World Trade Org

8/20/2019 World Trade Org

1/16

World Trade Organization

"WTO" redirects here. For other uses, see WTO (disambiguation).

World Trade Organization (English)

Organisation mondiale du commerce (French)

Organización Mundial del Comercio (!anish)

World Trade Organization (logo and ordmar#).s$g

O%cial logo o& WTO

WTO members and obser$ers.s$g

Members

Members, duall' re!resented b' the E

Obser$ers

on*!artici!ant states

Formation + anuar' +--/ 0+ 'ears ago

T'!e 1nternational trade organization

2ur!ose 3egulate international trade

4ead5uarters Centre William 3a!!ard, 6ene$a, itzerland

Coordinates 78.+09 8.:-9E

3egion ser$ed

Worldide

Membershi!

+80 member states;+<

O%cial language

English, French, !anish;0<

=irector*6eneral

3oberto >ze$?do

@udget


2/16

+-8 million iss &rancs (a!!roA. 0:- million B) in 0:++.;<

taD

87:;7<

Website .to.org

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergo$ernmental organization hich

regulates international trade. The WTO o%ciall' commenced on + anuar' +--

under the Marra#esh >greement, signed b' +0 nations on + >!ril +--7, re!lacing

the 6eneral >greement on TariDs and Trade (6>TT), hich commenced in +-7.;<

The WTO deals ith regulation o& trade beteen !artici!ating countries b' !ro$iding

a &rameor# &or negotiating trade agreements and a dis!ute resolution !rocess

aimed at en&orcing !artici!ants adherence to WTO agreements, hich are signed

b' re!resentati$es o& member go$ernments;8


3/16

The economists 4arr' White (le&t) and ohn Ma'nard e'nes at the @retton Woods

Con&erence. @oth had been strong ad$ocates o& a central*controlled international

trade en$ironment and recommended the establishment o& three institutionsG the

1MF (&or Iscal and monetar' issues)/ the World @an# (&or Inancial and structural

issues)/ and the 1TO (&or international economic coo!eration).;+8<

The WTOs !redecessor, the 6eneral >greement on TariDs and Trade (6>TT), as

established a&ter World War 11 in the a#e o& other ne multilateral institutions

dedicated to international economic coo!eration H notabl' the @retton Woods

institutions #non as the World @an# and the 1nternational Monetar' Fund. >

com!arable international institution &or trade, named the 1nternational Trade

Organization as success&ull' negotiated. The 1TO as to be a nited ations

s!ecialized agenc' and ould address not onl' trade barriers but other issues

indirectl' related to trade, including em!lo'ment, in$estment, restricti$e business

!ractices, and commodit' agreements. @ut the 1TO treat' as not a!!ro$ed b' the

.. and a &e other signatories and ne$er ent into eDect.;+JTT. The Irst real 6>TT trade rounds

concentrated on &urther reducing tariDs. Then, the enned' 3ound in the mid*siAties

brought about a 6>TT anti*dum!ing >greement and a section on de$elo!ment. The

To#'o 3ound during the se$enties as the Irst maKor attem!t to tac#le trade

barriers that do not ta#e the &orm o& tariDs, and to im!ro$e the s'stem, ado!ting a

series o& agreements on non*tariD barriers, hich in some cases inter!reted eAisting

6>TT rules, and in others bro#e entirel' ne ground. @ecause these !lurilateral

agreements ere not acce!ted b' the &ull 6>TT membershi!, the' ere o&ten

in&ormall' called "codes". e$eral o& these codes ere amended in the rugua'


4/16

3ound, and turned into multilateral commitments acce!ted b' all WTO members.

