RESTRICTED
World Trade
WT/BFA/2L/7626
31 March 1995
Organization
Limited Distribution(95-0766)
JOINT WTO/GATT COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
The Joint WTO/GATT Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration met on 22 March 1995 and have the following recommendations to the General Council for approval.
1. Relationship between the UN and GATT/WTO with regard to the International Trade Centre:
The Committee recommends to the General Council the following:
A. Assuming that the current joint and equal partnership of the two sponsoring organizations for the general policy and orientation of the ITC's work programme will continue, the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration recommends to the General Council that a mandate be given to the Secretariat of the WTO to negotiate with the Secretariat of the United Nations a new arrangement on budgetary issues related to the functioning of the ITC.
B. The control function of the GATT/WTO on the ITC budgetary procedures should be restored. In this respect the 1974 agreement between the GATT and the UN should be modified according to what follows.
C. The ITC budget will be subject to the same preparation and reporting procedures as the GATT/WTO budget itself.
D. It will cover a calendar year period and will be presented in Swiss francs, the currency in which the bulk of expenditures is made.
E. It will be formulated by the ITC secretariat using exchange rates and inflation factors to be decided upon jointly between the ITC and GATT/WTO secretariats in consultation with the United Nations.
2. Inactive Members:
In accordance with paragraph 7(b) of document PC/7, L/7578, The Committee recommends to the General Council that the following contracting parties/Members classified in Category IV of Administrative Measures (Inactive Members) be urged to liquidate their arrears:
Antigua and Barbuda Madagascar
Bolivia Mauritania
Burundi Nicaragua
Cameroon Niger
Central African Republic Rwanda
Chad Senegal
Congo Sierra Leone
Dominican Republic Suriname
Gambia Togo
Ghana Uganda
Guatemala Zaire
Haiti Zambia
Kenya
3. CONTRACTING PARTIES representative on the ICITO/GATT Staff Pension Committee:
The Committee recommends to the General Council that Mr. Jean-Daniel Rey replace Mr. Peter Cheung on the Staff Pension Committee until the expiration of the present mandate on 31 December 1995.