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Jornada de los datos en la OMC
La primera “Jornada de los Datos” de la OMC tuvo lugar los días 18 y 19 de mayo de 2009. La finalidad de esta iniciativa interinstitucional es sensibilizar respecto de la importancia del uso y la interpretación de los datos estadísticos relacionados con el comercio, familiarizar a los usuarios con diversas aplicaciones de datos, destacar la constante necesidad de datos y promover la coherencia y la cooperación entre los organismos internacionales que gestionan datos.
Órgano de Apelación
En 2009 se presentaron ante el Órgano de Apelación tres apelaciones de informes de grupos especiales, de un total de cinco informes que podían haber sido objeto de apelación. Una de esas apelaciones estaba relacionada con procedimientos iniciales, y las dos restantes con procedimientos de grupos especiales incoados de conformidad con el párrafo 5 del artículo 21 (Vigilancia de la aplicación de las recomendaciones y resoluciones) del Entendimiento sobre Solución de Diferencias (ESD), relativos a casos en los que las partes discrepaban en cuanto a que la resolución del Grupo Especial inicial se hubiera aplicado adecuadamente.
Budget, finance and administration
In 2011, the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration reviewed the budget proposal for the biennium 2012-2013 for the WTO and International Trade Centre (ITC) and discussed issues relating to members in lengthy arrears on contributions, the WTO building project and human resources matters.
Foreword
The World Trade Report 2007 is the fifth in a series launched in 2002. This year’s Report marks sixty years of multilateralism in trade through the GATT/WTO. On 1 January 1948 the GATT came into being with 23 signatories. Six decades on, at the beginning of next year, we celebrate a WTO with over 150 Members. This is an institution that has changed and grown in fascinating ways, striving to meet the challenges posed by increasingly complex trade relations in a globalizing world. The GATT/WTO has evolved from its comparatively modest focus in the early years on reducing and binding tariffs on manufactured goods to encompass a deeper and wider set of disciplines across a range of policy areas. At the same time, over sixty years the system has brought together a growing number of nations at different levels of development, with varied policy priorities, in a cooperative endeavour to forge an international trade policy regime that promises mutual gain.
Programa de Doha para el Desarrollo
El éxito logrado en la Novena Conferencia Ministerial de la OMC en diciembre de 2013 dio un nuevo impulso a la labor en el marco del Programa de Doha para el Desarrollo en 2014.
Towards health and trade policy coherence
There is common ground between health and trade, and between the objectives of the WHO and the WTO. The WHO's objective is "the attainment of all peoples of the highest possible level of health", and WHO defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Good health is one important building block for sustainable economic development. With regard to trade, an underlying assumption is that a liberal international trade regime, subject to reasonably stable and predictable conditions, improves the climate for investment, production and employment creation, and therefore contributes to economic growth and development. Generally, the health status of a country is affected positively by such growth. This expectation is reflected in the opening words of the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization
Geographical indications
This chapter explains the provisions of Section 3 of Part II of the TRIPS Agreement entitled ‘Geographical Indications’. A geographical indication (GI) is defined in the TRIPS Agreement as an indication which identifies a good as originating in the territory of a member, or a regional locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin. Typical examples would be ‘Cognac’ for a brandy coming from that region of France and ‘Darjeeling’ for tea coming from that region of India.
Forging new agreements
The WTO’s agreements on goods, services and intellectual property mostly date back to the conclusion of the Uruguay Round in 1994. But since then, the WTO has also sought to forge new agreements. These have included the Information Technology Agreement, which has eliminated tariffs on a broad range of IT products, and new agreements on telecommunications and financial services that have led to significant growth in these sectors.
Comercio de mercancías
En cuatro reuniones celebradas en 2012 el Consejo del Comercio de Mercancías aprobó varias solicitudes de exención, individuales y colectivas, como la prórroga de la exención relativa al Sistema de Certificación del Proceso de Kimberley, la armonización en curso de las listas arancelarias y los derechos aplicados por la Unión Europea a determinadas mercancías procedentes del Pakistán. También examinó una serie de preocupaciones comerciales planteadas por los Miembros.
Enhanced Integrated Framework for LDCs
The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) for trade-related assistance to LDCs became effectively operational in 2009. By the end of the year, 47 LDCs were involved in the EI F process, and the EI F Trust Fund had risen to US $ 90 million. The breadth of support enjoyed by the EI F was manifest at the EI F Ministerial event hosted by the Director-General on the margins of the Seventh WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2009.