Onl' &our remained !lurilateral (those on go$ernment !rocurement, bo$ine meat,

ci$il aircra&t and dair' !roducts), but in +--J WTO members agreed to terminate the

bo$ine meat and dair' agreements, lea$ing onl' to.;0+<

rugua' 3ound

Main articleG rugua' 3ound

=uring the =oha 3ound, the go$ernment blamed @razil and 1ndia &or being

inLeAible and the E &or im!eding agricultural im!orts.;0< The then*2resident o&

@razil, Nuiz 1ncio Nula da il$a (abo$e right), res!onded to the criticisms b' arguing

that !rogress ould onl' be achie$ed i& the richest countries (es!eciall' the and

countries in the E) made dee!er cuts in agricultural subsidies and &urther o!enedtheir mar#ets &or agricultural goods.;07<

Well be&ore 6>TTs 7:th anni$ersar', its members concluded that the 6>TT s'stem

as straining to ada!t to a ne globalizing orld econom'.;0TT could not

manage etc.), the eighth 6>TT round H #non as the rugua' 3ound H as launched

in e!tember +-8, in 2unta del Este, rugua'.;0<

1t as the biggest negotiating mandate on trade e$er agreedG the tal#s ere going

to eAtend the trading s'stem into se$eral ne areas, notabl' trade in ser$ices and

intellectual !ro!ert', and to re&orm trade in the sensiti$e sectors o& agriculture and

teAtiles/ all the original 6>TT articles ere u! &or re$ie.;08< The Final >ct

concluding the rugua' 3ound and o%ciall' establishing the WTO regime as

signed + >!ril +--7, during the ministerial meeting at Marra#esh, Morocco, and

hence is #non as the Marra#esh >greement.;0J<

The 6>TT still eAists as the WTOs umbrella treat' &or trade in goods, u!dated as a

result o& the rugua' 3ound negotiations (a distinction is made beteen 6>TT +--7,

the u!dated !arts o& 6>TT, and 6>TT +-7J, the original agreement hich is still the

heart o& 6>TT +--7).;0< 6>TT +--7 is not hoe$er the onl' legall' binding

agreement included $ia the Final >ct at Marra#esh/ a long list o& about 8:

agreements, anneAes, decisions and understandings as ado!ted. The agreements

&all into a structure ith siA main !artsG


5/16

The >greement Establishing the WTO 6oods and in$estment H the Multilateral

>greements on Trade in 6oods including the 6>TT +--7 and the Trade 3elated

1n$estment Measures (T31M) er$ices P the 6eneral >greement on Trade in

er$ices (6>T) 1ntellectual !ro!ert' H the >greement on Trade*3elated >s!ects o&1ntellectual 2ro!ert' 3ights (T312) =is!ute settlement (=) 3e$ies o&

go$ernments trade !olicies (T23M);0<

1n terms o& the WTOs !rinci!le relating to tariD "ceiling*binding" (o. ), the

rugua' 3ound has been success&ul in increasing binding commitments b' both

de$elo!ed and de$elo!ing countries, as ma' be seen in the !ercentages o& tariDs

bound be&ore and a&ter the +-8H+--7 tal#s.;0-<

Ministerial con&erences

The World Trade Organization Ministerial Con&erence o& +--, in the 2alace o&

ations (6ene$a, itzerland).

The highest decision*ma#ing bod' o& the WTO is the Ministerial Con&erence, hich

usuall' meets e$er' to 'ears. 1t brings together all members o& the WTO, all o&

hich are countries or customs unions. The Ministerial Con&erence can ta#e

decisions on all matters under an' o& the multilateral trade agreements.

The inaugural ministerial con&erence (+--8) as held in inga!ore. =isagreements

beteen largel' de$elo!ed and de$elo!ing economies emerged during this

con&erence o$er &our issues initiated b' this con&erence, hich led to them being

collecti$el' re&erred to as the "inga!ore issues". The second ministerial con&erence

(+--) as held in 6ene$a in itzerland. The third con&erence (+---) in eattle,

Washington ended in &ailure, ith massi$e demonstrations and !olice and ational

6uard crod*control eDorts draing orldide attention. The &ourth ministerial

con&erence (0::+) as held in =oha in the 2ersian 6ul& nation o& Qatar. The =oha

=e$elo!ment 3ound as launched at the con&erence. The con&erence also a!!ro$ed

the Koining o& China, hich became the +7rd member to Koin. The I&th ministerialcon&erence (0::) as held in CancRn, MeAico, aiming at &orging agreement on the

