Organisational Structure
Institutional Matters
The ACWL is co-administered and co-financed by its developed and developing country Members. The ACWL's institutional structure is designed to ensure that the ACWL can provide its services to its developing country Members and the LDCs independently of any financial considerations or other influence.
The institutional structure of the ACWL consists of the General Assembly, the Management Board and the Executive Director.
The General Assembly is made up of all ACWL Members and representatives of the LDCs. It oversees the functioning of the ACWL, monitors the ACWL's finances and approves the annual budget. It meets at least twice a year. The General Assembly is currently chaired by Mr. Declan Morrin of Ireland. Dr. Mohammad Saeed of Pakistan is the vice-chairperson. The General Assembly's rules of procedure can be found at this link.
The Management Board takes the decisions necessary to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the ACWL and reports to the General Assembly. It is composed of six persons who act in their personal capacity: three nominated by developing country Members, two by developed country Members and one by LDCs. The Executive Director is an ex officio member. The Management Board's rules of procedure can be found at this link.
The Executive Director manages the ACWL's day-to-day operations and represents the ACWL externally.
Financial Matters
The Endowment Fund
The Endowment Fund was created from the contributions of both the developed and developing country Members. The contributions of developing countries vary with each country's share of world trade and income per capita. LDCs are not required to contribute to the Endowment Fund in order to be entitled to the ACWL's services.
Each of the ACWL developed country members - Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom - has contributed at least US$1,000,000 to the Endowment Fund or to the annual budgets of the ACWL or to both.
Fees for support in WTO dispute settlement proceedings
The ACWL charges fees for support in WTO dispute settlement proceedings in accordance with the Schedule of Fees set out in Annex IV of the Agreement Establishing the ACWL. These are CHF162 per hour for Category C Members, CHF243 per hour for Category B Members, and CHF324 per hour for Category A Members. LDCs pay CHF40 per hour. These fees are based on a time budget adopted by the Management Board, which indicates the maximum number of hours that the Member or LDC may expect the ACWL to charge for each procedural step in a typical WTO dispute settlement proceeding.
Developing countries that are not ACWL Members may also use the ACWL's services. For these countries, the hourly rate varies between CHF405 and CHF567, depending on their share of world trade and per capita income.
Other contributions
The ACWL may also accept contributions from other governmental and non-governmental sources for specific purposes that are not related to dispute settlement cases, such as training and the traineeship programme. In 2002, the ACWL received funding from the World Bank to finance the ACWL six-month Training Programme on WTO Dispute Settlement procedures.
External Audit
The ACWL's financial reports are audited by the National Audit Office of the United Kingdom, which has consistently issued an unqualified opinion on the ACWL's annual financial reports.