Accessions and WTO reform: On the Road to MC12

09:00— 09:30 Registration

HIGH-LEVEL OPENING SESSION
09:30 — 10:00

(Speakers are invited to make 10-min statements)

Moderator:

• Ms Maika OSHIKAWA, Director, Accessions Division, WTO

Opening remarks:

• Mr Maxim ORESHKIN, Minister of Economic Development, Russian Federation
  Speech
• Mr Alan Wm. WOLFF, Deputy Director-General, WTO
  Speech
• Mr ZHANG Xiangchen, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of China to the WTO
  Speech

10:00— 10:10 Group photograph

SESSION 1: ACCESSIONS AND WTO REFORM

As the global economy is undergoing unprecedented change and the multilateral trading system has come under pressure, which may have impact on the future direction of the WTO. A policy debate is underway on how to improve the functioning of the WTO. As a source of update and strengthening of the WTO rules through their accession-specific commitments, Article XII Members and WTO acceding governments have a role to play in this agenda. The session will focus on the role and contributions of completed and ongoing WTO accessions in these discussions, their effect on accession negotiations and outcomes and the possible way forward.

10:10— 11:40

(the panellists are invited to make 10-min statements followed by a 5-min intervention by a commentator)

Moderator:

• Mr Maxim MEDVEDKOV, Professor, Higher School of Economics; Advisor, WTO Expertise Center, Moscow, Russian Federation

Keynote speaker:

• Mr Alan Wm. WOLFF, Deputy Director-General, WTO

Panellists:

• Mr FU Xingguo, Deputy Director-General, Department of WTO Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, China
• Mr Paolo GARZOTTI, Deputy Permanent Representative of the European Union to the WTO
• Mr Mark LINSCOTT, Consultant, Atlantic Council, Asia Group; former Assistant United States Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs
• Mr Alfredo SUESCUM, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Panama to the WTO, Coordinator of the Article XII Members Group

Followed by open discussion

11:40— 12:00 Coffee Break

SESSION 2: JOINT INITIATIVES AND WTO ACCESSIONS

Since the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires (MC11), a number of WTO Members have been deepening their engagement on Joint Initiatives to advance talks on the issues E-Commerce; Investment Facilitation; Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and Domestic Regulation in Services. These efforts are aimed at making the multilateral trading system more responsive to the evolving needs of the global economy in the 21st century. Article XII Members are participating in these initiatives. What are the potential implications of these initiatives on the ongoing accessions? The session will facilitate discussions on these subjects.

12:00— 13:30

(The panellists are invited to make 10-min statements, followed by 5-min interventions by each commentator)

Moderator:

• Mr Rajesh AGGARWAL, Chief, Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business, ITC

Panellists:

• Mr Katsuro NAGAI, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the WTO, Co-convener of the Joint Statement Initiative on E-Commerce
• Mr Eduardo GALVEZ CARVALLO, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile to the WTO, Coordinator of the Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for Development
  Speech
• Mr José Luís CANCELA GOMEZ, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the WTO, Coordinator of the Informal Group on Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs)

Commentators:

• Mr Zavqi ZAVQIZODA, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Tajikistan
• Ms Ekaterina MAYOROVA, Director, Department for Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Economic Development, Russian Federation

Followed by open discussion

13:30— 14:30 Lunch Break

SESSION 3

This interactive session will focus on the state of play on active WTO accessions, including the most advanced processes which are envisaged for conclusion before or at the MC12. It will provide for an exchange of views on the accession roadmaps, negotiating achievements and specific challenges, as well as possible ways to facilitate and expedite conclusion. The session will also provide an opportunity for an exchange of experiences in concluded and ongoing WTO accession processes, to update best practices.

14:30 — 16:00

(Speakers are invited to make 5-min statements)

Moderator:

• Ms Maika OSHIKAWA, Director, Accessions Division, WTO
  Presentation

“Overview of WTO accessions — State of Play”

Speakers:

• Mr Vladimir SERPIKOV, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Ambassador-at-large, Directorate General for Foreign Economic Activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus
• Mr Hamdo TINJAK, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Commentators:

• Mr Atanas PAPARIZOV, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the WTO; Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  Presentation
• Mr Luis Enrique CHÁVEZ BASAGOITIA, Director-General for Europe, Ministry of External Relations, Peru; Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of the Comoros

Followed by open discussion

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break

16:30 – 18:00

(Speakers are invited to respond to specific questions posed by the Moderator)

Tour de table:

Representatives of acceding governments:

• Mr Shovqi Mehdizade, Counsellor, Embassy of Azerbaijan in the Russian Federation;
• Mr Penday Dorji, Senior Trade Officer, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bhutan;
• Mr Mamo Mihretu, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ethiopia;
• Mr Aziz Mansouri, Director, Division of International and Multilateral Financial and Trade Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran;
• Mr Abdulrahman Hamid Mohammed Al-Hussaini, Ambassador in the Russian Federation, Iraq;
• Ms Olivera Jocić, Acting Assistant Minister, Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Serbia;
• Mr Yasin Eisa Mohamed Abdalla, Secretary General, National Secretariat for WTO Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Sudan;
• Mr Marcio Rosa Lay, National Director for External Commerce, Ministry of Commerce, Tourism and Industry, Timor-Leste;
• Mr Badriddin Abidov, Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade, Uzbekistan.

