GATT/AIR/UNNUMBERED 3 AUGUST 1989
SUBJECT: SEMINAR/WORKSHOP ON THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE
1. THE GATT SECRETARIAT WILL ORGANIZE ITS SECOND WEEK-LONG SEMINAR/WORKSHOP FOR TECHNICAL EXPERTS FROM CAPITALS ON THE SUBJECT OF THE GATT INTEGRATED DATA BASE, TO BE HELD DURING THE WEEK BEGINNING 2 OCTOBER 1989 AT THE GATT HEADQUARTERS IN GENEVA. ALL CONTRACTING PARTIES, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHICH HAVE ANNOUNCED THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE DATA BASE OR ARE CONSIDERING SUCH PARTICIPATION, ARE INVITED TO SEND PARTICIPANTS TO THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP.
2. THE PURPOSE AND GOALS OF THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP, AS WELL AS OTHER DETAILS, ARE DESCRIBED IN THE PROGRAMME ANNEXED TO THIS AIRGRAM. THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP IS A KEY PART OF THE SECRETARIAT'S TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE EFFORT IN CONNECTION WITH THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE, AND CONTRACTING PARTIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO SEND ONE OR MORE TECHNICIANS TO PARTICIPATE.
3. BECAUSE OF THE TECHNICAL NATURE OF THE MATERIAL THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE MEETING, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ATTEND ARE THE EXPERTS WHO ARE ACTUALLY INVOLVED, AT A TECHNICAL LEVEL AND ON A REGULAR DAILY BASIS, IN THE PREPARATION OF THE CONTRACTING PARTY'S SUBMISSION TO THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE.
4. THE BASIC DOCUMENTATION FOR THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP IS BEING PREPARED AND WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL DELEGATIONS IN GENEVA FIVE WEEKS BEFORE THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP; COPIES MAY ALSO BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE COMPETENT GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN NATIONAL CAPITALS, PROVIDED THAT THE RELEVANT ADDRESSES ARE COMMUNICATED IN ADVANCE TO THE GATT SECRETARIAT. OFFICIALS WHO WILL BE PARTICIPATING ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO PREPARE FOR THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP IN ADVANCE BY BECOMING THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTENTS OF THOSE DOCUMENTS.
5. CONTRACTING PARTIES ARE REQUESTED TO INFORM THE GATT SECRETARIAT BY SEPTEMBER 15 OF THE NAMES OF THE OFFICIALS FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE CAPITALS WHO WILL BE ATTENDING THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP (TELEPHONE 739.51.94, TELEX NUMBER 412324 GATT CH, OR FAX NUMBER 731.42.06). IF ANY DELEGATES WHO ARE RESIDENT IN GENEVA PLAN TO ATTEND THE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP, THEIR NAMES SHOULD ALSO BE PROVIDED TO THE SECRETARIAT BY THAT DATE.
A. DUNKEL
89-1139 ANNEX
GATT INTEGRATED DATA BASE
Programme for the seminar/workshop for technical experts
from national capitals
Time and place: The week beginning 2 October 1989, Room E of GATT Headquarters in the Centre William Rappard, Geneva.
Main Topic: The data requirements and format of submissions for the GATT Integrated Data Base; organization of the data base; output likely to be requested from the data base when it is operational.*
Basic documentation: Revised versions of GATT Secretariat documents IDB/W/1/Rev.1, IDB/W/2/Rev.1 and IDB/W/3/Rev.1. The three documents will be combined into one document (document IDB/W/4). The revision will not affect the formats of the files but will concern the presentation of the information and will take into account the results of the tests made by the GATT Secretariat on the basis of initial submissions to the IDB received from delegations. Other documents will be prepared concerning the organisation of the data base and the application computer programmes to be created for the retrieval of information from the data base. The basic documentation will be made available by 1 September 1989.
Languages: simultaneous interpretation between English, French and Spanish.
Purpose and goals:
(1) To give the GATT Secretariat staff an opportunity:
- to explain in detail to specialists from capitals what the Secretariat has been doing and plans to do;
- to explain to specialists from capitals what they are expected to do;
- to answer questions and help specialists from capitals find solutions to problems.
(2) To give specialists from capitals an opportunity:
- to exchange information with one another and with the Secretariat based on experience in dealing with the kinds of problems that are involved in supplying the necessary import, tariff and QR data in the required format; participants from contracting parties which will be submitting these data to the Secretariat for the first time will have the opportunity to exchange views with participants who have experience in preparing and submitting such data;
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*There are two basic aspects to the Integrated Data Base: the input (contents, and the format in which data are to be submitted) and the output (the nature of the information that will be available and the ways in which it will be provided - for example, on diskettes, on magnetic tape and so forth).
- to put questions to the Secretariat staff members responsible for the technical development of the Integrated Data Base;
- to inform the Secretariat of the current status of procedures in their respective national capitals, and to indicate what is needed in order to facilitate the submission of data;
- to make suggestions to the Secretariat concerning possible modifications in the data contents (any suggestions made in this context would be referred to the Informal Advisory Group for approval).
- to make suggestions to the Secretariat concerning the output application computer programmes and concerning the methodology to be used in these programmes (suggestions will be conveyed to the Informal Advisory group).
- to inform the Secretariat of the type of equipment they intend to
use to retrieve and/or process the data (on-line access, computer
tapes, PC diskettes etc.).
SCHEDULE
MONDAY 2 OCTOBER
10:00-10:30 Registration, and tea and coffee
10:30-11:00 Welcoming remarks by the Director General and Mr. M.G. Mathur,
Deputy Director-General
11:00-13:00 General description of the IDB:
- Type of information to be included
- Overall volume of information to be stored in the IDB
- Computer facilities used by the Secretariat
- Staff involved in the exercise
- Status of submissions received
13:00-14:30 Lunch
14:30-17:30 Overview of the data base
- Files to be prepared by the delegations
- Controls and conversions made by the Secretariat
- The data base design
- How the IDB information could be made available to users
18:00 Salle des Pas Perdus: GATT Secretariat cocktail party for
participants in the seminar/workshop
TUESDAY 3 OCTOBER
09:30-13:00 Discussion of formats for data submission
13:00-14:30 Lunch
14:30-17:30 Discussion continues
WEDNESDAY 4 OCTOBER
09:30-13:00 Discussion of data base considerations
Remainder of afternoon is free for informal discussions among participants and with Secretariat staff.
THURSDAY 5 OCTOBER
09:30-13:00 Application programmes to be developed by the Secretariat
and methodology used in these programmes
13:00-14:30 Lunch
14:30-17:30 Discussion of output requirements
FRIDAY 6 OCTOBER
09:30-13:00 Questions and answers concerning the points covered during
the seminar/workshop
Friday afternoon: provided that it is possible to observe the schedule outlined above, it will not be necessary to hold a formal session on Friday afternoon. However, participants are requested to keep the afternoon available in case it is not possible to complete the work by 13:00.