1.1.  The Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products, hereinafter referred to as "the Committee", was established pursuant to the provisions of the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (_WT/MIN(96)/16), hereinafter referred to as "the Ministerial Declaration", and the provisions for the Implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (_G/L/160), in order to carry out the provisions of paragraphs 3, 5, 6, and 7 of the Annex to the Declaration.

1.2.  The Committee's rules of procedure provide for observer status to WTO Members that are not participants to the Ministerial Declaration, and governments that are observers to the Council for Trade in Goods. Requests for observer status by international intergovernmental organizations are considered on a case‑by‑case basis. The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have been granted observer status, and the World Customs Organization (WCO) has been granted observer status to meetings where issues of HS classification and HS amendments are included on the agenda.

1.3.  As of 20 November 2025, the ITA has 56 Participants, covering 84 WTO Members. The Committee has consistently reviewed the status of implementation, a summary of which is provided in document _G/IT/1 and its revisions.

1.4.  On 2 June 2025, through a written procedure, the Committee elected by acclamation Mr Andrei Rusu (Romania) as Chairperson for the period of 2025‑2026.

1.5.  The Committee has held two formal meetings in 2025, on 7 May and 20 November, and their minutes are contained in documents _G/IT/M/82 and _G/IT/M/83^[1], respectively. The Committee also held four informal consultation meetings, on 11 March and 2 May under the chairpersonship of Mr Ta Lin (Peter) Shih (Chinese Taipei), and on 14 July and 9 October under the chairpersonship of Mr Andrei Rusu, to undertake technical discussions on relevant issues. Factual summary reports of the two latter meetings were circulated in documents _JOB/IT/44 and _JOB/IT/47.

1.6.  Trade concerns over ITA implementation in Indonesia and Egypt were raised at the Committee's meeting in May and reiterated at its meeting in November. Some Participants expressed their ongoing concern over Indonesia's tariffs with respect to a number of ICT products that appeared to exceed Indonesia's ITA tariff commitments. At the meeting on 20 November, Indonesia informed the Committee that its import duties on the relevant ITA products had been removed since September 2025. ITA Participants welcomed this latest development. Concerns were also raised over Egypt's application of a 10% tariff on mobile phones that appeared to be inconsistent with its ITA commitments.

1.7.  The Committee continued its deliberations on identifying possible future topics concerning Non‑Tariff Barriers (NTBs) for discussion in 2025. At the Committee's formal meeting of 7 May, certain ideas regarding new NTB‑related activities had been revisited. Recognizing that many ITA participants were willing to engage in NTB discussions, the Chairperson proposed that the Committee undertake a survey to identify the main non‑tariff barriers facing ITA participants' trade. Accordingly, the Secretariat prepared a draft NTB survey and shared it with ITA Participants in the Chairperson's informal consultations held in July. Based on the preliminary feedback from ITA Participants, this draft was then revised and circulated in document _RD/IT/W/60. A revision to this document, which incorporated a proposal from the European Union, was circulated in document _RD/IT/60/Rev.1. Considering that certain delegations requested further time to review the document, it was agreed at the Committee's November meeting that ITA Participants willing to do so would use the survey, on a voluntary basis, to collect initial feedback from their constituencies and businesses. Any feedback would be communicated to the Secretariat in writing before 30 March 2026. The Secretariat would consolidate any such feedback and report on it to ITA Participants at the Committee's first formal meeting held in 2026. ITA Participants would then decide upon the appropriate way forward.

1.8.  On 12 November, the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Committee) organized an Information Session on Non‑Tariff Measures Under the Information Technology Agreement. This was a cross‑cutting joint session mandated in the TBT Committee's Tenth Triennial Review. Certain ITA Participants had also suggested enhancing synergies between the two Committees. At this meeting, on behalf of the ITA Committee, the ITA Committee Chairperson and Secretariat introduced the ITA Committee's current work and past progress made on NTBs, including its Guidelines on EMC/EMI Conformity Assessment and the NTB Survey currently being discussed in the Committee. The joint session highlighted the complementary nature of the two WTO bodies' work, including that the two Committees were both examining, from various angles, many important issues relating to the development of digital technology. The ITA Committee supported enhancing synergies among WTO bodies, including the TBT Committee, and intended to strengthen its future cooperation and engagement in this regard.

1.9.  On classification divergence, to facilitate the technical discussions on this issue, the Secretariat prepared a technical note on the 22 "Attachment B" items in the context of the latest HS nomenclature (HS 2022), which was circulated on 5 May, in document _JOB/IT/43. Participants were requested to reflect on how they classified these products in HS 2022 in their own national schedules, and to provide their feedback on the proposed classifications. In addition, the Secretariat prepared a technical note on the classification evolution of the 33 "Attachment B" products on which HS classification had been agreed in HS 1996 and HS 2007, respectively, which was circulated in document _JOB/IT/46, on 30 September. To facilitate technical discussions, the Chairperson wrote a letter to the WCO Secretariat requesting the WCO's technical input on these two documents. The letter was circulated to ITA Participants in document _G/IT/W/63. Delegations welcomed the work carried out by the Secretariat in this regard.

1.10.  To date, two delegations had provided technical input on _JOB/IT/43 and several delegations had indicated that relevant work was ongoing in capitals. At the Committee's meeting held on 20 November, ITA Participants agreed to provide technical feedback on both documents before the end of March 2026. The Secretariat would subsequently consolidate and circulate these comments for peer review. In addition, a technical meeting among customs officials would be organized with a view to bridging any remaining differences on the relevant items.

1.11.  Building on the progress made at its informal meeting held on 25 April, as well as the subsequent informal consultations held by the Chairperson, at its formal meeting in May, the Committee agreed to hold three thematic sessions, from this calendar year through 2026, alongside its formal meetings. The Committee's first thematic session, on "The Opportunities of ITA Participation: Participants' and Stakeholders' Experiences", based on a proposal of the United Kingdom, was held in the morning of 20 November. The event focused on ITA Participants' experience‑sharing, on implementation, and on support in expanding geographical participation in the ITA. Speakers from Lao PDR and Timor‑Leste shared their experience of ITA participation; business representatives from the European Union, the Philippines, and the United States, spoke about the benefits of the ITA from an industry perspective; and one speaker (METI, Japan) introduced an APEC study on the impact of the ITA and the future of ICT trade. In addition, the Secretariat made a presentation on the ITA's role in digital transformation. ITA Participants applauded the success of this event and thanked the delegation of the United Kingdom and the Secretariat for their efforts. In this connection, the Committee also agreed to use the "Reference Document on the Organization of Thematic Sessions in the ITA Committee", circulated in document _JOB/IT/45[2], as a guideline for organizing similar events in the future. In this connection, ITA Participants reiterated the importance of strengthening the Committee's cooperation and engagement with the private sector and other stakeholders.

1.12.  According to the schedule, two thematic sessions would be held in 2026, focusing on the ITA's role in promoting AI and other new technologies, as well as the role of ICT/ITA in supporting E‑Commerce, respectively in the first and second half of the year.

1.13.  A draft Decision on the Procedures for the Circulation and Derestriction of ITA Committee Documents had been prepared by the Secretariat, based on participants' comments during the Chairperson's informal consultations, and was circulated on 2 May in document _G/IT/W/61/Rev.1. The objective of this exercise was to improve transparency and formally align the practices of the Committee with those set out in the General Council Decision in document _WT/L/452. The Committee agreed to revert to this item at its next meeting.

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