overall WTO website. He added that a lot 
of compensation has taken place over the course of t he ten years as the current d ocument s online WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  was inefficient. He gave exampl es such as a separate RTA database, a separate trade facilitation  
notification database, a TBT database , all these making navigating the WTO website increasingly 
complex  as there are different i nterfaces .  
3.10.  The Member said one of the best improvements in re cent years has been the fact that the 
calendar function has been updated to provide  a tab for meeting document s. However, the tab seems  
incomplete as it is not  synchronised with the Documents O nline system . He cautioned that 
improvements in the Documents  Online system should not  end up negatively impacting the calendar 
function , which was an improvement.  
3.11.  A Member recalled the days Members had to rely on the Secretariat's staff for document 
searching with written requests and had to wait for a couple of day s and also went to the meeting 
rooms with a pile of documents. She said the advancements in technology are beneficial. The 
Member appreciated the focussed group meetings being organized for discussions on how to improve 
the current system. Noting the great ly reduced usage of paper, the Member said her delegation finds 
that the budgetary expenditure associated with printing and papers, in 2020 and 2021, had not 
come down proportionally; especially in 2021, citing an additional CHF 180,000 budget allocation t o 
the budget line for printing. She requested the Secretariat to explain why the reduction of the paper 
printing has not led to reduction in the budget.  
3.12.  An Official of the Secretariat responded by saying that, in the budget proposal for 2021, the 
line enti tled "printing" is linked to that entitled "publication" and that these pertain to outsourced 
printing arrangements for publications, and differ from the printing referred to in the documents 
online presentation as the latter relate to internal printing of  documents. She said the CHF  180,000 
was moved from the publication budget line to the printing budget line in order to realign the 
amounts in the two budget lines based on actual spend.  
3.13.  Several Member s expressed the wish to participate in the focussed group meetings in order 
to be able to also provide input fo r improving the system.  
3.14.  A Member said his delegation st ill receiv es documents, mainly airgrams, by regular post and 
asked the  Secretariat to send information to Members on how to opt out from receiving document s 
by post.  
3.15.  An Official of the Secretariat said one of the main aims of the planned enhancement of the 
Documents Online system is its integration with  the WTO Website , as this is one of the points that 
has been raise d by several participants in the  focussed group. Retaining good functionalities, whilst 
retaining aspects that work well is the underlying objective for  improv ing the pain points.  
3.16.  The Official of the Secretariat said information on how to request that distribution of paper 
documents be stopped would be circulated to Members.  
3.17.  The Committee took note of the report.  
4  ITC 2021 BUDGET PROPOSAL  – JOB/BFA/44  
4.1.  The Chairman recalled that the Committee had discussed the 2021 ITC budget during its 
meeting of 23 June 202 0. Subsequently, a number of questions for clarification were raised. Those 
questions and the responses thereto are contained in document WT/BFA/INF/11 which was circulated 
to WTO Members on 11 August 2020. The Chairman added that he had held consultations  with 
delegations and the ITC management to gather further information. He said that he was also 
informed that certain delegations had interacted directly with the ITC management to further clarify 
issues.  
4.2.  The Chairman said that the ITC management  had bee n cooperative and the  consultations were 
open and constructive and helped clarify procedures and issues.  
4.3.  The Chairman welcomed Ms. Pamela Coke -Hamilton, the Executive Director of the ITC, to the 
meeting. He recalled that Ms. Coke -Hamilton had assumed offi ce on 1 October 2020, having 
previously been Director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities at UNCTAD.  WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  4.4.  Ms. Coke -Hamilton thanked the C hairman  for his kind introduction. She said that she had 
indeed been in office for a little over a month  and that in that time she had seen the incredible work 
done by the ITC despite the very challenging circumstance of 2020. The Executive Director informed 
that she had dialogued with the ITC funders and beneficiarie s on how their investment in ITC is 
having a clear impact through thought  leadership , global public goods , institutional strengthening 
and policy advice and on the livelihoods  of people on the ground. She said that more on this would 
be covered during the upcoming ITC Joint Advisory Group 54th session  on 25 November . She urged 
Members to register, attend and contribute during the event to impart their views on what the ITC 
is doing well and  where it can improve.  
4.5.  Turning to the 20 21 ITC budget, Ms. Coke -Hamilton recalled that the WTO's contribution 
represents a half of  the ITC's 2021 regular budget  and that this financing is critical for the running 
of the ITC. Not only does it cover staff costs and operational costs, but it allows  the ITC  to do 
valuable work on trade facilitation, communications and events, country intelligence and research 
and publications. She added that she and other colleagues at the ITC had  a number of formal and 
informal discussions  with some delegations  on the budget and provided responses to the questions 
that were raised. In closing, she said that ITC hopes that the 2021 budget would  be approved so 
that the ITC  can begin planning for next year , including rolling out the consultation process for its 
strategi c plan of 2022 -2025 to which  she invited delegations to contribute . 
