The Government Procurement Committee has adopted a decision aimed at increasing the transparency of its operations. The move comes after several years of work and reflects ongoing efforts to make the committee’s processes more accessible.
According to Committee Chair Martin Zbinden, the decision "marks a step change in how the Committee operates when it comes to transparency and how it engages with and reaches out to stakeholders."
The new policy builds on earlier measures that made historical committee documents available. It expands access by allowing more materials to be shared with members who are not part of the committee as parties or observers, as well as with the general public. Among the types of documents that will now be more readily available are annotated meeting agendas and written summaries from informal sessions. These sessions offer insight into the committee's deliberative processes, including work related to sustainable procurement.
Under this framework, certain documents will become unrestricted immediately, while others will be automatically released after a set period.
This step is part of broader reforms within the World Trade Organization (WTO) aimed at improving institutional effectiveness. The committee highlighted its commitment to better functioning through what it describes as a "reform by doing" approach.