Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Timeline

I. Overview
Application Received	10/04/2003	WT/ACC/AFG/1
	21/11/2004	WT/ACC/AFG/2
Accession Working Party established	13/12/2004	WT/GC/M/90
Terms of reference & accession Working Party membership	23/02/2005	WT/ACC/AFG/3  + ( revisions)
Chairperson of the Accession Working Party
3rd	05/2012 — 07/2016	Ambassador Roderick van Schreven (Netherlands)
2nd	05/2009 — 5/2012	Ambassador Boudewijn Van Eenennaam (Netherlands)
1st	12/2005 — 05/2009	Ambassador Ian M. De Jong (Netherlands)
Formal Meetings of the Working Party	Date of the meeting	Convening notice	Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation	Statement(s) by Working Party members	Delegation list	Other documents for the meeting	News item
1st	31/01/2011			—	—	—	News item
2nd	18/06/2012			—		—	News item
3rd	07/12/2012			—		—	News item
4th	25/07/2013			—		Documents	News item
5th	11/11/2015			—		Documents	News item
Informal Meetings of the Working Party	Date of the meeting	Convening fax	Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation
—	—	—	—
Plurilateral Meetings	Date of the meeting	Convening fax	Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation
on agriculture	25/07/2013		—
II. Multilateral Negotiations
Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR)	31/03/2009	WT/ACC/AFG/4
Initial cycle(s) of Questions and Replies, following the circulation of the MFTR	26/07/2010	WT/ACC/AFG/5   (+  addendum)
Factual Summary of Points Raised	03/05/2012
Additional Questions & Replies	28/10/2011	WT/ACC/AFG/7
	31/10/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/17
	10/04/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/24
	07/06/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/27
	27/06/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/28
	02/07/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/29
	14/10/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/32
	21/10/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/34
Elements of a Draft Report of the Working Party	09/11/2012	(+ )
Draft Report of the Working Party	24/06/2013	(+ )
~ updated	19/10/2015
Agriculture (WT/ACC/22/Add.1), including Questions and Replies	29/10/2012
SPS Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	06/02/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/11  (+  addendum)
TBT Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	26/04/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/13
TRIPS Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	28/10/2011	WT/ACC/AFG/8  (+  revision)
Import Licensing Procedures Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions)	08/11/2011	WT/ACC/AFG/10  (+  revision)
Customs Valuation Checklist (WT/ACC/22 + revisions)	26/07/2010	WT/ACC/AFG/6  (+  revisions)
State-Trading Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions)	—	—
Draft Subsidies Notification (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	—	—
Comprehensive Legislative Action Plan (LAP)	28/10/2011	WT/ACC/AFG/9  (+  revisions)
	15/07/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/30  (+  revisions)
Rule-specific Action Plans	—	—
Legislation and implementing regulations	Click for details Hide details	Legislation notice		Notified legislation
	27/07/2010	WT/ACC/AFG/5/Add.1		Law on Income Tax, 2009  Law on Secured Transaction for Movable Property in Banking Transactions, 2008  Law on Private Investment, 21 December 2005  Law on Minerals, 2005  Law on Competition Protection & Monopoly Prevention, 30 January 2010  Regulation on Business Licence, 2004  Regulation on Enforcement of Pharmacies, 8 January 2007  Regulation on the Enforcement of the Manufacture and Import of the Medicine and Medical Appliances, 19 February 2007  Regulation on Import, Distribution and Use of Pesticides, 3 October 1996  Law on Customs, 2004  Regulation on Determining the Price of Goods in Customs, 23 January 2006  Regulation on Customs Arbitration, 20 March 2006  Regulation on Plant Quarantine Services, 2000  Law on Procurement, 2008 (Amendments made in January 2009 incorporated)  Law on Supporting the Right of Authors, Composers, Artists and Researchers (Copyright Law), 21 July 2008  Law on Trade Marks Registration, 1 September 2009  Law on Supporting the Rights of