4.6.  A Member acknowledge d and expressed his delegation's appreciat ion of  the efforts of the 
Chairman, the WTO Secretariat and the ITC management  and for responding to the questions that 
his delegation had  raised throughout the review  of the 2021 ITC budget proposal . In particular, he 
acknowledge d the recent efforts of the new ITC Executive Director to engage with WTO Members 
and hear directly from  them. He said his delegation  appreciate s her willingness and openness to 
continue this dialogue as part of next year's budget process and the formation of the ITC's next 
strategic  plan. The Member said it is essential that this dialogue be formalized in t he CBFA so that 
it will continue over the course of the next year, and beyond. He said his delegation's objective is to 
identify ways forward to improve coordination between the WTO and the ITC, enhancing the WTO's 
ability to see tangible, real world resul ts made possible through  its contributions to the ITC regular 
budget.  
4.7.  The Member said it is essential to continue to explore the issues that have been highlighted 
through his delegation's questions and the response process through the CBFA, CCITF and other  
fora. He said the issues include: addressing the disproportionate reliance of the ITC on earmarked 
trust fund contributions, those in Window II, which threaten to alter the truly multinational character 
of the organization. Referring to comments made by h is delegation during  discussions on trust funds 
at the WTO, the Member said the use of the WTO or ITC name carries with it the implicit credibility, 
multinational character, and endorsement of those organizations and thereby its Members. He added 
that p rotecting and safeguarding this credibility is a responsibility for all Members, and donor 
directed trust funds have the potential to undermine this credibility, thereby altering or diminishing 
the reputation of the institution.  
4.8.  Another issue the Member point ed to is the discussions on i ncreasing the cost recovery 
mechanisms applicable to trust fund expenditures, both Window I and Window II, recognizing that 
trust fund donors are also responsible for making commensurate contributions to support the so -
called p ublic goods of the ITC which they utilize or rely on for implementation of their specific 
projects. The Member said his delegation  does not believe that the existing cost recovery mechanism 
fully takes regular budget support provided through staff and exec utive time spent managing and 
promoting trust fund projects into account. He said his delegation does not see a full cost recovery 
for expenses related to website presence, social media or other publicity activities, which can be  
substantial. He stated tha t adequate and commensurate reimbursement arrangements with trust 
fund donors would lead to a more balanced partnership with these donors and would also free up 
funds transferred to the ITC , by WTO Members , for more direct programmatic support for activiti es 
to support WTO goals and priorities.  
4.9.  The Member called for i ncreasing the transparency that the ITC provides to WTO Members on 
its activities through greater participation and specific results reporting directly to the WTO's 
technical committees. As WTO  budget support is provided to the ITC to directly support private 
sector capacity building, the ITC should continuously represent and report on those private sector 
experiences. This information could help inform the work of WTO Committees and ensure that  the 
technical assistance provided by WTO Members is complementary.  WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  4.10.  The Member said his delegation would be pleased to join consensus on making a positive 
recommendation to the General Council to approve the ITC's 2021 budget with the understanding 
that di alogue on the important issues raised will continue. In closing, he reiterated his delegation's 
appreciation for the efforts of the ITC Executive Director and her staff for engaging with his 
delegation throughout this process.  
4.11.  Another Member  express ed his delegation's strong support and real commitment to ITC, its 
work and endeavour to support Member s including his country . The Member said the ITC's work now 
is needed more than ever before to assist Member s, particularly the LDCs, to quickly recover from 
the economic down turn as a result of the devastation caused by the COVID -19 pandemic . He added 
that it is of  critical importance for the CBFA to approve the proposed budget for 2021 for ITC to 
enable the  ITC to  implemen t its mandate.  
4.12.  In delive ring a statement for the African Group, a Member expressed appreciation to the 
Chairman for his leadership in facilitating convergence on the ITC budget for 2021. He said the 
African Group welcomes and congratulates Ms . Pamela Coke -Hamilton on her appointm ent as the 
Executive Director of the ITC and supports the adoption of the proposed ITC budget as presented in 
document JOB/BFA/44.  
4.13.  He said that, f or the African Group , it is important to ensure that the ITC continues to provide 
countries with technical ass istance in line with their increasing needs in light of the COVID -19 global 
pandemic that has had a disproportionate impact on the African continent and its SMEs which employ 
the bulk of its citizens.  
