About the WTO

Entre los temas analizados por el Consejo de los ADPIC en 2011 en el marco de su examen periódico de las cuestiones relacionadas con la propiedad intelectual que afectan a los países Miembros de la OMC cabe citar el acceso a los medicamentos para los países más pobres, el fomento de la transparencia y las necesidades de asistencia de los países menos adelantados. El Consejo también examinó preocupaciones concretas planteadas por determinados países, como el proyecto de ley relativa al envasado genérico de productos del tabaco propuesto por Australia.

This volume is concerned with the legal instruments drawn up by WTO members in relation to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (the WTO Agreement) and the plurilateral trade agreements annexed to that Agreement. The Director-General of the WTO, in his capacity as depositary, informs the members of the signatures affixed, of the receipt of instruments of ratification, acceptance, accession, and withdrawal, of the entry into force of such instruments, and of the various notifications, communications, declarations and reservations received by him. The present volume represents a consolidated compilation of these data for each instrument.

L’Aide pour le commerce continue à mobiliser des ressources internationales. D’après les données les plus récentes dont on dispose, les engagements ont baissé de 14 % en 2011, à 41,5 milliards de dollars EU, mais ils se situent encore 57 % au-dessus de la période de référence 2002-2005. Il s’agit toujours d’engagements « additionnels », c’est-à-dire d’un nouveau financement et pas de fonds transférés d’autres programmes d’aide. Le thème du quatrième Examen global de l’Aide pour le commerce, qui s’est tenu en juillet, était « Se connecter aux chaînes de valeur ». En décembre, la Conférence ministérielle de l’OMC a renouvelé le mandat donné au Directeur général de mener des actions de soutien à l’Aide pour le commerce.

En 2011, el Comité de Comercio y Desarrollo (CCD) acordó varias formas de aplicación de las prescripciones sobre transparencia a los acuerdos comerciales preferenciales, en virtud de las cuales se recibieron tres notificaciones de nuevos acuerdos de ese tipo. Otras cuestiones que examinó el CCD y su Subcomité de Países Menos Adelantados (PMA) son las iniciativas de creación de capacidad, el acceso a los mercados para los PMA, la iniciativa de Ayuda para el Comercio y las actividades de asistencia técnica de la OMC.

El Marco Integrado mejorado (MIM) siguió creciendo en 2013. La participación de alto nivel y el interés en el MIM aumentaron, al igual que el número de proyectos activos en los países beneficiarios. Actualmente, 46 países reciben asistencia (en comparación con 40 países al final de 2011) para fortalecer sus instituciones comerciales y hacer frente a las dificultades relacionadas con el comercio. El MIM recibe fondos de donantes que, al 31 de diciembre de 2013, habían prometido contribuciones por valor de 251 millones de dólares EE.UU. y aportado unos 190 millones de dólares EE.UU. (frente a 178 millones de dólares EE.UU. en 2012).

En 2011, l'Organe de règlement des différends (ORD) a reçu huit notifications de Membres de l'OMC demandant formellement l'ouverture de consultations au titre du Mémorandum d'accord sur le règlement des différends (le Mémorandum d'accord), ce qui représente moins de la moitié du nombre de notifications reçues en 2010 (17). C'est le nombre le plus faible de l'histoire de l'OMC, après celui de 2005 (12 notifications). Malgré le faible volume d'activités nouvelles, le mécanisme de règlement des différends traite actuellement de nombreuses affaires. L'ORD a adopté huit rapports de groupes spéciaux et cinq rapports de l'Organe d'appel, y compris ceux qui concernent l'affaire la plus importante jamais traitée dans le cadre du système de règlement des différends, à savoir le différend concernant l'Union européenne et Airbus (voir ci-après).

On 1 January 2008 the multilateral trading system will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary. The World Trade Report 2007 marks the occasion with a retrospective look at what we have learned from those six decades of international trade cooperation. In asking this question, the report reviews a rich history of change and institutional adaptation. It attempts to identify both what lessons are to be drawn from past experience and the nature of challenges to come. This is an ambitious undertaking, and we have divided the Chapter into three main sections. The first major Section (Section B) begins with a very brief historical review of what the trade policy world looked like in the century and a half before the birth of the GATT. The rest of this Section takes a step back from events to consider what the theoretical literature might teach us about why nations choose to cooperate with one another in trade matters. This is an eclectic review that draws on perspectives from economics, political economy, political science and international relations literature, as well as legal analysis. We seek to show that despite differences in their methodological approach, these different conceptual frameworks display some interesting features in common. They also offer a variety of different insights about what might drive cooperation.