=oha round. >n alliance o& 00 southern states, the 60: de$elo!ing nations (led b'

1ndia, China,;:< @razil, >E> led b' the 2hili!!ines), resisted demands &rom the

orth &or agreements on the so*called "inga!ore issues" and called &or an end to

agricultural subsidies ithin the E and the . The tal#s bro#e don ithout

!rogress. The siAth WTO ministerial con&erence (0::) as held in +H+ =ecember

0:: in 4ong ong. 1t as considered $ital i& the &our*'ear*old =oha =e$elo!ment


6/16

3ound negotiations ere to mo$e &orard su%cientl' to conclude the round in

0::8. 1n this meeting, countries agreed to !hase out all their agricultural eA!ort

subsidies b' the end o& 0:+, and terminate an' cotton eA!ort subsidies b' the end

o& 0::8. Further concessions to de$elo!ing countries included an agreement to

introduce dut'*&ree, tariD*&ree access &or goods &rom the Neast =e$elo!ed Countries,

&olloing the E$er'thing but >rms initiati$e o& the Euro!ean nion P but ith u! toS o& tariD lines eAem!ted. Other maKor issues ere le&t &or &urther negotiation to

be com!leted b' the end o& 0:+:.

The WTO 6eneral Council, on 08 Ma' 0::-, agreed to hold a se$enth WTO

ministerial con&erence session in 6ene$a &rom : o$ember* =ecember 0::-. >

statement b' chairman >mb. Mario Matus ac#noledged that the !rime !ur!ose

as to remed' a breach o& !rotocol re5uiring to*'earl' "regular" meetings, hich

had la!sed ith the =oha 3ound &ailure in 0::, and that the "scaled*don"

meeting ould not be a negotiating session, but "em!hasis ill be on trans!arenc'

and o!en discussion rather than on small grou! !rocesses and in&ormal negotiating

structures". The general theme &or discussion as "The WTO, the Multilateral Trading 'stem and the Current 6lobal Economic En$ironment";+<

=oha 3ound (=oha >genda)

Main articleG =oha =e$elo!ment 3ound

The =oha =e$elo!ment 3ound started in 0::+ is at an im!asse.

The WTO launched the current round o& negotiations, the =oha =e$elo!ment 3ound,

at the &ourth ministerial con&erence in =oha, Qatar in o$ember 0::+. This as to

be an ambitious eDort to ma#e globalization more inclusi$e and hel! the orlds

!oor, !articularl' b' slashing barriers and subsidies in &arming.;0< The initial

agenda com!rised both &urther trade liberalization and ne rule*ma#ing,

under!inned b' commitments to strengthen substantial assistance to de$elo!ing

countries.;<

The negotiations ha$e been highl' contentious. =isagreements still continue o$erse$eral #e' areas including agriculture subsidies, hich emerged as critical in ul'

0::8.;7< >ccording to a Euro!ean nion statement, "The 0:: Ministerial meeting

bro#e don o$er a disagreement beteen eA!orters o& agricultural bul#

commodities and countries ith large numbers o& subsistence &armers on the

!recise terms o& a s!ecial sa&eguard measure to !rotect &armers &rom surges in

im!orts.";< The !osition o& the Euro!ean Commission is that "The success&ul

conclusion o& the =oha negotiations ould conIrm the central role o& multilateral


7/16

liberalisation and rule*ma#ing. 1t ould conIrm the WTO as a !oer&ul shield

against !rotectionist bac#sliding.";< >n im!asse remains and, as o& >ugust 0:+,

agreement has not been reached, des!ite intense negotiations at se$eral ministerial

con&erences and at other sessions. On 0J March 0:+, the chairman o& agriculture

tal#s announced "a !ro!osal to loosen !rice su!!ort disci!lines &or de$elo!ing

countries !ublic stoc#s and domestic &ood aid." 4e addedG U...e are not 'et closeto agreementPin &act, the substanti$e discussion o& the !ro!osal is onl'

beginning.V;8<

$ t e

6>TT and WTO trade rounds;J<

ame tart =uration Countries ubKects co$ered >chie$ements

itzerland6ene$a>!ril +-7J J months 0 TariDs igning o& 6>TT, 7,:::tariD concessions aDecting B+: billion o& trade