4.14.  The Chairman invited the Committee to approve and endor se the recommendation in the 
following paragraph.  
4.15.  The Committee recommends to the General Council that the budget for 2021 of the 
International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO be approved in the amount of CHF  36,686,250. 
With miscellaneous income being estimated at CHF 200,000, the amount to be provided 
by the WTO to the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO budget for 2021 shall be 
CHF 18,243,125 . 
4.16.  The Committee approved and endorsed the recommendation to be submitted to the 
General  Council.  
5  WTO  2021 BUDGET PROPOSAL  – WT/BFA/W/ 523/REV.1  
5.1.  The Chairman made reference to the protracted deliberations on the 2020 -21 WTO budget 
proposal that had taken  place in 2019 , which had led to the Committee ma king a recommendation 
to the General Council to approve the 2020 budget and, in light of exceptional circumstances in 
2019, to take note of the proposed 2021 WTO budget which would be subject to finalization on 2020.  
5.2.  The Chairman recalled that the Committee had discussed the 2021 WTO Budget Proposal 
during its meetings on 23 June, 7 July, 17 September  and 5 October. He added that the Secretariat 
had circulated  a non -paper setting out changes that had been suggested to clarify some of the 
paragraphs in the 2021 WTO Budget Proposal , on 6 October . 
5.3.  Subsequently, changes were  reflected in document WTO/BFA/W/523/Rev.1 . 
5.4.  Before giving the floor to the Secretariat, th e Chairman expressed gratitude to Member s for 
their constructive participation in Committee discussions, as well as in the informal consultations 
that he had  held wit h delegations , which were very helpful in understanding remaining issues.  
5.5.  An Official of the Secretariat presented the changes that had been made to the original budget 
proposal, leading to the revised document bearing the reference WT/BFA /W/523/Rev.1.  WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  5.6.  Table 4 on page six includes a footnote to clarify the Program Support Fund and that money is 
transferred from it to the regular budget and to other implementing partners.  
5.7.  Paragraph 3.4 on page 10 was extended to indicat e that there will likely be a reallocation of 
funds , during the year, from  savings on regular staff costs to  short-term staff costs. This is premised 
on the reality that sometimes the pace of recruitment l ags the ability to actually have people assume 
their new roles  soon afte r the departure of the previous post holders. Changes to paragraph 3.9 
(page  12) were geared at correcting the substantive point being made.  
5.8.  At page 18, paragraph 3.45 now states  that funds can be reallocated to an appellate division 
from other budget line s which would be underspent , when the need arises. P aragraph 3.47 clarifies 
that the Secretariat has the mandate to transfer money from any surpluses at the end of the year 
to the Building Renovation Fund . The main target here being  to reach CHF 25 million  in the Building 
Renovation Fund.  
5.9.  The Official of the Secretariat concluded by saying that on behalf of DDG Brauner, the four 
DDGs who are currently a d-interim Director -General, colleagues  who had  worked very long hours 
and with dedication during the cours e of the budget process , and, on her own behalf, she appeal s 
to Members to approve the 2021 budget proposal so that the Secretariat can be assured of the 
capability to start functioning effectively as of 1 January 2021.  
5.10.  A Member thanked the Chairman and th e Secretariat for preparing the budget proposal. She 
stated that her delegation is willing to join a consensus on the budget  and supports to submit it to 
the General Council for approval .  
5.11.  Nonetheless, the Member stated the following concerns, which her de legation  had expressed 
or raised questions for long time but not have been addressed yet . The Member requested to have 
these concerns expressed in this meeting on the record , and to be discussed  and well addressed in 
the near term  in this Committee : On the amount related to US taxes and the modifications to 
paragraph 3.9 of the budget proposal , she stated that her delegation had not got the opportunity to 
have discussions  on the  new suggested languages  circulated on Oct ober 5, and had no idea of how 
the consultation was carried out  and how the revision was finalized. The Member asked to  come 
back to discuss issues about the US taxes sometime next year .  
5.12.  The Member  further stated there was  no improvement or convinc ing explanation  yet on the 
large and continuous increasing overspending on short -term staff  despite this concern having been 
frequently expressed by her delegation  previously . Though it was understandable to keep  the 
vacancies of regular staff posts  due to zero increase budg et policy,  she found it strange that t here 
were millions of savings under regular staff line together with millions of overspending on short -
term staff.  She asked whether the  document  titled Summary of HRD Practice on Recruiting Short -
term Staff Members  had the same role as rules  which should be followed for decision making.  She 
asked for further clarifications on how to assess the need for  such hiring request s, how to assess 
the workload of regular staff to make a decision on whether a request for short-term recruitment is 
needed or not , and whether there  were more stricter rules for further recruitment  when 
overspending happen ed. She asked why large overspending happen ed year after year  and request ed 
for explicit response together with clear rules on short -term staff recruitment . The Member also 
asked for clarification of procurement procedures to ensure value for money principles are followed . 
