About the WTO
The theory and practice of the multilateral trading system
The thought is the father to the deed, and the multilateral trading system could never have been built if it had not first been imagined. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is not the product of just one idea, however, or even one school of thought. It instead represents the confluence of, and sometimes the conflict between, three distinct areas of theory and practice. Law, economics and politics have each inspired and constrained the capacity of countries to work together for the creation and maintenance of a rules-based regime in which members with widely different levels of economic development and asymmetrical political power work together to reduce barriers to trade. It is therefore fitting to begin this history with a review of the intellectual prehistory of the WTO, as well as the contemporary debates surrounding each of these fields.
Introduction
On 19-21 September, the WTO hosted the 2011 Public Forum on “Seeking Answers to Global Trade Challenges” at its headquarters in Geneva. It provided an opportunity for relevant stakeholders to identify the principal challenges for the multilateral trading system and suggest solutions for the WTO to respond to our fast-changing world.
Cooperación con otras organizaciones internacionales
En 2013, la OMC cooperó con varias organizaciones intergubernamentales, como las Naciones Unidas, la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE), el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y el Banco Mundial. La OMC publicó, con la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD) y la OCDE, informes conjuntos sobre la evolución del comercio y la inversión en los países del G-20.
Negotiating for Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s overall approach to the TRIPS negotiations was made clear to the other participants from an early stage: Hong Kong held itself out as the exemplar of free trade, with a mature, respected legal system, providing comprehensive protection across the range of IP to right holders.
Foreword by the director-general
In 2011, the WTO Public Forum demonstrated, once again, its significance as a forum to deepen public dialogue on current global trade governance issues and challenges.
The first ten years of the wto
This book was commissioned by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a factual account of the first decade of its existence. It aims to cover the principal activities of the WTO as the successor to GATT and the steps taken to establish a global trading system.
Legal Counsel to the Administration
The WTO and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which preceded it are known for their strong tradition of pragmatism and results-oriented management. These are concepts that trade diplomats do not automatically associate with law and lawyers. As a matter of fact, there are few domains where lawyers have traditionally been less welcome than in the housekeeping of the WTO. This is why, in order to promote the rule of law in the management of the Secretariat, the Legal Adviser to the WTO Administration has had to avoid talking, acting and even thinking like a lawyer.
Comercio y medio ambiente
En 2013, el Comité de Comercio y Medio Ambiente recibió y examinó información sobre la evolución de distintos aspectos de la política ambiental, desde los sistemas de cálculo de la huella ambiental y de etiquetado, con inclusión de la huella de carbono, hasta las iniciativas de política en favor de una economía verde y los acuerdos multilaterales sobre el medio ambiente que contienen disposiciones relacionadas con el comercio. La Secretaría de la OMC publicó las Bases de Datos sobre Medio Ambiente de 2010 y 2011, y actualizó la “Matriz de las medidas relacionadas con el comercio adoptadas en el marco de determinados Acuerdos Multilaterales sobre el Medio Ambiente”.
Trade and development
In 2011, the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) agreed a number of ways to implement transparency requirements for preferential trade agreements (PTAs), under which three notifications of new PTAs were received. Other issues discussed by the CTD and its Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) included capacitybuilding initiatives, market access for LDCs, the Aid for Trade initiative and the WTO’s technical assistance activities.
Public Forum 2016
The 2016 Public Forum – the WTO’s major event for public engagement – focused on how trade can be made more inclusive so that the benefits of trade are spread more widely. Participants looked at how the WTO could help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gain better access to the global market, and shared ideas on the role of new technologies, digital innovation and e-commerce. The Forum also discussed how women can participate more fully in international trade and better reap the benefits of global trade. The WTO’s World Trade Report and three other publications were launched during the three-day meeting.
Secretaría y presupuesto
La Secretaría de la OMC cuenta con una plantilla de 627 funcionarios, que representan a 69 nacionalidades. Las obras de renovación y ampliación comenzaron a mediados de 2008, y se espera que concluyan antes del final de 2012. La OMC obtiene la mayoría de los ingresos para su presupuesto anual, que en 2008 ascendió a FS 189.257.600, de las contribuciones señaladas a sus 153 Miembros.
Appellate Body
Three appeals of panel reports were filed with the Appellate Body in 2009, out of a total of five reports that could have been appealed. One of these appeals related to original panel proceedings. Two appeals related to panel proceedings under Article 21.5 (Surveillance of Implementation of Recommendations and Rulings) of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU), involving cases where the parties disagreed whether the panel’s original ruling had been properly implemented.
Doha Development Agenda
At the WTO’s Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, WTO members agreed to launch a new round of trade negotiations. They also agreed to work on other issues, in particular the implementation of the current WTO agreements. The entire package is called the Doha Development Agenda. The negotiations take place in the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) and its subsidiaries, which are regular councils and committees meeting in special session or specially created negotiating bodies. The negotiating bodies report to the TNC, which supervises the overall conduct of their work.
Relaciones con las organizaciones no gubernamentales
En 2016, las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG) recibieron periódicamente información actualizada sobre las actividades de la OMC, incluida información sobre las negociaciones comerciales y otras cuestiones. Intervinieron activamente en el Foro Público, la principal actividad de proyección exterior en la que participan ONG.
Contact with the media
Some 350 journalists attended the Tenth Ministerial Conference, including 12 journalists from least-developed countries (LDCs) whose attendance was supported by the WTO. The WTO held several training activities for journalists, including seminars in Geneva, and WTO press officers participated in a number of national and regional outreach activities. The number of WTO press briefings and press conferences rose to 53, compared with 42 the previous year, reflecting media interest in the WTO’s 20th anniversary and the run-up to the Ministerial Conference in Nairobi.