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THE WTO:
SECRETARIAT AND BUDGET Divisions The WTO Secretariat is organized into divisions. These are normally headed by a director who reports to a Deputy Director-General or directly to the Director-General. The Appellate Body has its own Secretariat. |
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The work of the division is to facilitate the negotiations between WTO
members and states and entities requesting accession to the WTO by
encouraging their integration into the multilateral trading system
through the effective liberalization of their trade regimes in goods
and services; and to act as a focal point in widening the scope and
geographical coverage of the WTO. There are at present nearly 30
accession working parties in operation. Administration and General Services Division The Administration and General Services Division is responsible for providing administrative and general services geared to meet the needs of the Secretariat and WTO members. Its responsibilities encompass budgetary, financial, travel, procurement, facility and pension management. In addition, the division ensures the safety and security of the staff and buildings occupied by the Secretariat. The division also services the needs of WTO members by supporting the work of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration.
The division handles all matters related to the ongoing negotiations on agriculture. Furthermore, the division provides support in the implementation of the existing WTO rules and commitments on agriculture, including by ensuring that the process for multilaterally reviewing these commitments by the Committee on Agriculture is organized and conducted in an efficient manner. The work of the division encompasses to facilitate implementation of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, including by servicing the SPS Committee. Other activities of the division include support for the implementation of the Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries; dealing with matters related to trade in fisheries and forestry products as well as natural resource-based products; providing services for dispute settlement in the area of agriculture and SPS; providing technical assistance in all areas under its purview; and cooperation with other international organizations and the private sector. The Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division provides support to the Ministerial Conference, the General Council, the Trade Negotiations Committee and the Dispute Settlement Body. It is responsible for ensuring the efficient management of all formal, informal and other consultative meetings of these bodies and coordinating follow-up activities. It provides advice and support to the Director-General and chairs of these bodies (and other members of senior management) in connection with their responsibilities in these areas, and prepares and circulates the WTO publication Basic Instruments and Selected Documents. The division also coordinates work of the WTO Conference Office in the scheduling of formal, informal and consultative meetings of WTO bodies, symposia, workshops and seminars organized under the auspices of WTO bodies and operational divisions of the WTO Secretariat. The Development Division is the focal point for all policy issues related to trade and development. The division monitors and provides input to senior management and the WTO Secretariat as a whole on issues relating to trade and development, including the participation of developing countries — especially least-developed countries (LDCs) — in the multilateral trading system. The division services the Committee on Trade and Development in regular session as well as its dedicated session on small and vulnerable economies, and its special sessions on special and differential treatment. The division services the Sub-Committee on LDCs. It also serves the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology. In addition, it facilitates the meetings of the African Group, the LDC Group and the Informal Group of Developing Countries. The division is also responsible for coordinating the Aid for Trade initiative, which aims to help developing countries, particularly LDCs, build trade-related skills and the infrastructure needed to expand their trading opportunities. The aim of the initiative is to create closer cooperation in national capitals between trade, finance and development officials and to engage international and regional inter-governmental organizations and donors active in building trade capacity to address national and regional Aid for Trade needs.
The Development Division also serves as the focal point for the WTO's
participation in the enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), including in
its governing bodies, the EIF Board and the EIF Steering Committee.
