About the WTO
Algunos hitos históricos
La OMC nació el 1º de enero de 1995, pero su sistema de comercio tiene ya medio siglo de existencia. Desde 1948, éste se rigió por las normas del Acuerdo General sobre Aranceles Aduaneros y Comercio (GATT). El GATT se centraba principalmente en el comercio de mercancías, pero la OMC y sus Acuerdos abarcan también el comercio de servicios, así como las invenciones, creaciones y dibujos y modelos que son objeto de transacciones comerciales (propiedad intelectual).
Programa de Doha para el Desarrollo
En la Cuarta Conferencia Ministerial, celebrada en Doha (Qatar) en noviembre de 2001, los gobiernos de los países Miembros de la OMC acordaron iniciar nuevas negociaciones comerciales. Convinieron asimismo en ocuparse de otras cuestiones, en particular la aplicación de los Acuerdos de la OMC existentes. El conjunto se denomina Programa de Doha para el Desarrollo (PDD) o Ronda de Doha. Las negociaciones tienen lugar en el Comité de Negociaciones Comerciales (CNC) y sus órganos subsidiarios, que suelen ser consejos y comités ordinarios que se reúnen en “sesión extraordinaria” o grupos de negociación especialmente creados al efecto. Los Presidentes de los nueve órganos de negociación rinden informe al CNC, presidido por el Director General de la OMC, que coordina sus trabajos.
Contacts avec le public
Le site Web de l’OMC a attiré un nombre croissant de visiteurs, et le nombre de pages consultées a augmenté de 5 % en 2014. L’OMC est de plus en plus suivie sur les réseaux sociaux, Facebook et Twitter, et le nombre d’abonnés à sa chaîne YouTube ne cesse d’augmenter. En moyenne, 222 000 vidéos sont vues chaque mois. L’OMC a accueilli 216 groupes de visiteurs. Elle a produit plus de 70 publications, notamment, pour la première fois, une application permettant de consulter sur tablette le Rapport sur le commerce mondial 2014.
Introduction
The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) entered into force with the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 1 January 1995. It aims to ensure that product requirements in regulations and standards (on safety, quality, health, etc.), as well as procedures for assessing product compliance with such requirements (testing, inspection, accreditation, etc.), are not unjustifiably discriminatory and/or do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade.
Budget, finances et administration
Le Secrétariat de l’OMC a régulièrement informé les Membres au sujet de l’examen organisationnel en cours à l’OMC. Le Comité du budget, des finances et de l’administration a présenté cinq rapports au Conseil général en 2014. Il a examiné les rapports sur la situation financière et budgétaire de l’Organisation, les arriérés de contributions des Membres et observateurs, le Régime des pensions de l’OMC et le financement du projet de bâtiment. Le Comité a examiné le rapport annuel sur la diversité au Secrétariat de l’OMC, le rapport annuel sur la structure de classes et les promotions et le rapport annuel du Bureau de l’audit interne.
Budget, finance and administration
In 2009 the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration recommended approval of the proposed budget for the biennium 2010–11 and discussed issues relating to the renovation of the WTO headquarters building and the construction of a new adjoining building.
Since WTO rules do not prevent environmental action, what do they say?
When it comes to the environment, the basic thrust of WTO rules is that environmental objectives should not be used as an excuse to protect domestic producers.
Technical cooperation and training
In 2010 the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) continued to put in place measures designed to improve further both content and delivery of WTO technical assistance and training programmes, reinforce its capacity to interact with beneficiaries in all regions and bolster its coordinating role for trade capacity building activities in its field of competence and responsibility. The ITTC ’s role is to help WTO members gain a better understanding of their rights and obligations within the multilateral trading system, and to strengthen countries’ institutional capacities to deal with the challenges emerging from it.