France>nnec' >!ril +-7- months + TariDs Countries eAchanged

some ,::: tariD concessions

nited ingdomTor5ua' e!tember +-: months TariDs Countries

eAchanged some ,J:: tariD concessions, cutting the +-7 tariD le$els b' 0S

itzerland6ene$a 11 anuar' +-8 months 08 TariDs, admission

o& a!an B0. billion in tariD reductions

itzerland=illon e!tember +-8: ++ months 08 TariDs TariD concessionsorth B7.- billion o& orld trade

itzerlandenned' Ma' +-87 J months 80 TariDs, >nti*dum!ing

TariD concessions orth B7: billion o& orld trade

a!anTo#'o e!tember +-J J7 months +:0 TariDs, non*tariD measures,

"&rameor#" agreements TariD reductions orth more than B:: billion achie$ed

rugua'rugua' e!tember +-8 J months +0 TariDs, non*tariD

measures, rules, ser$ices, intellectual !ro!ert', dis!ute settlement, teAtiles,

agriculture, creation o& WTO, etc. The round led to the creation o& WTO, andeAtended the range o& trade negotiations, leading to maKor reductions in tariDs

(about 7:S) and agricultural subsidies, an agreement to allo &ull access &or

teAtiles and clothing &rom de$elo!ing countries, and an eAtension o& intellectual

!ro!ert' rights.

Qatar=oha o$ember 0::+ X +- TariDs, non*tariD measures,

agriculture, labor standards, en$ironment, com!etition, in$estment, trans!arenc',


8/16

!atents etc. The round has not 'et concluded. @ali 2ac#age signed on the Jth

=ecember 0:+.

Functions

>mong the $arious &unctions o& the WTO, these are regarded b' anal'sts as the

most im!ortantG

1t o$ersees the im!lementation, administration and o!eration o& the co$ered

agreements.;s globalization !roceeds in toda's societ', the necessit' o& an 1nternational

Organization to manage the trading s'stems has been o& $ital im!ortance. >s the

trade $olume increases, issues such as !rotectionism, trade barriers, subsidies,$iolation o& intellectual !ro!ert' arise due to the diDerences in the trading rules o&

e$er' nation. The World Trade Organization ser$es as the mediator beteen the

nations hen such !roblems arise. WTO could be re&erred to as the !roduct o&

globalization and also as one o& the most im!ortant organizations in toda's

globalized societ'.


9/16

The WTO is also a center o& economic research and anal'sisG regular assessments o&

the global trade !icture in its annual !ublications and research re!orts on s!eciIc

to!ics are !roduced b' the organization.;77< Finall', the WTO coo!erates closel'

ith the to other com!onents o& the @retton Woods s'stem, the 1MF and the World

@an#.;7:<

2rinci!les o& the trading s'stem

The WTO establishes a &rameor# &or trade !olicies/ it does not deIne or s!eci&'

outcomes. That is, it is concerned ith setting the rules o& the trade !olic' games.