The WTO is one of the core EIF agencies and works with other
international agencies, donors and other development partners to
respond to the trade development needs of LDCs. The Economic Research and Statistics Division provides economic analysis and research in support of the WTO’s operational activities, including monitoring and reporting on current economic news and developments. It carries out economic research on broader policy-related topics in connection with the WTO’s work programme, as well as on other WTO-related topics of interest to delegations arising from the on-going integration of the world economy, the spread of market-oriented reforms, and the increased importance of economic issues in relations between countries. The division prepares the “World Trade Report”, an annual publication that aims to deepen understanding about trends in trade, trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system. The division cooperates with other international organizations and the academic community through conferences, seminars and courses; prepares special research projects on policy-related topics in the area of international trade; and prepares briefings to senior management. It is responsible for the “coherence” mandate with other international organizations, including in relation to linkages between trade and finance, and for the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance On the statistics side, the division supports WTO members and the Secretariat with quantitative information in relation to economic and trade policy issues. The division is the principal supplier of WTO trade statistics through the annual “International Trade Statistics” and via the Internet and Intranet. The division is responsible for the maintenance and development of the Integrated Data Base (IDB) and the Consolidated Tariff Schedules (CTS) which supports the Market Access Committee’s information requirements in relation to tariffs. The division’s statisticians also provide members with technical assistance in relation to the IDB-CTS databases. The division plays an active role in strengthening cooperation and collaboration between international organizations in the field of merchandise and services trade statistics, ensuring that WTO requirements with respect to the concepts and standards underpinning the international statistical system are met. The Human Resources Division is responsible for the human resources management of over 700 WTO staff members (regular and temporary). The division's responsibilities include division restructuring, performance management, development and training (in areas such as management development and interpersonal skills) , workforce planning, recruitment and selection, career management (including internal career mobility), management of staff benefits and entitlements, and staff counselling . The central aim of the division is to respond to the evolving needs of the WTO, aligning the workforce with the needs of the organization. The Informatics Division ensures the efficient operation
of the WTO's information technology (IT) infrastructure as well as the
development and support of the necessary systems to cover the needs of
WTO members and the WTO Secretariat. In response to changing needs and
fast-evolving technology, the division performs the necessary research
and work needed to constantly enhance IT services and procedures, to
comply with the core mandate of the organization and to better
facilitate the dissemination of information to WTO members and the
public through the Internet and specialized databases. The division also
ensures the efficient operation of the IT and communication
infrastructure for special events such as Ministerial Conferences. Information and External Relations Division The Information and External Relations Division
communicates information about the World Trade Organization to a
variety of audiences. This is made available through the WTO web site,
an extensive publications programme and regular briefings aimed at
specific audiences, such as journalists, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), parliamentarians and students. Trade-related technical assistance is the WTO's contribution to the functioning of the Aid for Trade Initiative, which aims to help developing, least-developed countries and other low-income transition economies to mainstream trade into their national economic development plans and strategies. The Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) designs, coordinates and implements trade-related technical assistance activities. With support across the WTO Secretariat, the ITTC delivers specific technical assistance products as mandated by WTO members in the regularly updated Technical Assistance and Training Plans. These plans focus on strengthening the ability of beneficiaries to understand their rights and obligations within the multilateral trading system, to take full advantage of the rules-based system, to participate effectively in trade negotiations, and to develop, on a long-term basis, their capacity to adjust to WTO rules and disciplines.
The Intellectual Property Division is responsible for the WTO's work
in trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS), government
procurement and competition policy (it should be noted that
substantive work in the latter area in the WTO has been on hold since
2004). In the TRIPS area, the Division provides service to the TRIPS
Council and to dispute settlement panels, services any negotiations
that may be launched on intellectual property matters and provides
assistance to WTO members through technical cooperation, including in
cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
and other relevant international organizations, and through the
provision of information/advice more generally. It also maintains and
develops lines of communication with other intergovernmental
organizations, non-governmental organizations, intellectual property
practitioners and the academic community. In the area of government
procurement, the Division services the Committee established under the
plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement and dispute
settlement panels that may arise, in addition to providing technical
cooperation and information/advice more generally to WTO members. In
the area of competition policy, the Division monitors developments at
the international level and would be responsible for any further work
in the WTO Working Group on the Interaction between Trade and
Competition Policy, in the event that that body should resume its
work. Languages, Documentation and Information Management Division The Languages, Documentation and Information Management Division (LDIMD) provides two types of complementary services:
Many of these services, such as the Central Registry of Notifications and the “Documents Online” database of official WTO documents, are provided to WTO members, observers and the public through the Internet. LDIMD ensures that WTO documents, publications and other materials are available in the WTO's three working languages — English, French and Spanish — both in hard copy and in electronic form. The WTO library supports WTO activities and research
through its print and electronic collection of documents, including an
online catalogue and bibliographic reference services. The library is
the depository of GATT/WTO official documents and publications dating
back to the Havana Charter, and has a comprehensive collection of
national statistics from WTO members and observers.
