Phl rep named to WTO law advisory committee

MANILA, Philippines - Ambassador Esteban B. Conejos Jr., Philippine permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), was appointed to the Management Board of the Advisory Center on WTO Law (ACWL), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced yesterday.

The DFA was informed by the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the WTO that Conejos was unanimously nominated by Category B member countries of ACWL to be their representative to the board.

Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mauritius, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam are the Category B countries of ACWL.

The ACWL’s mission is to provide developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with the legal capacity necessary to enable them to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the WTO.

WTO director-general Pascal Lamy has said that “by ensuring that the legal benefits of the WTO are shared among all members, the ACWL contributes to the effectiveness of the WTO legal system, in particular its dispute settlement procedures, and to the realization of the WTO’s development objectives.”

The Management Board takes the decisions necessary to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the ACWL and reports to the General Assembly. It consists of six persons serving in their personal capacities who have been selected on the basis of their professional qualifications in the field of WTO law or international trade relations and development.

Three Board members are nominated by the developing country members, two by the developed country members and one by the LDCs. In addition, the executive director serves ex officio on the Board.

Conejos attended his first Management Board meeting last Nov. 7, where he was warmly welcomed by other board members, including ACWL executive director Niall Meagher.

Discussed in the board meeting were the operational and financial standing of ACWL, as well as the accession of Cuba.

Ambassador Conejos succeeded Ambassador Bozkurt Aran of Turkey. His term will be for two years, and he will be eligible for reappointment for a further two years.

The Philippines has been a member of ACWL since its establishment in 2001, benefiting from services such as legal assistance in dispute settlement cases, legal opinions, training courses, and a secondment program for government trade lawyers.

During the past 10 years, ACWL had been involved in 21 percent of all new WTO dispute settlement proceedings.

The Philippine Mission to the WTO also reported that on behalf of Indonesia, the Philippines, through Ambassador Conejos, chaired the G-33 Heads of Delegation meeting on Nov. 7 – a tradition every time the coordinator of the group is not available.