Acerca de la OMC

Two constants mark the theory and practice of discrimination in trade relations. The first is that it has always been controversial among economists, many of whom share the misgivings that Adam Smith (1776: 460) expressed when he compared preferential trading arrangements to “[t]he sneaking arts of underling tradesmen” who “make it a rule to employ chiefly their own customers.” In an anticipation of the argument that these arrangements are a second-best alternative to the first-best option of non-discriminatory liberalization, he declared “a great trader purchases his goods always where they are cheapest and best, without regard to any little interest of this kind.” Viner (1950: 44) elaborated upon that argument when he distinguished between the trade-diverting and trade-creating effects of customs unions, each of which originated in a discriminatory agreement’s twin effects of “shift[ing] sources of supply … either to lower- or higher-cost sources.”

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the key features of the provisions of Part III, Sections 1 to 5, of the TRIPS Agreement entitled ‘Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights’. This Part of the Agreement elaborates in 21 articles the enforcement procedures that members have to make available to permit prompt and effective action against infringements of IPRs covered by the TRIPS Agreement.

En 2015, la OMC celebró en Nairobi su Décima Conferencia Ministerial, la primera que tiene lugar en África. Los Ministros adoptaron varias decisiones sobre la agricultura, el algodón y las cuestiones relacionadas con los países menos adelantados, entre ellas la histórica decisión de eliminar las subvenciones a la exportación de productos agropecuarios.

I first came to Geneva and to the Secretariat of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1959, during a period of expansion for the Secretariat. Sweden had never before had an officer in the GATT Secretariat, and I was selected to take up a temporary position in the General Trade Policy Division. I joined the GATT Secretariat on a long-term basis on 15 May 1961.

The Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade, held at the WTO in June/July, highlighted how high trade costs are hampering developing countries’ ability to benefit from market access opportunities. The Review attracted over 1,500 participants and saw the launch of a new OECD-WTO co-publication outlining the impact of the Aid for Trade initiative.

Agriculture is important, but trade is distorted by subsidies and protectionism — hurting producers (and some consumers) who are not supported or protected. The 1994 agreement is a first step in the effort to reduce the distortion.

Contributions to the STD F reached US$ 4.3 million in 2010, from US$ 300,000 of seed finance from the World Bank and the WTO in 2003. There are now 19 donors to the trust fund and, in addition to the core partners, other organizations participating in the STD F include the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as well as donors and developing countries.

As noted in the preceding Chapter, several WTO agreements are relevant to health policy. Generally, the positive growth and income effects of more open and predictable trade regimes can provide the resources, as well as goods, services and information, for effective health systems. The WTO agreements explicitly allow governments, in pursuing national health and other policy objectives, to take measures to restrict trade in order to protect health. This is legitimate as a matter of principle. The emphasis in WTO rules is on how policies are pursued without questioning the underlying objective. For example, is a measure applied or enforced in a way that discriminates between trading partners or between imported products and products produced domestically? Are there ways of implementing policy that would be less restrictive on trade? Thus, it is the manner in which government pursue specific health policies in practice which might have trade-related implications, which are examined in this Chapter.

This chapter examines the operation and accomplishments of two understudied aspects of the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system – the consultation process and the implementation results. After a brief summary of the operation of the WTO dispute settlement system – focusing on consultations and the implementation process – it examines in detail the results of consultations and the record on implementation. As part of that examination, it looks at proposals on consultations and implementation that have been made over the years in the ongoing dispute settlement reform negotiations.

The Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) reviewed the trade policies and practices of 24 WTO members in 20 meetings in 2015. By the end of 2015, the TPRB had carried out 429 reviews involving 151 of the 162 WTO members.

Un renforcement de la production mondiale en 1999 a inversé la tendance à la baisse du commerce mondial au premier semestre de 1999 et a entraîné une forte expansion des échanges pendant le second semestre. Pour l’ensemble de l’année, la croissance réelle du commerce mondial est restée inchangée par rapport à l’année précédente et a été inférieure au taux moyen enregistré tout au long des années 90. Bien que la croissance du commerce soit demeurée plus rapide que celle de la production mondiale de produits de base et celle du PIB mondial, l’écart entre les taux de croissance est resté en 1999 inférieur à celui qui a été observé pendant la période 1990-1997.