Le Directeur général Roberto Azevêdo a insisté sur la nécessité de combler les déficits persistants de financement du commerce pour les petites entreprises des pays en développement et il a rencontré les responsables d’institutions partenaires pour discuter de la manière d’aborder ce problème. Une nouvelle publication de l’OMC examine les moyens de combler ces déficits. Le Groupe d’experts sur le financement du commerce a continué d’évaluer les déficits de financement du commerce, en particulier dans les pays les plus pauvres.

In 2011, relations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were further developed through a variety of initiatives. These included the annual WTO Public Forum, which was considerably expanded, the launch of the WTO Youth Ambassador Programme and regular NGO briefings organized by the WTO Secretariat.

During the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, I worked at the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, where my main responsibilities included copyright law and policy. I participated in coordination of the Nordic countries (Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) in the capitals and represented the Nordic countries in the later stages of the TRIPS negotiations in Geneva. During the same period, I was also actively involved in WIPO’s work on copyright and the protection of layout-designs of integrated circuits, and also contributed to the intergovernmental work under various other international and European fora, such as the International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations (Rome Convention). Since January 1995, I have served at the WTO Secretariat, IP Division.

El sitio Web de la OMC sigue recibiendo más de 1,8 millones de visitas al mes. El número total de visitas a la página aumentó un 14% en 2013, hasta superar los 40 millones. La OMC atrajo a un número creciente de seguidores en sus páginas en las redes sociales, como Facebook, Twitter y YouTube. La OMC recibió más de 40.000 preguntas por correo electrónico en 2013 y recibió a más de 160 grupos de visitantes. Se elaboraron 57 publicaciones nuevas.

It can be informative to look back on the past and trace how one has come to the present stage. ‘Taking stock’ does not stem from any idle nostalgia, but may help in preparing for the future. Now, more than sixty-five years after the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was launched, some old experts are taking time to reflect on the development of this trade system and its outgrowth, the WTO, to look more particularly at the rule of law and the role played by lawyers since the beginning. The GATT and I were young together, and so my personal story is intertwined with the institutional history of the first global multilateral trading system in the world’s history. Indeed my first connection stems from three years as a staff member of the Secretariat beginning in 1956. Also, after joining what was then the European Community (EC) Commission in January 1959, I remained directly involved in GATT diplomacy, negotiation and conflict settlement until towards the end of the 1980s.

Les contributions au Fonds pour l'application des normes et le développement du commerce (FANDC) se sont élevées à 5,9 millions de dollars EU en 2011, contre 4,3 millions de dollars EU en 2010. Le FANDC s'est concentré sur la sensibilisation, la mobilisation de ressources et le renforcement de la collaboration sur l'identification et la diffusion des bonnes pratiques et sur le soutien et le financement de l'élaboration et de l'exécution de projets encourageant la conformité avec les prescriptions sanitaires et phytosanitaires (SPS) internationales. Il a adopté une nouvelle stratégie à moyen terme (2012-2016) et il a commencé à élaborer un nouvel outil pour aider les pays en développement à hiérarchiser leurs besoins en matière de renforcement des capacités SPS et à améliorer la prise de décisions.

The Second Global Review of Aid for Trade, which was held on 6 and 7 July 2009, highlighted substantial and measurable progress in implementing the Aid for Trade initiative. Since its inception, the initiative has succeeded in raising awareness of the needs of developing countries, in particular least-developed countries (LDCs), and the support they require to benefit from trade expansion and reduce poverty. Using the increasing resources provided by donors, the Aid for Trade programme has focused more recently on effective implementation of projects, especially at the regional level. The worsening global economic outlook during 2009 further increased the relevance of the Aid for T rade initiative for developing countries.

