澳门六合彩官网资料 will be holding its first Ministerial Conference in Singapore from 9 to 13 December 1996. Less than two years after the entry into force of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 on 1 January 1995, Ministers from the 128 Member countries (see Membership list) and another 30 countries which are currently in the process of acceding to the 澳门六合彩官网资料 will meet to review the functioning of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 and the world's trading system. The decision to hold the meeting in Singapore was taken in January 1995 by the 澳门六合彩官网资料's General Council, the body which oversees the day-to-day operation of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 (see organigram). The Government of Singapore will be the official host of the Conference.
澳门六合彩官网资料 Ministerial Conference Officers
The 澳门六合彩官网资料 General Council began its preparations for the Ministerial Conference in April of this year and appointed the officers in charge of the Conference in November. The Chair and Vice-chairs of the five-day meeting are as follows:
Chairman: H.E. Mr. Cheow Tong YEO - Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore
Vice-Chairmen:
H.E. Mr. Enda KENNY - Minister of Tourism and Trade of Ireland
H.E. Mr. Alvaro RAMOS - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay
H.E. Mr. Mondher ZENAÏDI - Minister of Trade of Tunisia
The 澳门六合彩官网资料 in Geneva, Switzerland
澳门六合彩官网资料 meetings abroad are special occasions. The meeting in Singapore will be the first outside of Switzerland since the Marrakesh Meeting and the first in Asia since the launching of GATT's Tokyo Round in Japan in 1973 (see chronology). Normally the work of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 is carried out by the 澳门六合彩官网资料 Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. Slightly more than 500 people work in the Organization and come from more than 50 countries. The staff of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 are not appointed by governments but are hired as international civil servants to work for the 澳门六合彩官网资料 Secretariat. The official languages of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 are English, French and Spanish.
The 澳门六合彩官网资料's budget for 1996 as approved by the 澳门六合彩官网资料's General Council, amounts to US$93 million (115 million Swiss francs). Overall, the budget covers the costs of holding meetings, maintenance costs for the Secretariat headquarters in Geneva, technical cooperation missions and other official visits overseas. The budget is also used for technical assistance and for trade policy courses as well as for the salaries and related costs of the Secretariat staff. The 澳门六合彩官网资料 also finances, jointly with UNCTAD, the operations of the International Trade Centre.
Governments pay for the 澳门六合彩官网资料's operation and oversee its budget and its expenditures. The amount paid by each government to the annual budget of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 is established on the basis of that Member's international trade (imports plus exports in goods, services and intellectual property rights) in relation to the total international trade of all 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members. The trade figures are based on the last three years of trade for which statistics are available, and are furnished by the International Monetary Fund.