WTO: 2011 NEWS ITEMS

GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT

> Chairman’s statement
> Background note on government procurement

MORE:
map of GPA members/observers

  

The chairman called on members to make the necessary effort and use creativity and flexibility to reach this goal after 10 years of negotiations to modernize the GPA text. "A conclusion to the long-running GPA renegotiation is now truly at hand and the time to do it is in December this year in the framework of the coming WTO Ministerial", said Nicholas Niggli in his concluding remarks to GPA delegates.

He said that a new GPA would expand the coverage of the present Agreement, reduce discriminatory measures and facilitate expansion of the membership. "A new improved Agreement would reflect the realities of government procurement in the 21st century, it would address the challenges of good governance and it would open significant opportunities for market access representing tens of billions of dollars/euros annually", he said.

The Agreement commits members to certain core disciplines regarding transparency, competition and good governance in one of the most important and growing areas of the economic activity of any country. It covers the procurement of goods, services and capital infrastructure by public authorities. In most countries, government procurement accounts for 15% to 20% of GDP.

Forty-two WTO members are parties to the GPA and another nine are in the process of negotiation to accede.

 

RSS news feeds

> Problems viewing this page?
Please contact [email protected] giving details of the operating system and web browser you are using.