5.13.  A Member thanked the Secretariat for facilitating the Members' review of the 2021 budget 
proposal.  The Mem ber added that i nitiating the review of the budget proposal earlier in the  year had 
provided Members with additional time to engage in a robust question and response exchange with 
the Secretariat  and he appreciate d the efforts that had gone  into advancing the timelines under the 
extremely challenging COVID -19 situation.  
5.14.  The member said his delegation had found the exchanges to be extremely informative and 
beneficial to overall understanding of how assessed contributions are managed and disbursed. He 
convey ed particular gratitude to specific Secretariat Officials who were closely involved in the  budget 
process , for their excellent efforts to respond to Members ' questions and for their cooperative, 
constructive, and problem -solving approach throughout the process. The Member further tanked the 
Chairman of the CBFA for the breakfast meetings he had hosted and all the other efforts that the 
Chairman had undert aken to work through some critical issues . WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  5.15.  The Member said his delegation looks forward to continuing the important discussions , in the 
CBFA,  that they had  initiated during the year  on some larger, more complex issues, including those 
related to management and governance of WTO trust funds , with a view to cooperating with all 
Members in deeper d ialogue to identify solutions and reforms in these areas , as necessary.  
5.16.  The Member said his delegation is pleased to be in a position to support the recommendation 
and join consensus on the 2021 budget.  
5.17.  A Member expressed his delegation's satisfaction with  the exchanges that had taken place 
with hi s delegation and expressed support for the revised budget document WT/BFA/W/523/Rev.1. 
On his delegation's earlier suggestion for a voluntary short term budget cut of 5% in solidarity with 
Members, given the burde n emanating from the COVI D-19 pandemic, the Member said his 
delegation is looking forward to the Secretariat constructively and objectively assessing this  during 
the preparation of the next budget proposal.  
5.18.  A Member said the intense dialogue amongst the  membership and good cooperation with the 
Secretariat had allowed for issues to be discussed and that his delegation supports the budget 
proposal.   
5.19.  The Member said the African Group supports the adoption of the WTO budget for 2021 as 
presented in document WT/ BFA/W/523/Rev.1. and recommends that the WTO returns to the 
customary biannual budget cycle . 
5.20.  Several Members took the floor to express their support for the recommendation to be made 
to the General Council, pertaining to the WTO 2021 budget  and others added that the biennial budget 
should be reverted to, going forward.  
5.21.  The Chairman thanked Members for their constructive and results -oriented spirit leading to 
the current version of  the budget, and the Secretariat team for their hard work.  
5.22.  The Chairman invited the Committee to approve and endorse the recommendation in the 
following paragraph.  
5.23.  The General Council,  
HAVING CONSIDERED  
The 2021 WTO Budget, which amounts to CHF 197,203,900, as set forth in Tables 1, 2, 
and 3  and the scale of contributions in Table 5  of document WT/BFA/W/523/Rev.1  
RESOLVES THAT  
The 2021 WTO Budget, be financed as follows:  
a. Contributions from Members in the amount of CHF 195,500,000; and  
b. Miscellaneous income of CHF 1,703,900.  
APPROVES the WTO Budget for  2021 as presented in document WT/BFA/W/523/Rev.1 
amounting to CHF 197,203,900.  
5.24.  The Committee approved and endorsed the recommendation to be submitted to the 
General  Council.  
5.25.  Speaking on behalf of ASEAN, a Member thanked the Chairman for his leadership, th e 
Secretariat for all their hard work, and all Members for their cooperation.  
5.26.  DDG Brauner thank ed Members  for their support and the positive outcome on the budget . He 
emphasized that the  budget is very important to all facets of the work of the WTO.  WT/BFA/19 1 
 
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  6  CLOSING REMARKS  
6.1.  The Chairman thanked delegations for their participation in the meeting. He said that the 
Committee had foreshadowed some additional work on strategic planning and that there will be an 
open-ended session, tentatively set for December 4, on  this topic which also leads to the continuing 
assessment of how the budget planning can be improved.  
6.2.  The Chairman said that the approval of the budget was timely and good news as it coincided 
with the WTO's 25th anniversary celebrations.  
6.3.  The meeting was a djourned.  
__________  