Patents
This chapter explains the provisions of Section 5 of Part II of the TRIPS Agreement entitled ‘Patents’. Section 5, which contains eight articles, from Article 27 to Article 34, sets out the obligations of members with respect to standards concerning the availability, scope and use of patents. Starting with a general explanation of terms, this chapter goes on to explain each specific provision in this Section of the TRIPS Agreement.
“Made in the World”
In 2012, the WTO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed a database on bilateral trade flows measured in value-added terms rather than the traditional customs value. The "Made in the World" Initiative and its implications for trade and development policies was also the subject of several international seminars. At its Puerto Vallarta meeting in March 2012, the G20 highlighted the importance of understanding the role of global value chains in international trade and their implications for the world economy.
Trade in goods
The WTO’s Council for Trade in Goods is increasingly becoming a forum for airing trade concerns and at the Council’s four meetings in 2013, members raised a range of such concerns, some of which are the subject of consultations under the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Understanding. The Council also approved a number of waiver requests, individual and collective, such as the extension of the waiver for the application of autonomous preferential treatment for Moldova and the on-going harmonization of tariff schedules.
Not in clinical isolation
The notion that some trade advocates might think WTO law should not be seen as a part of public international law had never occurred to me until one sunny day in the Swiss village of Grand-Saconnex in early 1996.
Appellate Body
Nine appeals of panel reports were filed with the Appellate Body in 2011, up from three in 2010, out of a total of 11 panel reports for which the 60-day deadline for adoption or appeal expired during the year. All nine appeals related to original panel proceedings. There were no appeals relating to compliance with earlier rulings and recommendations. In December, two new members were appointed to the Appellate Body.
Coopération avec d’autres organisations internationales
En 2012, l’OMC a participé à la Conférence Rio+20 et à la treizième session de la CNUCED. Elle a poursuivi sa coopération avec diverses organisations intergouvernementales, dont l’Organisation des Nations Unies, l’Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE), le Fonds monétaire international (FMI) et la Banque mondiale. L’OMC a publié des rapports sur l’évolution du commerce et de l’investissement dans les pays du Groupe des 20 (G-20), en collaboration avec la Conférence des Nations Unies sur le commerce et le développement (CNUCED) et l’OCDE.
Activités en matière de règlement des différends en 2009
En 2009, le nombre total de différends soumis à l'Organe de règlement des différends (ORD) depuis la création de l'OMC en 1995 a dépassé les 400. Au cours de l'année, l'ORD a reçu 14 notifications de Membres de l'OMC demandant formellement l'ouverture de consultations au titre du Mémorandum d'accord sur le règlement des différends (Mémorandum d'accord). Il s'est réuni 16 fois et a établi dix groupes spéciaux pour statuer sur 13 nouvelles affaires (lorsque plusieurs plaintes portent sur la même question, elles sont examinées par un seul groupe spécial).
Acuerdos comerciales regionales
En 2009, la OMC recibió 37 nuevas notificaciones sobre ACR (que incluyen acuerdos bilaterales e interregionales de libre comercio); se trata de la cifra más alta de notificaciones de ACR en un solo año desde el establecimiento de la OMC en 1995. De los 457 ACR notificados a la OMC al 31 de diciembre de 2009, estaban en vigor 266 (véase el gráfico 8).
Preface
At the heart of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is a set of rules that regulate trade between nations: a body of agreements which have been negotiated and signed by governments of most of the world’s trading nations, with the aim of promoting transparency, predictability and nondiscrimination in trading relations. These agreements, covering trade in goods, trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, help to define and inform the multiple roles of the WTO as an international, intergovernmental organization, in administering the provisions of these agreements, providing a forum for trade negotiations, handling trade disputes, monitoring national trade policies, providing technical assistance and capacity building for developing countries, and cooperating with other international organizations. Understanding these agreements and their practical, policy and legal contexts therefore provides significant insights into the WTO as an institution, its activities and international role, its partnerships with other organizations, and the way in which WTO member governments identify and pursue their national interests through this intergovernmental forum.