When the ILO decided to move to its new headquarters, one important question was which works of art should move with it, and which should be left behind. There would be costs involved in moving the works and repairing any damage, and some of the works might not suit the new building.

The Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) reinforced the design and delivery of WTO technical assistance programmes and strengthened key aspects of these programmes. The WTO undertook 324 technical assistance activities in 2014, higher than the 279 in 2013 but below the 343 activities in 2012. Although the overall total of activities was down on two years ago, the number of participants benefiting from technical assistance continues to rise due to the growing use of e-learning, with an increasing focus on least-developed countries (LDCs) and Africa.

En 2014, l’OMC a coopéré 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 aussi publié, en collaboration avec la Conférence des Nations Unies sur le commerce et le développement (CNUCED) et l’OCDE, des rapports sur l’évolution du commerce et de l’investissement dans les pays du Groupe des 20 (G-20), composé des principaux pays développés et en développement.

El Director General de la OMC, Roberto Azevêdo, planteó la cuestión del acceso de los países en desarrollo a la financiación del comercio en un seminario del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comercio, Deuda y Finanzas que tuvo lugar en marzo, y de nuevo en la Tercera Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Financiación para el Desarrollo, celebrada en julio en Addis Abeba. Las empresas comerciales, en particular las de los países en desarrollo, encuentran cada vez más dificultades para acceder a la financiación del comercio. El Director General Azevêdo se comprometió a consultar con los asociados multilaterales y hacer propuestas concretas en el primer semestre de 2016. El Grupo de Trabajo prosiguió sus esfuerzos por mejorar la comprensión de la relación entre los tipos de cambio y el comercio.

En 2011, la OMC participó activamente en la Cuarta Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Países Menos Adelantados e intensificó su cooperación con varias organizaciones intergubernamentales, como las Naciones Unidas, la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE), la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), 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.

In 2015, the General Council made preparations for the Tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi and submitted recommendations for decisions. It oversaw progress in the Doha Round negotiations on the basis of reports from the Director-General in his capacity as Chair of the Trade Negotiations Committee. It also oversaw progress in implementing decisions taken at the Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali, based on regular reports by the General Council chair, Fernando de Mateo of Mexico. It heard the Director-General’s reports on the Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade and other matters, such as WTO accessions.

En enero de 2017 entró en vigor una enmienda del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC que facilita el acceso a medicamentos asequibles para los países en desarrollo. El Consejo de los ADPIC prosiguió su labor ordinaria de promoción de la transparencia de los sistemas de propiedad intelectual de los Miembros de la OMC y examinó la aplicación del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC. También examinó, entre otros temas, el acceso a los medicamentos, la biodiversidad, la patentabilidad de formas de vida y la cooperación técnica.

La Secretaría de la OMC, que tiene su sede en Ginebra (Suiza), cuenta con una plantilla de 634 funcionarios incluidos en el presupuesto ordinario y está encabezada por el Director General Roberto Azevêdo, que tomó posesión de su cargo por un período de cuatro años el 1º de septiembre de 2013. El 1º de octubre de 2013 iniciaron sus mandatos los cuatro Directores Generales Adjuntos: Yonov Frederick Agah de Nigeria, Karl Brauner de Alemania, David Shark de los Estados Unidos y Yi Xiaozhun de China (véase el gráfico 1). La Secretaría no tiene facultades decisorias, ya que son los Miembros los que adoptan todas las decisiones en la OMC.

En 2012 se adhirieron a la OMC cuatro países: Montenegro, Rusia, Samoa y Vanuatu. A principios de 2013, el número de Miembros se amplió a 159 tras la adhesión de Laos y Tayikistán (véase la página 10). Los Miembros de la OMC representan el 97 por ciento del comercio mundial.

En 2012, la Conférence parlementaire annuelle sur l’OMC, organisée par l’Union interparlementaire (UIP) 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 et internationaux.