Reading this book has been like enjoying a long, amiable lunch with good friends and new acquaintances. Such is the sense of familiarity and comradeship one has when reading this collection, which is surely unique in the literature on the WTO in bringing together in one place the reflections and opinions of so many eminent staff members of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the WTO as well as Appellate Body members, both past and present. The chapters in this book are united by two features or characteristics: on the one hand, a relaxed, reflective tone that allows the individual voice of each contributor to shine through; on the other hand, a serious and sometimes probing examination of the changing role of law and lawyers in the multilateral trading system, and the place of the ‘rule of law’ in the ‘pragmatic’ GATT and the WTO. Despite these convergences, the personal nature of many of the book’s chapters makes it somewhat difficult, and indeed undesirable, to find any single conclusion or ‘takeaway’ point. Having appreciated the various perspectives contained in this book, which might be compared to a symphony that is united by a series of themes and motifs, I would do the contributors an injustice were I to try to classify them under one overall message.

Le 3 décembre 2013, les Ministres des parties à l’Accord sur les marchés publics de l’OMC (AMP), réunis à Bali à l’occasion de la neuvième Conférence ministérielle, se sont félicités des progrès accomplis en vue de l’entrée en vigueur de l’AMP révisé. Après avoir été ratifié par dix parties, l’Accord est finalement entré en vigueur le 6 avril 2014.

La OMC nació el 1º de enero de 1995 y sucedió al Acuerdo General sobre Aranceles Aduaneros y Comercio (GATT), que había regulado el comercio mundial desde 1948. En los últimos 20 años, la OMC ha contribuido de manera notable al fortalecimiento y la estabilidad de la economía mundial, ayudando a impulsar el crecimiento del comercio, resolver numerosas diferencias comerciales y respaldar la integración de los países en desarrollo en el sistema de comercio.

En 2011, el Órgano de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales llevó a cabo 14 exámenes, correspondientes a los Miembros siguientes: Australia, Camboya, Canadá, Ecuador, Guinea, India, Jamaica, Japón, Mauritania, Nigeria, Paraguay, Tailandia, Unión Europea y Zimbabwe.

En dépit des turbulences sur les marchés mondiaux de capitaux, l’économie et le commerce mondial ont connu une expansion remarquable en 1997. La croissance aussi bien du PIB que des échanges a été plus élevée que pendant n’importe quelle autre année de la décennie. L’écart grandissant entre la croissance du commerce et celle de la production et la nouvelle progression de l’investissement étranger direct (IED) en 1997 sont le signe que les marchés nationaux ont continué à s’intégrer dans l’économie mondiale. Mais une intégration accrue signifie inévitablement que les troubles qui surviennent dans un pays ou dans une région peuvent avoir des répercussions ailleurs – un fait dont le monde a pris une conscience aiguë au cours des derniers mois, lorsque les crises financières et le ralentissement de la croissance en Asie ont commencé à retentir sur la situation économique dans d’autres régions. Ces événements soulignent la nécessité d’adopter des politiques prudentes et bien conduites, s’appuyant sur une coopération internationale appropriée. Parmi les facteurs qui sont importants pour réduire la contagion et éviter que l’économie mondiale ne soit entraînée dans une spirale descendante, il faut maintenir des marchés ouverts pour les échanges, rétablir la stabilité financière et mettre en place des cadres réglementaires appropriés dans le secteur financier.

In the interest of accuracy, this publication uses the historical names of GATT contracting parties as they were used at the time of each dispute, e.g. Ceylon, Czechoslovakia, Hong Kong, the Federal Republic of Germany, Yugoslavia or the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Likewise, this publication makes reference to EEC-6, EEC-9, EEC-10 or EEC-12 to reflect different stages of enlargement of the European Economic Communities. It also refers to individual EEC member States (e.g. France, Italy, etc.) for cases when these countries acted in their own capacity.

En 2015, la OMC cooperó con diversas organizaciones intergubernamentales. Con la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD), firmó una declaración destinada a fortalecer su colaboración. Con el Banco Mundial, coeditó un informe sobre la función del comercio en la eliminación de la pobreza, y, conjuntamente con la UNCTAD y la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE), siguió publicando informes sobre las medidas del G-20 en materia de comercio e inversión. El Director General, Roberto Azevêdo, viajó a Nueva York para asistir a la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, en la que se adoptaron los nuevos Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS).