Inventors and Discoverers, 31 July 2008  Regulation on Culture, Artistic, Remuneration of Mass Media Services, Artistic Activities, Remuneration of Scientific Researching and Publication Activities in the Scientific Researching Institutions of Afghanistan, 23 December 2003  Regulation on Import and Show of Films and Monitoring Cinema (with amendments through Presidential Decree), 8 November 1988  Presidential Decree on the Amendments in Some Articles and Sub-Articles of the Regulation on Import and Show of Films and Monitoring Cinema of 1988, 8 November 2004  Presidential Decree Regarding the Law on Enforcement of Medicine, 18 November 2008  Law On Public Health, 8 January 2007
	28/10/2011	WT/ACC/AFG/7/Add.1		Law on Seeds Cultivation, 16 December 2009  Draft Amendments to the Civil Procedure Code (Chapter 3-14), 22 August 1990  Draft Amendments to the Law on Supporting the Rights of Inventors and Discoverers (Patents Law), 31 April 2009  Draft Amendments to the Law on Trademarks, 1 September 2009  Draft Amendments to the Law on Supporting the Rights of Authors, Composers, Artists and Researchers (Copyrights Law), 21 July 2008  Draft Law On Geographical Indications  Draft Law On Industrial Designs
	07/02/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/12		Draft Law on Food, 15 January 2012  Draft Plant Protection and Quarantine Law, 15 January 2012
	25/04/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/14		Draft Amendments to the Law on Customs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 30 December 2011  Draft Law on Standards and Technical Regulations, 17 April 2012
	07/06/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/16		Draft Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health Act, 6 June 2012
	14/11/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/19		Draft Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health Act, 12 November 2012  Draft Law on Food, 12 November 2012  Draft Plant Protection and Quarantine Law, 12 November 2012  Draft Law "On Standards and Technical Regulations", dated 12 November 2012
	15/11/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/20		Draft Amendments to the Law on Publication and Enforcement of Legislation of 1998, 12 November 2012  Draft Amendments to the Regulation on Drafting Procedure and Processing of the Legal Acts,12 November 2012  Draft Amendments to the Law on Customs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 12 November 2012  Draft Regulation on Customs Valuation, 12 November 2012  Draft Order of Advance Ruling on Binding Decisions, 12 November 2012  Draft Order on Customs Control of Intellectual Property Rights, 12 November 2012
	19/11/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/21		Draft Law on Geographical Indications, 12 November 2012  Draft Law on Industrial Designs, 12 November 2012  Draft Amendments to the Trademarks Law, 12 November 2012  Draft Amendments to the Law on the Support of the Rights of Inventors and Discoverers, 12 November 20122  Draft Amendments to the Law on the Support of the Right of Authors, Composers, Artists and Researchers (Copyright Law), 12 November 2012
	22/11/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/22		Draft Amendments to the Law on Customs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 21 November 2012  Draft Amendments to the Law on Trademarks, 21 November 2012
	26/11/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/23		Draft Law On Safeguard Measures for Domestic Production, 26 November 2012  Draft Law on Foreign Trade in Goods, 26 November 2012
	13/05/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/25		Draft Law on Protection of Trade Secrets, 24 April 2013  Draft Law on Protection of Layout Designs of Integrated Electronic Circuits, 24 April 2013  Draft Unfair Competition Provisions in the Draft Afghanistan Consumer Protection Law, 24 April 2013  Draft Amendments to the Law on Trademarks, 24 April 2013  Draft Amendments to the Law on Patents, 24 April 2013
	23/05/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/26		Draft Regulation on Licensing, Manufacture, Import and Export of Optical Disks, 14 May 2013
