TRADE POLICY REVIEW MECHANISM

DRAFT FINAL VERSION OF the Report of the Trade Policy Review Body for 2022

Chairperson: H.E. Ángel Villalobos Rodríguez (Mexico)

Revision

1.       This Report by the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) provides a brief assessment of its activities in 2022. The annexed tables provide information on Members reviewed up to the end of 2022, the programme of reviews for 2023, and candidates for review in 2024.

Activities of the TPRB

2.       By the end of 2022, the TPRB will have conducted 550 reviews^[1] since its inception in 1989 (Annex I), covering 159 out of 164 Members.^[2] Sixteen Members were reviewed in 2022, including one least developed country (LDC) (Annex II). Four Members opted for the alternative timeline for the Q&A process.

3.       Notwithstanding various and continued constraints caused by the pandemic, the Secretariat prepared its reports in close consultation with the authorities of the Members under review, and the reports for those review meetings taking place in 2022 were delivered on time. The authorities have been making great efforts to respond to requests for information. In preparing its reports, the Secretariat also continued its efforts to reduce the burden on Members under review by using, to the extent possible, other sources of documentation, including Members' official websites and other credible sources. Essential elements of the process are the responses by the authorities to the draft reports, and visits to capitals by teams from the Secretariat. In 2022, most in-person visits were resumed, and thus the Secretariat teams were able to communicate directly with officials in capital, as COVID-19‑related travel restrictions were lifted gradually in most WTO Members. Virtual communication also continued, particularly at the beginning of the TPR preparation process, as an alternative means of communication and exchange of information between the Secretariat teams and the authorities.

4.       Efforts continue to be made to schedule TPRB meetings evenly throughout the year and, to the extent possible, avoid clashes with other meetings at the WTO so as to reduce pressure on Members. Some TPRB meetings had to be postponed due to the rescheduling of MC12 for June 2022.

5.       The WTO Secretariat is working on the confirmation of the programme of reviews for 2023, in close contact with the relevant delegations. The programme for 2023 comprises 17 meetings, covering 30 Members (Annex III). Annex IV provides the list of Members that are considered as candidates for review in 2024.

6.       The Seventh Appraisal of the TPRM started in September 2022 and two informal meetings of the TPRB have been held so far.