Expressions of interest:

• Mr Ezizgeldi ANNAMUHAMMEDOV, Deputy Finance and Economy Minister, Turkmenistan
• Mr Caryl MONTE, Chief Negotiator, Chairman of the Permanent Commission on International Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, Curaçao
  Speech

Followed by open discussion

18:00

Reception and cultural programme proposed by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

SESSION 4: REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND WTO ACCESSIONS

Regional integration efforts have systemic implications on WTO accessions, and vice versa. The session will explore such implications and experiences in completed and ongoing WTO accessions. The session will begin with discussions on various regional integration processes in Africa (e.g. African Continent Free Trade Area and the East African Community), Europe (e.g. accession to the EU) and South-east Asia (e.g. ASEAN). The second half of the session will focus on the experience and lessons learned from WTO accessions of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which was the first trading bloc established by non-WTO members (i.e. Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, which became WTO members in 2012 and 2015, respectively, and Belarus which is currently in the process of accession), as well as the participation of regional institutions in the WTO work.

09:30 — 13:30

(Panellists and commentators are invited to make 5-min statements)

Moderator:

• Mr Alan Wm. WOLFF, Deputy Director-General, WTO

Panellists:

• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA):
• Mr Mamo Mihretu, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ethiopia;
• EU Accession:
• Mr Hamdo Tinjak, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Ms Olivera Jocić, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession; Acting Assistant Minister, Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Serbia
• ASEAN Accession:
• Ms Maria Angela Freitas Da Silva, Economic Advisor, Ministry for Economic Affairs;
• Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU):
• Mr Vahagn Ghazaryan, Deputy Head, Department for Trade Policy, Eurasian Economic Commission;
• Mr Eldar Alisherov, Deputy Minister of Economy, Kyrgyz Republic;
• Mr Avetis Hovhannisyan, Advisor to the Minister of Economy, Armenia;
• Mr Gaziz Seitzhanov, Third secretary, Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the WTO;
• Mr Vladimir Serpikov, Ambassador-at-Large; Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Directorate General for Foreign Economic Activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus.

Commentators:

• Mr FU Xingguo, Deputy Director-General, Department of WTO Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, China
• Mr Paolo GARZOTTI, Deputy Permanent Representative of the European Union to the WTO
• Mr Mark LINSCOTT, Consultant, Atlantic Council, Asia Group; former Assistant United States Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs
• Ms Polina TONKIKH, Director-General, WTO Expertise Center, Moscow, Russian Federation

Followed by open discussion

13:30 — 14:30 Lunch break

SESSION 5: PREPARATION FOR MC12

The 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) is to be held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, in June 2020. Ahead of the Ministerial, the session will provide a timely opportunity to discuss specific proposals of WTO acceding governments on their role and possible contributions to the outcome of the MC12, including organization of the first Ministerial meeting of WTO acceding governments, building on the discussions under way in the Informal Group of Acceding Governments (IGAG).

14:30 – 16:00

(Speakers are invited to make a 10-min statements)

Moderator:

• Ms Maika Oshikawa, Director, Accessions Division, WTO

Speakers:

• Mr Dmitri Fomchenko, Deputy Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UNOG, Coordinator of the Informal Group of Acceding Governments (IGAG);
• Mr Alfredo Suescum, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Panama to the WTO, Coordinator of the Article XII Members Group;
• Mr Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the WTO, Coordinator of the g7+ WTO Accessions Group;
• Mr Gaziz Seitzhanov, Third secretary, Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the WTO.

Followed by open discussion

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break

CLOSING SESSION
16:30 – 17:30

Report on the Outcome of the Eighth China Round Table by Ms Ekaterina MAYOROVA, Director, Department for Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Economic Development, Russian Federation
Presentation

• Remarks by Mr ZHANG Xiangchen, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of China to the WTO
  Speech
• Closing remarks by Ms Maika OSHIKAWA, Director, Accessions Division, WTO

09:30 – 12:30

Meeting of WTO Acceding Governments

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch

15:00 — 18:00

Bilateral meetings — to be arranged