;7< Fi$e !rinci!les are o& !articular im!ortance in understanding both the !re*+--7

6>TT and the WTOG

on*discrimination. 1t has to maKor com!onentsG the most &a$oured nation (MF)rule, and the national treatment !olic'. @oth are embedded in the main WTO rules

on goods, ser$ices, and intellectual !ro!ert', but their !recise sco!e and nature

diDer across these areas. The MF rule re5uires that a WTO member must a!!l' the

same conditions on all trade ith other WTO members, i.e. a WTO member has to

grant the most &a$orable conditions under hich it allos trade in a certain !roduct

t'!e to all other WTO members.;7< "6rant someone a s!ecial &a$our and 'ou ha$e

to do the same &or all other WTO members.";0-< ational treatment means that

im!orted goods should be treated no less &a$orabl' than domesticall' !roduced

goods (at least a&ter the &oreign goods ha$e entered the mar#et) and as

introduced to tac#le non*tariD barriers to trade (e.g. technical standards, securit'

standards et al. discriminating against im!orted goods).;7< 3eci!rocit'. 1t reLects

both a desire to limit the sco!e o& &ree*riding that ma' arise because o& the MF

rule, and a desire to obtain better access to &oreign mar#ets. > related !oint is that

&or a nation to negotiate, it is necessar' that the gain &rom doing so be greater than

the gain a$ailable &rom unilateral liberalization/ reci!rocal concessions intend to

ensure that such gains ill materialise.;78< @inding and en&orceable commitments.

The tariD commitments made b' WTO members in a multilateral trade negotiation

and on accession are enumerated in a schedule (list) o& concessions. These

schedules establish "ceiling bindings"G a countr' can change its bindings, but onl'

a&ter negotiating ith its trading !artners, hich could mean com!ensating them

&or loss o& trade. 1& satis&action is not obtained, the com!laining countr' ma' in$o#ethe WTO dis!ute settlement !rocedures.;0-


10/16

3e$ie Mechanism (T23M).;7J< The WTO s'stem tries also to im!ro$e !redictabilit'

and stabilit', discouraging the use o& 5uotas and other measures used to set limits

on 5uantities o& im!orts.;0-< a&et' $al$es. 1n s!eciIc circumstances, go$ernments

are able to restrict trade. The WTOs agreements !ermit members to ta#e measures

to !rotect not onl' the en$ironment but also !ublic health, animal health and !lant

health.;7<

There are three t'!es o& !ro$ision in this directionG

articles alloing &or the use o& trade measures to attain non*economic obKecti$es/

articles aimed at ensuring "&air com!etition"/ members must not use en$ironmental

!rotection measures as a means o& disguising !rotectionist !olicies.;7< !ro$isions

!ermitting inter$ention in trade &or economic reasons.;7J<

EAce!tions to the MF !rinci!le also allo &or !re&erential treatment o& de$elo!ing

countries, regional &ree trade areas and customs unions.;8


11/16

The Trade egotiations Committee (TC) is the committee that deals ith the

current trade tal#s round. The chair is WTOs director*general. >s o& une 0:+0 the

committee as tas#ed ith the =oha =e$elo!ment 3ound.;0<

The er$ice Council has three subsidiar' bodiesG Inancial ser$ices, domestic

regulations, 6>T rules and s!eciIc commitments.;7-< The council has se$eraldiDerent committees, or#ing grou!s, and or#ing !arties.;< There are

committees on the &olloingG Trade and En$ironment/ Trade and =e$elo!ment

(ubcommittee on Neast*=e$elo!ed Countries)/ 3egional Trade >greements/

@alance o& 2a'ments 3estrictions/ and @udget, Finance and >dministration. There

are or#ing !arties on the &olloingG >ccession. There are or#ing grou!s on the

&olloingG Trade, debt and Inance/ and Trade and technolog' trans&er.

=ecision*ma#ing

The WTO describes itsel& as "a rules*based, member*dri$en organization P alldecisions are made b' the member go$ernments, and the rules are the outcome o&

negotiations among members".;7< The WTO >greement &oresees $otes here

consensus cannot be reached, but the !ractice o& consensus dominates the !rocess

o& decision*ma#ing.;< 3ichard 4arold teinberg (0::0) argues that although the

WTOs consensus go$ernance model !ro$ides la*based initial bargaining, trading

rounds close through !oer*based bargaining &a$ouring Euro!e and the .., and

ma' not lead to 2areto im!ro$ement.;8<

=is!ute settlement

Main articleG =is!ute settlement in the WTO

The WTOs dis!ute*settlement s'stem "is the result o& the e$olution o& rules,

!rocedures and !ractices de$elo!ed o$er almost hal& a centur' under the 6>TT

+-7J".;J< 1n +--7, the WTO members agreed on the nderstanding on 3ules and

2rocedures 6o$erning the ettlement o& =is!utes (=) anneAed to the "Final >ct"

