Overview

The year 2002 has been a very active one for the World Trade Organization. Intensive and substantial negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda, launched in November 2001, began in earnest. The WTO Secretariat has been supporting these negotiations, alongside its regular work in undertaking trade policies reviews, dispute settlement activities, accessions, and outreach to parliamentarians and civil society. The Secretariat has taken on a much more central role in providing technical assistance and capacity-building activities to its Members and ensuring policy coherence with other international agencies. Preparations also got underway for the WTO’s Fifth Ministerial Conference which will be held in Cancún, Mexico in September 2003.