REPORT ON THE CURRENT FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMITTEE OF PARTICIPANTS
ON THE EXPANSION OF TRADE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS

REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON

The following report is being submitted by the Chairperson of the Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products (ITA Committee), Mr Hazrul Imran AZAHAR, under his own responsibility and at the request of the Chairperson of the Council for Trade in Goods.^[1] The report was prepared with the assistance of the Secretariat.

1  Mandate of Committee work

1.1.  The Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (WT/MIN(96)/16) was adopted on 13 December 1996 and came into effect on 26 March 1997. The ITA Agreement is a plurilateral agreement that is open for acceptance to all WTO Members and States or separate customs territories in the process of acceding to the WTO. The Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products (ITA Committee) was established pursuant to paragraph 3 of the "Implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products" (document G/L/160).

1.2.  As required under the Committee's procedures, the ITA Committee oversees the functioning of the Agreement and serves as the forum for meetings and collective consultations among the participants. It holds regular meetings to review developments relating to the implementation of the Declaration and holds special meetings at the request of any participant or by invitation of the Chairperson.

1.3.  This report describes the practices that the ITA Committee has adopted over the years, with data based on the years 2019‑2021.