signed in Marra#esh in +--7.;< =is!ute settlement is regarded b' the WTO as the

central !illar o& the multilateral trading s'stem, and as a "uni5ue contribution to the

stabilit' o& the global econom'".;-< WTO members ha$e agreed that, i& the'

belie$e &ello*members are $iolating trade rules, the' ill use the multilateral

s'stem o& settling dis!utes instead o& ta#ing action unilaterall'.;8:<

The o!eration o& the WTO dis!ute settlement !rocess in$ol$es case*s!eciIc

!anels;8+< a!!ointed b' the =is!ute ettlement @od' (=@),;80< the >!!ellate

@od',;8< The =irector*6eneral and the WTO ecretariat,;87< arbitrators,;8< and

ad$isor' eA!erts.;88


12/16

The !riorit' is to settle dis!utes, !re&erabl' through a mutuall' agreed solution, and

!ro$ision has been made &or the !rocess to be conducted in an e%cient and timel'

manner so that "1& a case is adKudicated, it should normall' ta#e no more than one

'ear &or a !anel ruling and no more than +8 months i& the case is a!!ealed... 1& thecom!lainant deems the case urgent, consideration o& the case should ta#e e$en less

time.;8J< WTO member nations are obliged to acce!t the !rocess as eAclusi$e and

com!ulsor'.;8<

>ccession and membershi!

Main articleG World Trade Organization accession and membershi!

The !rocess o& becoming a WTO member is uni5ue to each a!!licant countr', and

the terms o& accession are de!endent u!on the countr's stage o& economicde$elo!ment and current trade regime.;8-< The !rocess ta#es about I$e 'ears, on

a$erage, but it can last longer i& the countr' is less than &ull' committed to the

!rocess or i& !olitical issues inter&ere. The shortest accession negotiation as that o&

the 'rg'z 3e!ublic, hile the longest as that o& 3ussia, hich, ha$ing Irst a!!lied

to Koin 6>TT in +--, as a!!ro$ed &or membershi! in =ecember 0:++ and became

a WTO member on 00 >ugust 0:+0.;J:< The second longest as that o& Yanuatu,

hose Wor#ing 2art' on the >ccession o& Yanuatu as established on ++ ul' +--.

>&ter a Inal meeting o& the Wor#ing 2art' in October 0::+, Yanuatu re5uested more

time to consider its accession terms. 1n 0::, it indicated its interest to resume and

conclude its WTO accession. The Wor#ing 2art' on the >ccession o& Yanuatu as

recon$ened in&ormall' on 7 >!ril 0:++ to discuss Yanuatus &uture WTO

membershi!. The re*con$ened Wor#ing 2art' com!leted its mandate on 0 Ma'

0:++. The 6eneral Council &ormall' a!!ro$ed the >ccession 2ac#age o& Yanuatu on

08 October 0:++. On 07 >ugust 0:+0, the WTO elcomed Yanuatu as its +Jth

member.;J+< >n oDer o& accession is onl' gi$en once consensus is reached among

interested !arties.;J0<

>ccession !rocess

WTO accession !rogressG

Members (including dual*re!resentation ith the Euro!ean nion)

=ra&t Wor#ing 2art' 3e!ort or Factual ummar' ado!ted

6oods andZor er$ices oDers submitted


13/16

Memorandum on Foreign Trade 3egime (FT3) submitted

Obser$er, negotiations to start later or no Memorandum on FT3 submitted

Frozen !rocedures or no negotiations in the last 'ears

o o%cial interaction ith the WTO

> countr' ishing to accede to the WTO submits an a!!lication to the 6eneral

Council, and has to describe all as!ects o& its trade and economic !olicies that ha$e

a bearing on WTO agreements.;J< The a!!lication is submitted to the WTO in a

memorandum hich is eAamined b' a or#ing !art' o!en to all interested WTO

Members.;J7<

>&ter all necessar' bac#ground in&ormation has been ac5uired, the or#ing !art'