General introduction
This Note has been produced at the request of the Council for Trade in Services in the framework of the review of the Air Transport Annex which stipulates in paragraph 5 that “the Council for Trade in Services shall review periodically, and at least every five years, developments in the air transport sector and the operation of this Annex with a view to considering the possible further application of the Agreement in this sector”. The Secretariat has been asked by Council for Trade in Services to update document S/C/W/59, dated 5 November 1998 and document S/C/W/129, dated 15 October 1999.
Trade, debt and finance
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo raised the issue of developing countries’ access to trade finance at a seminar of the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance in March and again at the Third UN Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July. Trading companies, in particular from developing countries, find increasing difficulties in accessing trade finance. DG Azevêdo pledged to consult multilateral partners and make concrete proposals in the first half of 2016. The Working Group continued efforts to improve understanding of the links between exchange rates and trade.
Fonds pour l’application des normes et le développement du commerce
Le Fonds pour l’application des normes et le développement du commerce (STDF) a continué à aider les pays en développement à améliorer leur capacité d’appliquer les normes sanitaires et phytosanitaires (SPS) et d’accéder à des marchés plus vastes. Il a aidé à préparer et mettre en oeuvre de nombreux nouveaux projets visant à promouvoir le respect des normes internationales et à faciliter l’accès aux marchés. Il a également élaboré un guide indiquant comment établir l’ordre de priorité des investissements SPS et il a publié une série d’études de cas indiquant les résultats des projets récents.
Communication avec les parlementaires
Pour la première fois, en 2011, la Conférence parlementaire annuelle sur l'OMC, organisée par l'Union interparlementaire et le Parlement européen, s'est déroulée à l'OMC. Le Secrétariat de l'OMC a continué à distribuer sa lettre d'information périodique à un nombre croissant de parlementaires. L'OMC a également organisé deux ateliers régionaux à l'intention des parlementaires en coopération avec des partenaires régionaux.
Actividades de investigación económica
En 2015, la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística de la OMC organizó una amplia gama de actividades de proyección exterior, entre ellas la presentación de varias publicaciones importantes de la OMC, la celebración del cuarto taller anual sobre el comercio, que reunió a investigadores de la OMC, el Banco Mundial y el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI), y varios seminarios.
Activités de l'OMC
L’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) est le fondement juridique et institutionnel du système commercial multilatéral. Elle énonce les principales obligations contractuelles en fonction desquelles les gouvernements élaborent et mettent en oe uvre leurs législations et réglementations nationales relatives au commerce. Elle constitue aussi la plate-forme sur laquelle les relations commerciales entre les pays évoluent par le biais de négociations, de décisions et de débats collectifs.
Understanding the WTO
There are a number of ways of looking at the World Trade Organization. It is an organization for trade opening. It is a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements. It is a place for them to settle trade disputes. It operates a system of trade rules. It helps developing countries build their trade capacity. Essentially, the WTO is a place where member governments try to sort out the trade problems they face with each other.
Communication
En 2008, les contacts avec les organisations non gouvernementales, les parlementaires, d’autres organisations et le public se sont encore développés grâce à diverses activités, telles que le Forum public annuel de l’OMC, qui a attiré un nombre record de 1 334 personnes, en octobre. Plus de 150 séances d’information ont été organisées à l’OMC en 2008, avec quelque 4 700 participants.
Comercio, deuda y finanzas
En 2014, el Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comercio, Deuda y Finanzas celebró dos reuniones, en las que prosiguió sus esfuerzos por comprender mejor la relación entre los tipos de cambio y el comercio, en particular con miras a fortalecer la coherencia entre el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y la OMC. Los Miembros de la OMC instaron encarecidamente al Director General de la OMC a que siguiera llevando a cabo su labor de diagnóstico, promoción y liderazgo en colaboración con las instituciones asociadas. A petición de los Miembros se organizó un seminario de alto nivel en la OMC sobre las dificultades que se plantean en relación con el acceso a la financiación del comercio, que tuvo lugar en marzo 2015.
