I am taking
the opportunity of this meeting to inform you of decisions I have
taken on the redeployment of Secretariat staff and resources. In
taking these decisions, I have benefited greatly from advice I have
received from staff at all levels and I want to thank you for
responding positively to my various requests for ideas. I want to give
particular thanks to my deputies for their important advice and
insights. I have also benefited from the reflections of some
ambassadors and mission staff and I have spoken as well with various
experts. The report prepared by the consultant, Mr. Terry Slater, was
another useful input and I am grateful to the Committee on Budget,
Finance and Administration for commissioning this review of
Secretariat activities. The current decisions are also based on my own
experience of this institution, studies I have undertaken of the
structures of other agencies and institutions, and knowledge gained in
an earlier life where I was involved in public sector reform.
The
WTO has been given an important new negotiating mandate by Ministers.
The Doha Development Agenda calls for a far-reaching set of
negotiations that are to be completed within three years. In order to
prepare for this challenge and improve the functioning of the
Secretariat, I have determined that certain organizational changes are
needed at this stage to meet the following objectives:
1.
To reflect the work priorities of the Doha Development Agenda, as
set out by Ministers. This will be achieved by reallocating certain
existing resources and directing new resources towards mandated
negotiations and work programmes, technical cooperation and capacity
building, while at the same time ensuring that the Secretariat
continues to carry out all its responsibilities in an effective
manner.
2.
To make efficiency gains and cost savings. This will be achieved
through streamlining and the consolidation of certain Divisions.
3.
To ensure proper coordination of related elements of work within the
Secretariat. A decision will be taken on mechanisms needed to
address cross-cutting issues within the Secretariat once the
structure of the negotiating machinery under the Trade Negotiations
Committee is known.
4.
To increase accountability and assess the efficiency of the
Secretariat on a continuing basis. A function will be established
within the Secretariat to further this objective and a report will
be received early next year on how this function should operate.
5.
To communicate more effectively with the outside world on the work
of the WTO. This will be achieved through strengthening the
Secretariat’s resources in this area and rationalizing their use.
In addition, an assessment will be undertaken of the Secretariat’s
communication and outreach strategies to see where improvements
might be made, including in terms of taking advantage of synergies
and better cooperation.
The
new arrangements will be reviewed early in 2002 in order to determine
whether they are functioning as intended and whether additional
improvements in the quality and structure of Secretariat services may
be required. We will, of course, also need to retain flexibility to
make further adjustments in light of decisions to be taken concerning
the structures for dealing with the Doha work programme.
I
will now summarise the new arrangements. You can refer to the
Explanatory Note to be circulated for a full account of the changes.
- A
new Resource and Performance Analysis function is to be put
in place. We need to ensure our Secretariat divisions are
optimally staffed and efficiently managed. The purpose of this
operation will be to assess the performance of the Secretariat on
a continuing basis and facilitate greater use of management
against goals and increased reliance on performance-based
budgeting. Further decisions concerning this function will be
forthcoming early in 2002, after I have received appropriate
inputs concerning its scope of operation and proposed activities.
- A
new Council and TNC Division is to be established. It
merges the existing Ministerial Sessions Division and Council
Division. Mr. Evan Rogerson will head the new Division which will
report to Deputy Director-General Rodriguez Mendoza in the first
instance. The Council and TNC Division will achieve cost and
efficiency savings by combining the related functions of servicing
the Trade Negotiations Committee and the General Council. The
Division will also service the Dispute Settlement Body. The latter
arrangement will be reviewed during the first three months of
2002.
- A
new Development and Economic Research Division is to be
established, headed by Mr. Patrick Low and reporting to Deputy
Director-General Ouedraogo. It merges the Economic Research and
Analysis Division with the Development Unit of the Development
Division. This change represents a substantial increase in
resources dedicated to development issues and is consistent with
the decisions taken by Ministers in Doha. The responsibilities of
the new Division include servicing the Committee on Trade and
Development and the Informal Group of Developing Countries,
providing analytical support for the work programme of the
Committee, overseeing preparation of the WTO Annual Report, and
carrying out the research and analysis functions of the former
Economic Research and Analysis Division. Research will be targeted
mainly at the Doha Development Agenda, and other important
research activities will be undertaken only after consultation
with the responsible Deputy Director-General and the
Director-General.
- Work
done for non-resident Members and staff dealing on these matters
will be reassigned from the Development Division to Technical
Cooperation Division.
- The
remaining part of the Development Division, the Regional Trade
Agreements Unit, is to be absorbed by the Trade Policies Review
Division. In addition to its current responsibilities, the
Trade Policies Review Division will now service the Committee on
Regional Trade Agreements, and staff working on trade policy
reviews will provide support as required to the Secretariat’s
work on regionalism.
- The
Trade Information Centre will now oversee the library and
will report to Deputy Director-General Ravier in the first
instance.
- Trade
and Finance Division will now report to Deputy
Director-General Rodriguez Mendoza in the first instance. Information
and Media Relations Division will report to Deputy
Director-General Stoler (the WTO Spokesperson will of course
continue to have direct access to me). This means that there are
now no line-Divisions reporting to me directly.
With
regard to the servicing of Working Parties and Work Programmes,
the Working Group on the Relationship Between Trade Debt and Finance
and the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology, both of
which have been established by Ministers under the auspices of the
General Council, will be serviced respectively by the Trade and
Finance Division and the Development and Economic Research Division.
