   
  
G/TBT/W/744  
 
16 February 2021  
(21-1283) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
PROPOSAL ON TRANSPARENCY : IMPROVEMENT OF THE  
TBT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (IMS)  
NINTH TRIENNIAL REVIEW  
Submission from Brazil  
The following submission, dated 15 February 2021, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Brazil . 
 
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Following on recommendation 6.19.c.i. of the 8th Triennial Review ( G/TBT/41 ), Brazil would like to 
reiterate its proposal presented at the 8th Triennial Review ( G/TBT/W/461/Rev.1 ) so as  to establish 
a new feature to be incorporated in the TBT Information Management System (IMS).  
1  BACKGROUND  
1.1.  The IMS is a fundamental tool for the work developed by the TBT Committee. The search tool 
enables Members to search for Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) and access historic data on past STCs 
and current issues been raised by other Members.  
1.2.  However, Brazil has noticed that the TBT search tool lacks valuable information that is included, 
for instance, in the corresponding SPS search tool, especially with respect to the status of the STCs 
reported to the Committee. In this context, Brazil belie ves that the TBT Committee could use some 
of the SPS experience and improve its operation and database as follows.  
1.3.  Brazil suggests that columns regarding the status of the STC (i.e. whether it is resolved, 
partially resolved, or not reported, and date of resolution) be added to the reports within the TBT 
search tool.  
1.4.  Images of the current columns under TBT and SPS STCs search tool are provided below.  G/TBT/W/744  
 
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1.5.  By adding, in particular, the report on the status of the STC and the date of resolution, Brazil 
believes that the Committee will confer more transparency and accountability to its work and will 
encourage Members to engage in a deeper exchange of information about the measures in question, 
thus contributing to increase the rate of resolution of TBT STCs. B razil believes this operational 
change, while not affecting any rules of procedure of the TBT Committee, could have an important 
impact.  
2  PROPOSAL  
2.1.  Brazil proposes that the Secretariat adds four columns to the TBT STCs search tool, focusing 
on the report to  WTO Members about the status of STCs raised in the Committee. There are four 
columns in the SPS search engine that should be included under the corresponding TBT system:  
a. Member(s) supporting the concern;  
b. Subject keywords;  
c. Status ("resolved / partially resolved /not reported");  
d. Date reported as resolved.  
 
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