Document symbol G/L/170Document date 20/06/1997Doc # 97-2540Access level Public

WORLD TRADE
G/L/170
20 June 1997
ORGANIZATION
(97-2540)
RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR MEETINGS OF
THE COMMITTEE ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES
Approved by the Council for Trade in Goods on 11 June 1997
At its meeting of 19-20 March 1997, the Committee agreed that the Rules of Procedure for
meetings of the General Council ( WT/L/161 ) shall apply
mutatis mutandis
for meetings of the Committee
on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures except as otherwise provided in the Working Procedures
( G/SPS/1 ) as established or as subsequently amended by the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures and except as provided below:
(i)
Rule 5 of Chapter II (Agenda) is not applicable.
(ii)
Rule 6 of Chapter II (Agenda) shall be modified to read as follows:
The first item of business at each meeting shall be the consideration and approval
of the agenda. Representatives or the Chairperson may suggest amendments to the
proposed agenda, or additions to the agenda under "Other Business". Representatives
shall provide the Chairperson or the Secretariat, and the other Members directly
concerned, whenever possible, advance notice of items intended to be raised under
"Other Business".
(iii)
Rules 12, 13 and 14 of Chapter V (Officers) shall be modified to read as follows:
Rule 12
The Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures shall elect a
Chairperson
1
from among the representatives of Members. The election shall take
place at the first meeting of the year and shall take effect at the end of the meeting.
The Chairperson shall hold office until the end of the first meeting of the following
year.
1
The Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures shall apply the relevant guidelines contained
in the "Guidelines for Appointment of Officers to WTO Bodies" ( WT/L/31 dated 7 February 1995) .
./.

G/L/170
Page 2
Rule 13
If the Chairperson is absent from any meeting or part thereof, the Committee
on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures shall appoint an interim Chairperson for that
meeting or that part of the meeting.
Rule 14
If the Chairperson can no longer perform the functions of the office, the
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures shall appoint an interim Chairperson
to perform those functions pending the election of a new Chairperson.
(iv)
Rule 16 of Chapter VI (Conduct of Business) is not applicable.
(v)
Rule 24 of Chapter VI (Conduct of Business) shall be modified to read as follows:
In order to expedite the conduct of business, the Chairperson may invite
representatives that wish to express their support for a given proposal to show their
hands; thus, only representatives with dissenting views or wishing to make explicit
points or proposals would actually be invited to make a statement. This procedure
shall only be applied in order to avoid undue repetition of points already made, and
will not preclude any representative who so wishes from taking the floor.
(vi)
Rule 33 of Chapter VII (Decision-Making) shall be modified to read as follows:
In accordance with Article 12:1 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary
and Phytosanitary Measures, the Committee shall reach its decisions by consensus.
(vii)
Rule 34 of Chapter VII (Decision-Making) is not applicable.
(viii)
Rule 36 of Chapter IX (Records) shall be replaced by the following:
Records of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures meetings
shall take the form of a summary report to be prepared by the Secretariat. Any
delegation may, at their request, verify those portions of the draft report containing
their statements prior to the issuance of the Secretariat summary report in accordance
with the customary GATT practice. Delegations that wish to avail themselves of this
verification procedure should so indicate to the Secretariat within 10 days of the close
of the meeting concerned.