	10/10/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/31		Law on Hydrocarbons (Unofficial English Translation)/a>  Draft Law on Minerals, 9 February 2013  Draft Law on Foreign Trade in Goods of 2012, 8 October 2013  Draft Law on Safeguard Measures for Domestic Production, 30 September 2013  Draft Regulations on Import and Export Licensing, 10 January 2013
	18/10/2013	WT/ACC/AFG/33		Law on Organization and Jurisdiction of Courts of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 21 May 2005  Draft Law on Value Added Tax, 6 May 2013
	03/03/2014	WT/ACC/AFG/35		Draft Law on Protection of New Varieties of Plants, February 2014
Consultation documents	Click for details Hide details	Consultation notice		Notified consultation document
	28/10/2011	WT/ACC/AFG/7/Add.2		Quality Certificate, Afghan Raisin, Fruits and Vegetables Export Promotion Administration  Condition of Statement which has been prepared in order to prevent contagious diseases (zoonosis) while importation and exportation of livestock and their products from Afghanistan to other countries or from other countries of Afghanistan and also to promote animal and poultry breeds, General Department of Livestock and Animal Health  Condition of Statement for companies, national entrepreneurs, international organizations and nongovernmental organization who wish to import medication, animal vaccines, and other chemical and biological materials which are related to animal health, General Department of Livestock and Animal Health  Phythosanitary Certificate, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock  Veterinary Certificate, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock  Water Chemical Lab Analysis Certificate, Ministry of Public Health  Bacteriology Laboratory of Water and Food Certificate, Ministry of Public Health  Food Quality Control Analysis Certificate (Chemical Analysis Lab of Food), Ministry of Public Health
	06/06/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/15		Note on General Transparency
	09/11/2012	WT/ACC/AFG/18		Afghanistan National Development Strategy, 2008-2013
	24/06/2013			Draft Sepcific commitments proposed by Afghanistan
III. Bilateral Market Access Negotiations
Goods Offer(s)	14/11/2012
Services Offer(s)	13/06/2012
Register of Bilateral Market Access Agreements
Draft Goods Schedule	14/02/2014	(+ )
~ updated	19/10/2015
Draft Services Schedule	13/06/2012
~ updated	19/10/2015
Goods and Services Technical Verification Meetings	Date of the meeting	Convening fax
On goods and services	27/02/2014
IV. Summary of Final Meeting of the Working Party
V. Accession Package (“Terms of Accession”, de-restricted)
Ministerial Conference/General Council Decision on the Accession	17/12/2015			News item
Protocol of Accession	17/12/2015
Report of the Working Party	13/11/2015	WT/ACC/AFG/36, WT/MIN(15)/6
Goods Schedule (Schedule of Concessions and Commitments Annexed to the GATT 1994)	13/11/2015	WT/ACC/AFG/36/Add.1; WT/MIN(15)/6/Add.1
Services Schedule (Schedule of Specific Commitments Annexed to the GATS	13/11/2015	WT/ACC/AFG/36/Add.2; WT/MIN(15)/6/Add.2
VI. Accessions Commitments Database (ACDB)
Specific Accession Commitments	http://acdb.wto.org/ click on “Report by Member”, select “Afghanistan” in drop down list then click on “View Report”
VII. Instrument of Acceptance
Notification of Acceptance and Entry Into Force of the Protocol of Accession	29/06/2016			News item
VIII. Date of Membership
	29/07/2016	164th WTO member		News item
IX. Since 1995, this is the…
36th economy that joined the WTO pursuant to Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement.

Note:
The de-restriction of documents is a key component of the transparency obligations of the Multilateral Trading System.  Paragraphs 1 and 2(e) of the Ministerial Council Decision WT/L/452 of 14 May 2002 provide that “documents relating to working parties on accession shall be restricted and shall be automatically de-restricted upon the adoption of the report of the working party” by the Ministerial Conference/General Council.  The time of completion of the de-restriction process depends on the amount and complexities of the documents involved.  Prior to 2002, the de-restriction of accession-related documents was governed by a different set of rules (i.e. General Council Decision WT/L/160/Rev.1 of 26 July 1996), which only affect documents circulated prior to 2002.