The principal mission of the Legal Affairs Division is to provide
legal advice and information to WTO dispute settlement panels, other
WTO bodies, WTO members and the WTO Secretariat. The division’s
responsibilities include assisting members in the composition of
dispute settlement panels, providing timely secretarial and technical
support and legal assistance to WTO dispute settlement panels,
providing legal advice to the Dispute Settlement Body and its Chairman
on the operation of the Dispute Settlement Understanding, and
providing legal advice to the Director-General, the Secretariat and
members on all WTO agreements and on other legal issues as they may
arise. Other responsibilities include advising the Director-General on
administrative law issues related to the operation of the WTO and the
Secretariat, providing legal information to WTO members and preparing
legal publications relating to the WTO dispute settlement system, and
providing legal support in respect of accessions. The division also
provides training regarding dispute settlement procedures and WTO
legal issues through special courses on dispute settlement, regular
WTO training courses and WTO technical cooperation missions. On behalf
of the Secretariat, representatives from the division attend meetings
of other international organizations concerning international legal
issues and attend international conferences on dispute settlement and
other legal matters of relevance to the WTO. The Market Access Division works with the following WTO bodies: the Council for Trade in Goods, the Committee on Market Access, the Committee on Customs Valuation, the Committee on Rules of Origin, the Committee on Import Licensing and the Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products (ITA). The work of the division includes organizing meetings for these bodies. The role of the division is to ensure the smooth functioning of all WTO bodies serviced by the division. This includes facilitating new and on-going negotiations and consultations, monitoring and actively assisting in the implementation of WTO agreements in the areas of anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures, safeguards, trade-related investment measures, state-trading and civil aircraft. It also includes providing all necessary implementation assistance, counselling and expert advice to WTO members concerning the above agreements, providing secretaries and legal officers to WTO dispute settlement panels involving these agreements and participating in the WTO technical assistance programme. The bodies serviced by the Rules Division include the Negotiating Group on Rules, the Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices, the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, the Committee on Safeguards, the Committee on Trade-Related Investment Measures, the Committee on Trade in Civil Aircraft, the Working Party on State-Trading Enterprises, the Permanent Group of Experts of the Subsidies Agreement as well as the Informal Group on Anti-Circumvention and the Working Group on Implementation, both concerning the Agreement on Anti-Dumping. The Technical Cooperation Audit (TCA) Division is responsible for ensuring ongoing monitoring and evaluation of all forms of technical assistance provided by the WTO. The division conducts on-site and ex-post evaluations and prepares an Annual Report for discussion at the Committee on Trade and Development.
The division provides service and support to WTO committees dealing
with trade and environment and technical barriers to trade. For Trade
and Environment, it supports the work of the Committee on Trade and
Environment (CTE) by providing technical assistance to WTO members;
reporting to senior management and WTO members on discussions in other
intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), including negotiation and
implementation of trade-related measures in multilateral environmental
agreements. The division maintains contacts and dialogue with NGOs and
the private sector on issues of mutual interest in the area of trade
and environment.
The Trade in Services Division provides support and
technical advice to WTO members on the implementation of the General
Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and on further negotiations
mandated by the Agreement. It performs this role by supporting the
Council for Trade in Services (both in regular and special session) as
well as other bodies established under the GATS. These include the
Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on Specific
Commitments, the Working Party on Domestic Regulation, and the Working
Party on GATS Rules. Within the WTO Secretariat, the division provides
information and advice to the Director-General and senior management
on trade in services as well as support to relevant dispute settlement
panels. The Trade Policies Review Division has several areas of responsibility. One is to support the work of the Director-General and WTO members under the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (Annex 3 of the WTO Agreement ), which includes preparing periodic reports on members' trade policies, servicing meetings of the Trade Policy Review Body at which reviews of members' policies are carried out, and preparing an Annual Overview of trade policy developments on behalf of the Director-General. The division is responsible for providing Secretariat support to the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements and the Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions, and for servicing the Doha Round Negotiating Group on Rules related to regional trade agreements. It is also responsible for servicing the Doha Round Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation and for managing and delivering the technical assistance programme that supports the participation of developing and least-developed countries in that negotiation.
The Appellate Body Secretariat provides legal and administrative support to the Appellate Body. The Secretariat is located within the headquarters of the WTO. The director of the Secretariat heads a team of ten lawyers and four support staff. Appellate Body Secretariat staff members are bound by the Rules of Conduct of the Dispute Settlement Understanding, which seek to ensure independence, impartiality, the avoidance of conflicts of interest, and the confidentiality of the proceedings. Secretariat staff also participate in technical cooperation activities carried out by the WTO Secretariat, especially those related to dispute settlement.
Distribution of staff positions within the WTO's various divisions back to top
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