Conseil général
En 2016, le Conseil général de l’OMC a supervisé la mise en oeuvre des décisions prises aux Conférences ministérielles de Bali et de Nairobi et a suivi l’avancement des négociations commerciales sur la base des rapports du Directeur général. Il a également examiné les progrès accomplis dans le cadre du programme de travail sur le commerce électronique. En décembre, le Conseil général a approuvé l’établissement de deux nouveaux groupes de travail chargés des accessions de la Somalie et du Timor-Leste. Il a décidé que la onzième Conférence ministérielle se tiendrait à Buenos Aires (Argentine) en décembre 2017.
Ayuda para el comercio
Las corrientes de ayuda para el comercio a los países en desarrollo volvieron a incrementarse en 2012, último año para el que se dispone de cifras, y los compromisos aumentaron un 21%, tras haber disminuido un 14% el año anterior. África fue la región que más se benefició, aunque las corrientes globales a los países menos adelantados (PMA) disminuyeron. Los Miembros de la OMC debatieron sobre los preparativos del Quinto Examen Global de la Ayuda para el Comercio, “Reducir los costos del comercio con miras a un crecimiento inclusivo y sostenible”, que tendrá lugar del 30 de junio al 2 de julio de 2015.
Public Forum 2015
The 2015 Public Forum focused on how and why trade works, and for whom. Participants discussed the contribution of the WTO to the strength and stability of the world economy over the past 20 years. They looked at how the multilateral trading system boosts growth, lifts people out of poverty, increases access to goods and medicines and promotes beneficial relationships between nations. The Forum also examined areas where the WTO can do more to ensure that trade benefits all.
Communication avec les parlementaires
En 2013, la Conférence parlementaire annuelle sur l’OMC, organisée par l’Union interparlementaire (UIP) et le Parlement européen, s’est déroulée à Bali pendant la neuvième Conférence ministérielle de l’OMC. Le Secrétariat a continué à tenir les parlementaires informés des questions relatives à l’OMC. Il a organisé à Singapour un atelier régional à l’intention des parlementaires des pays asiatiques.
WTO Essay Award for Young Economists
The WTO Essay Award for Young Economists went in 2013 to German economist Felix Tintelnot for a paper on multinational firms’ location and production decisions. The selection panel gave a special mention to the work of Benjamin Faber, also a German national, on international trade, the price of quality and inequality.
WTO Secretariat
The Secretariat is headed by Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, who took office for four years on 1 September 2013. WTO members agreed to appoint Mr Azevêdo for a second term, starting in September 2017, following a selection process at the end of 2016. The four Deputy Directors-General began their terms on 1 October 2013. They are Yonov Frederick Agah of Nigeria, Karl Brauner of Germany, David Shark of the United States and Xiaozhun Yi of China. The number of WTO staff fell from 647 to 628 in 2016; a recruitment process is under way to fill the vacancies.
Trade in services
In 2012, the Council for Trade in Services continued to focus on issues surrounding information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly e-commerce and international mobile roaming. Transparency was another issue that figured prominently on the agenda, with members discussing how compliance with the notification process might be improved. Jamaica became the latest member to ratify the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) Fifth Protocol, covering trade in financial services.
Comercio de mercancías
En 2016, el Consejo del Comercio de Mercancías examinó numerosas preocupaciones comerciales, entre ellas 10 nuevas, lo que pone de manifiesto su función cada vez más importante como foro para plantear preocupaciones acerca de medidas, políticas y prácticas consideradas potencialmente discriminatorias o restrictivas del comercio. China y el Pakistán presentaron una propuesta para impulsar el Programa de Trabajo sobre el Comercio Electrónico de la OMC. El Consejo examinó también varias solicitudes de exención.
Exámenes de las políticas comerciales realizados en 2015
En 2015 la OMC realizó 20 exámenes de las políticas y prácticas comerciales de 24 Miembros. Las fechas de los exámenes y los países examinados figuran en el mapa. En el sitio Web de la OMC (www.wto.org/mepc_s) puede obtenerse más información, incluidas las observaciones del Presidente a modo de conclusión relativas a cada uno de los exámenes.
Commerce et développement
En 2011, le Comité du commerce et du développement (CCD) est convenu de plusieurs modalités pour mettre en oeuvre les prescriptions concernant la transparence des accords commerciaux préférentiels (ACPr), au titre desquelles trois notifications de nouveaux ACPr ont été reçues. Parmi les autres questions examinées par le CCD et son Sous-Comité des pays les moins avancés (PMA) figuraient le renforcement des capacités, l'accès aux marchés pour les PMA, l'initiative Aide pour le commerce et les activités d'assistance technique de l'OMC.
