RESTRICTED
PREPARATORY COMMITTEE PC/BFA/M/2
FOR THE 23September 1994
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
(94-1915)
SUB-COMMITTEE ONBUDGET ,FINANCE
AND ADMINISTRATION
MINUTES OFTHE MEETING
heldintheCentre William Rappard
on16September 1994
Chairman: H.E. Mr.A.Szepesi (Hungary)
1. TheAgenda distributed inPC/AIR/24 contained thefollowing items:
A. Overview oftheSub-Committee 'swork programme fortheautumn
B. Composition ofthenegotiating teamfortheWTO Headquarters Agreement
C. Preparation forthepolicy debate onconceptual issues scheduled forthesecond half
ofSeptember 1994
2. TheChairman saidthathewould takeitemCsecond anditemBlast.
Overview oftheSub-Committee 'swork programme fortheautumn
3. TheChairman recalled thatbefore thesummer break theSub-Committee agreed: (i)thatin
principle Geneva bechosen astheseatfortheWTO, (ii)tothecreation of21posts (1D,16Pand4G)
asaresult ofafirstexamination oftheorganizational structure andstaffing requirements ofthe
Secretariat; theGATT Budget Committee would shortly consider theirfinancing for1994, (iii)on
guidelines fortheassessment ofcontributions onWTO Members, (iv)thatDeloitte andTouche be
selected asConsultants fortheManagement Review.
4. TheChairman outlined thework programme fortheautumn. Inaddition tothenegotiation
oftheHeadquarters Agreement, theinterviews ofMembers bytheConsultants andtheregular
contacts withtheConsultants attheSub-Committee level, itwould encompass theexamination ofthe
following issues: (i)basis forassessment ofcontributions onWTO Members from 1996 onwards,
(ii)WTO contracts ofemployment policy, (iii)salaries andpensions, (iv)relations between WTO and
theInternational Trade Centre (ITC), (v)budget estimates for1995, and(vi)transfer ofassets and
liabilities from ICITO/GATT toWTO.
5. When appropriate some ofthese issues would befirstconsidered inaworking group chaired
byMr.P.Gosselin, Chairman oftheGATT Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration. The
composition ofthisworking group would basically correspond totheGATT Budget Committee.
./.PC/BFA/M/2
Page2
Preparation forthepolicy debate onconceptual issues scheduled forthesecond half of
September 1994
6. TheChairman recalled thatthispolicy debate wasintended tobeacontribution tothe
Management Review. According toadecision taken bytheSub-Committee, itshould concern three
areas: (i)Economic research andanalysis, (ii)Technical co-operation, and(iii)Accessions. In
addition during informal consultations, itwasproposed toinclude twoadditional issues: (i)In-house
expertise asagainst services ofother competent organization, and(ii)Media relations. Considering
thatthework programme oftheGATT Council ofRepresentatives included areview oftheaccession
process, itwasagreed tosetaside thisissue.
7. Oneachofthese topics theSecretariat wasrequested toproduce an"Issue paper" which
should beshortandmerely identify points forconsideration. During thediscussions Senior Secretariat
officials would beabletodevelop theirviews. These "Issue papers" were tobecirculated bythe
middle oftheweek commencing on19September 1994.
8. TheSub-Committee agreed thattheConsultants should attend thepolicy debate butwithout
participating inthediscussion.
9. With regard totheManagement Review, theSub-Committee agreed onthefollowing
procedure: (i)interviews ofMembers andoftheSecretariat staffwould beconducted inparallel,
(ii)theConsultants would haveaweekly meeting withtheChairman oftheSub-Committee andthe
Chairman oftheGATT Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration, (iii)theywould report
orally totheSub-Committee attheendofSeptember, mid-October andendofOctober, and(iv)they
would present totheSub-Committee adraft report bymid-November andthefinalreport mid-
December.
Composition ofthenegotiating teamfortheWTO Headquarters Agreement
10. Asaresult ofinformal consultations, theSub-Committee agreed onthefollowing
composition: itsChairman, theChairman oftheGATT Committee onBudget, Finance and
Administration, representatives ofMembers: Argentina, France, Indonesia, Japan, Morocco, Pakistan,
Trinidad andTobago, andZambia aswellasfourSecretariat staffmembers: MM. R.O'Toole,
J.E.Chabert, F.Roessler andP.Rolian. Inaddition theGATT Staff Council could appoint an
observer.
11. Thenegotiating team would report regularly totheSub-Committee minus Switzerland and
would seekadvice andinstructions from theSub-Committee. Ifneeded, theteam could callfor
additional expertise.
12. Negotiations withtheSwiss Authorities should startbytheendofSeptember orearlyOctober
withaview tocomplete them bytheendofOctober orearly November. These were onlytarget
dates asasatisfactory result wasmore important thanadeadline.