In 2016, the Council for Trade in Goods addressed many trade concerns, including ten new ones, reflecting its growing role as a forum for airing concerns about measures, policies and practices considered potentially discriminatory or trade restricting. China and Pakistan presented a proposal for advancing the WTO work programme on e-commerce. The Council also considered several waiver requests.

Four comprehensive reports were presented by the Director-General on global trade developments, in January, April, July and November 2009. These were discussed at various meetings of the Trade Policy Review Body (TPR B). The reports showed that, despite the depth of the crisis and rising unemployment, WTO members had, by and large, resisted domestic protectionist pressures and kept markets open. Nor was there any significant instance of trade retaliation. Nevertheless, there were aspects of countries’ stimulus packages that threatened to distort trade, notably ‘buy national’ policies attached to some public spending programmes and the substantial help given by some governments to the banking and auto industries.

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) continued to help developing countries improve their capacity to implement sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards and to access wider markets. It supported the preparation and implementation of numerous new projects aimed at promoting compliance with international standards and facilitating market access. It also produced a user guide on how to prioritize SPS investments and published a series of case studies highlighting the results of recent projects.

La première édition de la « Journée des données » à l'OMC s'est tenue les 18 et 19 mai 2009. Cette initiative interorganisations avait pour objectif de sensibiliser davantage à l'utilisation et à l'interprétation des données statistiques relatives au commerce, de permettre aux utilisateurs de se familiariser avec leurs applications, d'appeler l'attention sur les besoins persistants en matière de données et de promouvoir la cohérence et la coopération entre les organisations internationales qui gèrent des données.

As the Legal Affairs Division (LAD) passes its thirtieth anniversary and following the accounts of many of its staff as well as practitioners and scholars who have contributed recollections of their three decades of experience, it seems appropriate to complement this with a personal view with regards to its future evolution.

The relationship between trade and sustainable development is complex and challenging. In this chapter, I shall focus on one component of that challenge: the relationship between trade and environment. I shall argue that, contrary to general opinion, the environment has made significant progress in the World Trade Organization (WTO). This arises not so much from the progress in environmentally-related negotiations nor from the regular work of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), but from the work of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) and, in particular, the Appellate Body. While this has led to charges of ‘judicial activism’ on the part of the Appellate Body, I argue that the Appellate Body is simply fulfilling its mandate to clarify and interpret WTO law and to fill gaps left by negotiators.

The year 2018 marked the 70th anniversary of the provisional application of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT 1947). Although it was intended to be applied on a provisional basis, the GATT 1947 governed international trade for almost half a century. Its principles, rules and procedures evolved over this period to respond to the changing needs and challenges of GATT contracting parties, providing the basis for today’s strengthened international trade rules under the GATT’s successor, the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The principal lesson from the failure of the talks at the Seattle Ministerial in November 1999 was that ministers could not possibly negotiate on the broad agenda, covering many sensitive topics, that was now before the WTO (and would continue until Cancún) without detailed preparation at the WTO in Geneva. This advance preparation would need to clarify the extent of the commitments that might be required when the negotiations were concluded. The various distractions and disagreements which arose during the preparatory period for the Ministerial Conference had hindered this process of preparation to the extent that ministers did not feel confident about launching negotiations.

El Acuerdo sobre Contratación Pública (ACP) revisado de la OMC entró en vigor el 6 de abril de 2014, después de que dos tercios de sus Partes hubieran aceptado el Protocolo por el que se modifica el Acuerdo (véase la página 87). Posteriormente, dos Partes más depositaron sus instrumentos de aceptación. Se prevé que el Acuerdo revisado represente una ampliación de los compromisos de las Partes en materia de acceso alos mercados por un valor de entre 80.000 y 100.000 millones de dólares EE.UU.

The decades (1947–1994) in which the GATT organized the development of global trade in merchandise demonstrated that the concept could work and achieve results, while developing new methods to avoid or resolve trade disputes. The challenge that Members faced in the creation of the WTO was to build on the successes of the GATT system while overcoming its limitations.

