News and Analysis • Volume 12 • Number 4 • 6th February 2008
WTO general council approves committee chairs for 2008
The WTO General Council on 6 February formally approved the list of chair appointments to the thirteen regular WTO committees for 2008.
Ambassador Bruce Gosper (Australia) replaces Muhamad Noor Yacob (Malaysia) at the head of the General Council, the organisation’s top permanent decision-making body. His foremost task in that role will be to work with Director-General Pascal Lamy to help guide the troubled Doha Round negotiations through to conclusion. Australian WTO Ambassador Mario Matus (Chile) replaces Gosper as chair of the Dispute Settlement Body, and Ambassador Yonov Frederick Agah (Nigeria) becomes the new head of the Trade Policy Review Body.
The Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will be chaired by Ambassador Gail Marie Mathurin (Jamaica), while Belgian Ambassador Alex van Meeuwen will head up the Council for Trade in Services.
Singaporean Ambassador Karen Tan will take over as chair of the Council for Trade in Goods. Mauritian Ambassador Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing will stay on as chair of the Committee on Trade and Development, while Ambassador Wieslaw Karsz (Poland) will chair the Committee on Trade and Environment
The chairs of the eight Doha Round negotiating bodies will remain unchanged, with the exception of the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Environment, which will now be chaired by Ambassador Manuel Teehankee (Philippines). His term will run until the next Ministerial Conference, which has not been scheduled.
The slate of candidates was put together by outgoing General Council Chair Noor, on the basis of consultations with Members.
The complete list of chairs for 2008 is available online at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres08_e/pr512_e.htm.
ICTSD reporting.