Members adopted a Report on Improvements in the Functioning of the Council for Trade in Goods and its 14 Subsidiary Bodies (G/L/1523), which describes 127 concrete measures taken to improve the functioning of these bodies, and in particular their deliberative function.

The CTG and its 14 subsidiary bodies collectively implement all the agreements for trade in goods included in Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement. They represent the majority of the WTO's regular bodies, including the Committees on Agriculture, Anti-dumping Practices, Import Licensing, Market Access, Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

The CTG Chair, Ambassador Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid of Nigeria, noted that most of the improvements had already been introduced, and that many had resulted from formal decisions. He emphasized that “the effective functioning of the regular bodies is a necessary condition for a successful implementation of the functions of the WTO, including its deliberative function and the implementation of the existing WTO Agreements.”

He added that members might wish “to continue any relevant discussions in the future, as improving the functioning of regular bodies is an incremental and ongoing process.”

WTO Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard attended the meeting and expressed her delight at seeing that “the CTG has taken a leadership role in improving the functioning of this body through the reform by doing, which has become an example for the WTO as a whole.”

Many members expressed pride with these reforms and noted that progress can be achieved when members work together with proactive engagement towards positive contributions. They stressed that this was a concrete deliverable for the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), to be held in Abu Dhabi in February 2024, and committed themselves to build on it.

The report provides information on discussions held to improve the functioning of regular bodies and reflects all changes introduced in these bodies as mandated by ministers at MC12 as part of WTO reform. The improvements are divided into six categories that were used by most of these bodies in discussing the proposals: assistance to delegates, planning and organization of meetings, conduct of formal meetings, conduct of informal meetings, digital tools and substantive work.

The report also describes the process followed in implementing this mandate and the proposals adopted or recommended by the Council, as well as the role played vis-à-vis the subsidiary bodies. Finally, it reproduces, by category, the main outcomes of these discussions.

In addition to the report, members agreed at the meeting on four additional improvements (G/L/1522). Members considered that these additional actions will help them achieve a quick and accurate understanding of what transpired at meetings while leveraging existing technology tools to have easier access to CTG documents via a one-stop solution WTO web page.

Pandemic response

As a follow-up to paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Declaration, the Council also adopted a Report on the WTO Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics (G/L/1521), which includes lessons learned by members, challenges experienced, and an overview of the actions taken by the CTG and its subsidiary bodies.

The report highlights lessons learned in the following areas: improving coordination and cooperation at different levels, understanding trade-related measures during crises, enhancing transparency and experience-sharing, and improving data collection and information‑sharing. The role of digitalization and the need to identify "essential" goods and their tariff classification is also underlined.

In addition, the document compiles information on the work undertaken by the CTG and its subsidiary bodies between 2020 and 2023 concerning their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics. It is largely based on the reports prepared by the respective chairs, but also includes new developments in those bodies up until July 2023.

Trade concerns

The Council heard 44 trade concerns, of which eight were considered for the first time and 36 had been previously discussed. These concerns covered a wide range of measures, including tariffs and tariff rate quotas (TRQs), environmental policies, import/export restrictions, local content requirements, halal certification, TBT, SPS measures, subsidies, alleged discriminatory domestic taxes, domestic certification and administrative procedures, and anti-dumping duties.

They also encompassed a wide range of sectors, including agricultural, information technology, forestry and food products, as well as specific products, such as electric vehicles, electric batteries, critical minerals, liquors, energy drinks, semiconductors and microchips, air conditioners, apples and pears, onions and potatoes, cheese, pulses, cosmetics and tyres.

The Chair reminded delegations that the annex to the newly developed Annotated Agenda of the meeting contained links and cross‑references to discussions in other bodies, most of which were provided by the members requesting the inclusion of the agenda items and complemented by the Secretariat. Where available, direct links to the trade concerns database were also provided.

In light of the increasing number of trade concerns that remain on the CTG agenda over extended periods - some issues are discussed over several years - Ambassador Abdulhamid reminded members that he remained at their disposal should they wish to request his “good offices”.

The full agenda of the meeting is available here.

Other issues

For the first time, the CTG considered document G/C/W/830, entitled “Principles Guiding the Development and Implementation of Trade-Related Environmental Measures”. Submitted by the African Group, the document discusses the interplay between trade and environmental policies, emphasizing the challenges faced by developing members in adapting to environmental measures that can affect market access and competitiveness.

The document highlights concerns over unilateral environmental measures and their potential negative impacts on developing members, advocating for a balance between environmental protection and members' developmental needs, and proposes a series of principles.

Members once again discussed document G/C/W/752, submitted in April 2018 by the Least-developed Countries (LDC) Group. The main purpose of this proposal is to enable graduated LDCs with a gross national product (GNP) below USD 1,000 to benefit from treatment similar to that accorded to certain developing members listed in Annex VII(b) of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM), i.e. exemption from the provision on export subsidies.

Delegations also discussed two agenda items proposed by the United States to address members' non-responsiveness to questions by other members and members' non-notifications of items pursuant to certain WTO agreements. India updated members on the G20 trade and investment ministers' meeting, including the Jaipur Call for Action for enhancing access to information for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Next meetings

The next CTG formal meeting is scheduled for 30 April and 1 May 2024, but the dates may need to be adjusted to take account of a possible information session on WTO digital tools.