In 2016, the WTO General Council oversaw the implementation of decisions taken at the Bali and Nairobi ministerial conferences as well as progress in trade negotiations work, based on reports of the Director-General. It also reviewed progress in the work programme on electronic commerce. In December, the General Council approved the establishment of two new working parties for the accessions of Somalia and Timor-Leste. The General Council decided that the 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2017.

El 1º de enero de 2008, el sistema multilateral de comercio celebrará su sexagésimo aniversario. El Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial de 2007 marca la ocasión con una mirada retrospectiva a lo que se ha aprendido en esos seis decenios de cooperación comercial internacional. En él se tratan de identificar tanto las lecciones que han de extraerse de la experiencia pasada como la naturaleza de los retos venideros. Para abordar esas cuestiones, el Informe adopta un criterio ecléctico, basado en las publicaciones económicas y la historia económica, las relaciones internacionales o determinados enfoques jurídicos. El Informe tiene por objeto explorar las lecciones que se derivan de la rica historia de cambios y adaptaciones institucionales del sistema multilateral.

In 2009 the Information and External Relations Division continued to have regular contact with journalists, in Geneva and around the world, and hosted nearly 160 information briefings at the WTO involving almost 4,800 participants.

En 2010, la Oficina de Auditoría Interna (OAI) publicó dos informes, uno sobre las actividades salariales relacionadas con la integridad de la información, los controles existentes y los mecanismos de rendición de cuentas, y otro sobre las actividades de apoyo administrativo y logístico del Instituto de Formación y Cooperación Técnica (IFCT).

The World Trade Report 2007 was prepared under the general direction of Deputy Director-General Alejandro Jara. Patrick Low, Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division, led the team responsible for writing the Report. The principal authors of the Report were Marc Bacchetta, K. Michael Finger, Matthias Helble, Marion Jansen, Alexander Keck, Mark Koulen, Pete Pedersen, Roberta Piermartini, Simon Schropp and Robert Teh. Trade statistics information was provided by the Statistics Group of the Economic Research and Statistics Division, coordinated by Hubert Escaith, Julia de Verteuil, Andreas Maurer and Jürgen Richtering. Karen McCusker contributed a subsection on restrictions to safeguard the balance of payments in developing countries.

En 2016, el Comité de Comercio y Medio Ambiente (CCMA) examinó una amplia gama de cuestiones ambientales relacionadas con el comercio, entre ellas, el cambio climático, la reforma de las subvenciones a los combustibles fósiles, la gestión de los productos químicos y los desechos, el comercio de fauna y flora silvestres, la silvicultura y la pesca. También se facilitó al Comité información actualizada sobre la Base de Datos sobre Medio Ambiente (BDMA) de la OMC, las disposiciones ambientales de los acuerdos comerciales regionales (ACR) y las negociaciones relativas al Acuerdo sobre Bienes Ambientales.

Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial 2007 a été rédigé sous la supervision d’Alejandro Jara, Directeur général adjoint. Patrick Low, Directeur de la Division de la recherche économique et des statistiques, a dirigé l’équipe chargée de la rédaction. Les principaux auteurs du rapport sont Marc Bacchetta, K. Michael Finger, Matthias Helble, Marion Jansen, Alexander Keck, Mark Koulen, Pete Pedersen, Roberta Piermartini, Simon Schropp et Robert Teh. Les statistiques commerciales ont été fournies par les statisticiens de la Division de la recherche économique et des statistiques, dont les travaux ont été coordonnés par Hubert Escaith, Julia de Verteuil, Andreas Maurer et Jürgen Richtering. Karen McCusker a rédigé le paragraphe traitant des restrictions destinées à protéger l’équilibre de la balance des paiements dans les pays en développement.

Plus de 3 000 visiteurs ont participé à la cinquième Journée portes ouvertes de l’OMC le 14 juin. Organisée sur le thème « Merci Genève » dans le cadre des activités marquant le 20e anniversaire de l’OMC, cette journée a été l’occasion pour l’OMC de remercier la population genevoise d’accueillir l’Organisation depuis sa création en 1995.

El presente informe anual es un puente tendido hacia una nueva serie que se basará en años civiles. En este capítulo se exponen las principales actividades llevadas a cabo por la OMC desde el 1o de agosto hasta el 31 de diciembre de 1999.