&ocuses on issues o& discre!anc' beteen the WTO rules and the a!!licantsinternational and domestic trade !olicies and las. The or#ing !art' determines

the terms and conditions o& entr' into the WTO &or the a!!licant nation, and ma'

consider transitional !eriods to allo countries some leea' in com!l'ing ith the

WTO rules.;8-<

The Inal !hase o& accession in$ol$es bilateral negotiations beteen the a!!licant

nation and other or#ing !art' members regarding the concessions and

commitments on tariD le$els and mar#et access &or goods and ser$ices. The ne

members commitments are to a!!l' e5uall' to all WTO members under normalnon*discrimination rules, e$en though the' are negotiated bilaterall'.;J<

When the bilateral tal#s conclude, the or#ing !art' sends to the general council or

ministerial con&erence an accession !ac#age, hich includes a summar' o& all the

or#ing !art' meetings, the 2rotocol o& >ccession (a dra&t membershi! treat'), and

lists ("schedules") o& the member*to*bes commitments. Once the general council or

ministerial con&erence a!!ro$es o& the terms o& accession, the a!!licants

!arliament must rati&' the 2rotocol o& >ccession be&ore it can become a member.

;J< ome countries ma' ha$e &aced tougher and a much longer accession !rocess

due to challenges during negotiations ith other WTO members, such as Yietnam,

hose negotiations too# more than ++ 'ears be&ore it became o%cial member in

anuar' 0::J.;J8<

Members and obser$ers


14/16

The WTO has +80 members and 00 obser$er go$ernments.;JJ< aza#hstan is the

most recent member, ha$ing Koined on : o$ember, 0:+. >&ghanistan and Niberia

had their membershi!s a!!ro$ed in =ecember 0:+, and subKect to their ratiIcation

o& the agreement the' ill become members in 0:+8. 1n addition to states, the

Euro!ean nion is a member. WTO members do not ha$e to be &ull' inde!endent

states. 1nstead, the' must be a customs territor' ith &ull autonom' in the conducto& their eAternal commercial relations. Thus 4ong ong has been a member since

+-- (as "4ong ong, China" since +--J) !redating the 2eo!les 3e!ublic o& China,

hich Koined in 0::+ a&ter + 'ears o& negotiations. The 3e!ublic o& China (Taian)

acceded to the WTO in 0::0 as "e!arate Customs Territor' o& Taian, 2enghu,

inmen and Matsu" (Chinese Tai!ei) des!ite its dis!uted status.;J< The WTO

ecretariat omits the o%cial titles (such as Counselor, First ecretar', econd

ecretar' and Third ecretar') o& the members o& Chinese Tai!eis 2ermanent

Mission to the WTO, eAce!t &or the titles o& the 2ermanent 3e!resentati$e and the

=e!ut' 2ermanent 3e!resentati$e.;J-<

>s o& 0::J, WTO member states re!resented -8.7S o& global trade and -8.JS o&

global 6=2.;:< 1ran, &olloed b' >lgeria, are the economies ith the largest 6=2

and trade outside the WTO, using 0:: data.;+ number o& international intergo$ernmental organizations ha$e also

been granted obser$er status to WTO bodies.;< +7 member states ha$e no

o%cial a%liation ith the WTO.

>greements

Further in&ormationG rugua' 3ound

The WTO o$ersees about 8: diDerent agreements hich ha$e the status o&

international legal teAts. Member countries must sign and rati&' all WTO agreements

on accession.;7< > discussion o& some o& the most im!ortant agreements &ollos.