The evolving WTO dispute settlement system
The dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is generally regarded as a big success. Most commentators agree that the system has worked remarkably well in its first ten years.1 Many factors explain the system’s success. In this chapter, I focus on one factor that, in my view, helps explain this success: the WTO dispute settlement system’s ability to evolve. Indeed, the WTO dispute settlement system has not remained static. Rather, the system has been evolving as each case raises new issues and poses new challenges.
Trade monitoring reports
Trade monitoring reports revealed that trade-restrictive measures introduced by WTO members continued to rise. Given the continuing uncertainties in the global economy, the reports stressed the need for countries to show restraint in imposing new measures and to eliminate more of the existing measures.
Dispute settlement
Jean-Baptiste Say shared Adam Smith’s view that countries were justified in retaliating against trading partners that excluded them from their markets, hoping that taking this step – or threatening to do so – would induce the partner to lift the restrictions. But while Smith was willing to leave it up “to the skill of that insidious and crafty animal, vulgarly called a statesman or politician” to determine whether retaliation is warranted in any given case,1 Say was less enthusiastic about employing this option. He stressed both the costs that a country imposes upon itself when it retaliates and the disincentive that it might create to lifting those sanctions. In this respect, the dispute settlement system of the WTO might be said to reflect Say’s thinking more than Smith’s, for while it does ultimately rest on the prospect for retaliation, it is designed to make retaliation a last resort that members will employ only after exhausting all other options.
The WTO dispute settlement body
was asked by Gabrielle Marceau to contribute to this project because I have been working as Secretary (and previously Deputy Secretary) of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) since its establishment upon the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on 1 January 1995. As I will explain in more detail below, the DSB is the body where WTO members take decisions and express views on a wide range of dispute-related matters. It is a key institution of the WTO, which has been praised by the membership as well as by international trade scholars and practitioners. It is through the DSB that WTO members have implemented the ‘quasi-automatic’ elements of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism (DSM), which were designed to address the weakness of the DSM under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Moreover, it is through the DSB that WTO members have ensured that WTO dispute settlement is compulsory and that its results are binding. The DSB also serves as a forum where members express their views on systemic, substantive and procedural issues.
Commerce des marchandise
Aux réunions du Conseil du commerce des marchandises, les Membres de l’OMC ont abordé de nombreuses préoccupations commerciales concernant notamment des mesures jugées potentiellement discriminatoires ou restrictives pour le commerce. Certaines de ces préoccupations avaient déjà été soulevées dans le passé. Le Conseil a également examiné plusieurs demandes de dérogation et a pris note d’une liste complète et mise à jour des notifications présentées par les Membres au titre de l’Annexe 1A de l’Accord sur l’OMC. Le Gabon a annoncé la conclusion de la renégociation de ses engagements tarifaires.
Negociaciones comerciales
Los trabajos para concluir la ronda de negociaciones de Doha dieron un importante paso adelante en 2008. Tras la publicación de nuevos proyectos —o “modalidades”— para un acuerdo final sobre el comercio de productos agropecuarios y no agropecuarios, en julio tuvo lugar en Ginebra una reunión ministerial para tratar de llegar a un consenso sobre varias cuestiones. Aunque las conversaciones desembocaron en un punto muerto, hubo progresos en muchas esferas.
Aide pour le commerce
En 2010, les travaux du CCD sur l'Aide pour le commerce ont porté essentiellement sur la mise en oeuvre du programme de travail pour 2010–2011, qui fait intervenir de nombreux partenaires et organisations. L'OMC et l'Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE) ont par ailleurs commencé à préparer le troisième Examen global de l'Aide pour le commerce, prévu en juillet 2011.
Actividades de solución de diferencias en 2013
2013 fue un año de intensa actividad para la OMC en el ámbito de la solución de diferencias; los órganos decisorios examinaron 28 diferencias sobre cuestiones tales como la producción de energía verde o la prohibición de los productos derivados de las focas.
Commerce et développement
Le soutien au pays en développement est au coeur des activités de l’OMC. Les travaux dans ce domaine sont coordonnées en grande partie par le Comité du Commerce et du développement, qui a célébré sa centième session en 2016.
Outreach
The WTO maintains regular dialogue with the business community, non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians, other international organizations, the media and the general public to enhance cooperation and raise awareness of trade issues.