The work programme endorsed by Ministers on issues relating to the
trade of small economies will be serviced by the Development and
Economic Research Division. The work programme endorsed by Ministers
on special and differential treatment will also be serviced by the
Development and Economic Research Division.
As
mentioned, I will be seeking expert advice to review the new
arrangements by 31 March 2002 in order to determine whether
further adjustments are required. Appropriate mechanisms for dealing
with cross-cutting issues within the Secretariat will be decided. The
Resource and Performance Analysis function will be made operational.
In addition, Deputy Director-General Miguel Rodríguez Mendoza will
examine and make recommendations on the frequency and scheduling of
WTO meetings because of the increased workload and difficulties
smaller missions face and the fact that these problems may well become
more challenging as we move ahead.
Staff
Movements
Some
staff movements will be effected as part of the new arrangements. I
want to stress that these movements reflect the priorities of
Ministers in Doha, particularly in terms of giving adequate support to
the negotiations and additional support in such crucial areas as
developmental issues, technical cooperation, accessions, and
assistance to small economies, LDCs and economies in transition. The
staff movements listed below are to take effect on 1 January 2002.
Office of the Director-General
Mr.
Patrick Rata assumes the position of Director, Office of the
Director-General.
Mr.
Patrick Low is transferred to the position of Director, Development
and Economic Research Division.
Mr.
Hoe Lim is transferred from the existing External Relations Division
to the Office of the Director-General.
I
believe I and my office can take a lead to ensure issues of capacity
building and coherence with other agencies are enhanced and momentum
is not lost.
Ministerial
Sessions Division and Council Division
The
existing staff in the Ministerial Sessions Division and the Council
Division are transferred to the Council and TNC Division, with the
following exceptions:
Mr.
Serban Modoran goes to the Accessions Division.
Ms.
Marie-Isabelle Pellan will be reassigned.
Ms.
Susan Conn goes to the Office of the Director-General.
Development Division (secretariat and Development Unit) and
Economic Research and Analysis Division
The
existing staff in the secretariat and Development Unit of the
Development Division and the Economic Research and Development
Division go to the Development and Economic Research Division, with
the following exceptions:
Mr.
Amar Breckenridge and Ms. Anne Vittori go to the Technical
Cooperation Division along with their responsibilities.
A
further level 7 post will be reassigned.
Development
Division (Regional Trade Agreements Unit)
The
existing staff of the Regional Trade Agreements Unit of the
Development Division are transferred to the Trade Policies Review
Division.
Information
and Media Relations Division
Mr.
Hans-Peter Werner is transferred from the Information and Media
Relations Division to the External Relations Division.
Internal
Processes
I
am also announcing some administrative actions to begin (or resume) in
2002 aimed at improving our operations and internal coherence:
- There
will be weekly meetings of Senior Management
- There
will be fortnightly meetings of Divisional Directors
- There
will be monthly meetings of all staff, and
- I
will hold regular meetings with the Staff Council, probably every
three months.
We
have convened regular meetings in the past with some success. But we
must now lock them in. Further information concerning the scheduling
of these meetings will be advised by my office in due course.
Attendance at the meetings will be expected and assumed. Other staff
meetings on specific issues will of course be scheduled as necessary.
Deputies and Directors are expected to keep staff appropriately
informed of issues discussed in the various meetings.
Further
Work
We
have a new roadmap. Ministers have agreed the Doha Development Agenda
and have set as a goal the completion of negotiations within a
three-year timeframe. The efforts of the Secretariat must be aimed at
assisting Members' to achieve this goal. We have made a good start
already with the establishment of the Board of the Training Institute
and the submission of a very good Budget that, I believe, closely
reflects the priorities that Ministers established in Doha. This
proposed budget promises a far-reaching programme of trade-related
technical cooperation and capacity building. I hope this budget will
gain Members approval over the next few days. The current redeployment
of resources exercise is a further step in our efforts to help
Members. As well, I have met with heads of other international
agencies and have agreed with them to explore ways to ensure
coordination of efforts to assist developing countries, building on
existing cooperation and complementarities.
Members
themselves must create momentum. They need to reach early agreement on
the details of the structure for dealing with the work programme from
Doha. From experience I know that an early decision on the venue for
the next Ministerial Conference will also greatly assist the enormous
work that needs to be done.
There
are always areas for further efficiency gains. I talked about the need
for greater coherence within the house. Our regular meetings will
help. There is also a need for greater efforts to ensure coherence
between the international institutions. I am working through some
ideas on this at present. I am also intending to commission a report
that will, in part, examine a range of staff-related matters and
generate ideas on improving performance and efficiency and making the
WTO a better and more rewarding place to work in.
My
job is clear; to help Members with the capacity, resources, structure
and processes so that Ministers and ministries can advance their work,
secure a successful 5th Ministerial Conference and meet the three-year
timeframe for completing their negotiations. The timeframe is short so
we have a duty to move now.
Thank
you, colleagues, for your cooperation in the past. I want to thank you
also for your hard work, dedication and professionalism. The
Secretariat played a crucial role in the success in Doha and your
energy and enthusiasm will be vital to our future successes as well.
Let there be no mistake about the current exercise; I have a gifted
Secretariat staff and I am making adjustments to utilise your
potential to the best effect. I wish you a restful break over the new
year so that in 2002 we can all enjoy an even more exciting and
fulfilling year. |