The >greement on >griculture came into eDect ith the establishment o& the WTO

at the beginning o& +--. The >o> has three central conce!ts, or "!illars"G domestic

su!!ort, mar#et access and eA!ort subsidies. The 6eneral >greement on Trade in

er$ices as created to eAtend the multilateral trading s'stem to ser$ice sector, inthe same a' as the 6eneral >greement on TariDs and Trade (6>TT) !ro$ided such

a s'stem &or merchandise trade. The agreement entered into &orce in anuar' +--.

The >greement on Trade*3elated >s!ects o& 1ntellectual 2ro!ert' 3ights sets don

minimum standards &or man' &orms o& intellectual !ro!ert' (12) regulation. 1t as

negotiated at the end o& the rugua' 3ound o& the 6eneral >greement on TariDs

and Trade (6>TT) in +--7.;


15/16

The >greement on the >!!lication o& anitar' and 2h'tosanitar' MeasuresPalso

#non as the 2 >greementPas negotiated during the rugua' 3ound o& 6>TT,

and entered into &orce ith the establishment o& the WTO at the beginning o& +--.

nder the 2 agreement, the WTO sets constraints on members !olicies relatingto &ood sa&et' (bacterial contaminants, !esticides, ins!ection and labelling) as ell

as animal and !lant health (im!orted !ests and diseases). The >greement on

Technical @arriers to Trade is an international treat' o& the World Trade Organization.

1t as negotiated during the rugua' 3ound o& the 6eneral >greement on TariDs

and Trade, and entered into &orce ith the establishment o& the WTO at the end o&

+--7. The obKect ensures that technical negotiations and standards, as ell as

testing and certiIcation !rocedures, do not create unnecessar' obstacles to trade".

;8< The >greement on Customs Yaluation, &ormall' #non as the >greement on

1m!lementation o& >rticle Y11 o& 6>TT, !rescribes methods o& customs $aluation that

Members are to &ollo. ChieL', it ado!ts the "transaction $alue" a!!roach.

1n =ecember 0:+, the biggest agreement ithin the WTO as signed and #non

as the @ali 2ac#age.;J<

O%ce o& director*general

The head5uarters o& the World Trade Organization in 6ene$a, itzerland.

The !rocedures &or the a!!ointment o& the WTO director*general ere !ublished in

anuar' 0::.;< >dditionall', there are &our de!ut' directors*general. >s o& +

October 0:+, under director*general 3oberto >ze$?do, the &our de!ut' directors*

general are [i \iaozhun o& China, arl*Ernst @rauner o& 6erman', [ono$ Frederic#

>gah o& igeria and =a$id har# o& the nited tates.;-<

Nist o& directors*general

ourceG O%cial ebsite;-:<

@razil 3oberto >ze$edo, 0:+H

France 2ascal Nam', 0::H0:+

Thailand u!achai 2anitch!a#di, 0::0H0::


16/16

e ]ealand Mi#e Moore, +---H0::0

1tal' 3enato 3uggiero, +--H+---

3e!ublic o& 1reland 2eter utherland, +--

(4eads o& the !recursor organization, 6>TT)G

3e!ublic o& 1reland 2eter utherland, +--H+--

itzerland >rthur =un#el, +-:H+--

itzerland Oli$ier Nong, +-8H+-:

nited ingdom Eric W'ndham White, +-7H+-8

Criticism o& the organization

Main articleG Criticism o& the World Trade Organization

ee also

>greement on Trade 3elated 1n$estment Measures (T31M) >greement on Trade*

3elated >s!ects o& 1ntellectual 2ro!ert' 3ights (T312) >ide*m^moire non*!a!er

>nti*globalization mo$ement Foreign >%liate Trade tatistics 6lobal administrati$e

la 6lobalit' 1n&ormation Technolog' >greement 1nternational Trade Centre Nabour

tandards in the World Trade Organisation Nist o& member states o& the World Trade

Organization orth >merican Free Trade >greement (>FT>) ubsid' iss Formula

Trade bloc Washington Consensus World Trade 3e!ort World Trade Organization

Ministerial Con&erence o& +--- !rotest acti$it'

Documents

World Trade Org