Trade monitoring
WTO Essay Award for Young Economists
The WTO Essay Award for Young Economists was shared in 2011 by a Brazilian and an American. Economists Rafael Dix-Carneiro, a Brazilian who is based in the United States, and Kyle Handley were chosen by the Academic Selection Panel for articles on trade and labour markets and on trade policy uncertainty. They share the prize money.
Preface
The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) was first established on a trial basis by the GATT CONTRACTING PARTIES in April 1989. The Mechanism became a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization under the Marrakesh Agreement which established the WTO in January 1995.
Streamlining South Africa’s export development efforts in sub-Saharan Africa: A Decision Support Model approach
Given its abundant natural resources and accelerating consumer-driven growth, sub-Saharan Africa has much to offer investors and traders. Yet the region remains weakly integrated into global and regional value chains, due to, among other things, geographical disadvantages, infrastructural shortcomings, high transport costs and difficult-to-access market intelligence – all of which add to the cost of trade. While not an insignificant player in international business and trade circles, South Africa is facing shrinking demand in its traditional export markets and has to plot a new economic course after decades of overreliance on commodity exports and value-added imports. This chapter looks at how a market selection tool, the Decision Support Model (DSM), can streamline the process of identifying export opportunities, particularly at an intra-regional level. Covering both products and services, and adaptable to different countries’ circumstances, the DSM simplifies market selection decisions by pinpointing both short- and longer-term business opportunities in high-potential sectors, while also exposing market access barriers that could become the focus of specific efficiency-enhancing interventions. In this way, the DSM can be a valuable aid to trade facilitation.
Report by the WTO Secretariat
Sierra Leone is a least developed country (LDC) with a relatively young population: 42.4% of its 7.1 million inhabitants are aged less than 15 years. The country is in a fragile post-conflict and post-ebola virus disease (EVD) situation. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy; its contribution to the GDP declined sharply in 2012 because of a boom in the mining sector, before bouncing back as minerals exports collapsed. Sierra Leone is rich in minerals such as gold, diamond, bauxite, rutile, and iron ore. The manufacturing sector is marginal and is limited to first-stage processing of local raw materials and to light industries. Like the other sectors of the economy, it is plagued by weak infrastructure, high production costs, unreliable supply of energy at high prices, and limited access to financing.
Observaciones Formuladas a Modo de Conclusión por la Presidenta Del Órgano de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales, Sra. Irene Young de Hong Kong, China en la Reunión de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales de México celebrada los días 5 y 7 de Abril de 2017
El presente examen de las políticas comerciales ha brindado a los Miembros la oportunidad de comprender mejor las políticas de comercio e inversión de México. Quisiera expresar mi agradecimiento a la delegación de México, encabezada por el Sr. Juan Carlos Baker, Subsecretario de Comercio Exterior de la Secretaría de Economía; al ponente, Excmo. Sr. Embajador Gustavo Vanerio, Representante Permanente del Uruguay ante la OMC; y a todos los Miembros que han participado en este ejercicio, por sus inestimables contribuciones.
Introduction
The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) was first established on a trial basis by the GATT contracting parties in April 1989. The Mechanism became a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization under the Marrakesh Agreement which established the WTO in January 1995.
Rapports de suivi du commerce
Les quatre rapports établis par le Secrétariat au nom du Directeur général ont montré que, malgré la crise financière et économique, les Membres de l'OMC ont généralement continué à résister aux pressions protectionnistes en 2011. Pourtant, ces pressions augmentent, de même que les risques pesant sur l'économie mondiale. Les perspectives du commerce mondial se sont assombries, et il est probable que les exportations mondiales augmenteront moins que prévu.
Actividades de solución de diferencias en 2010
En 2010, el OSD recibió 17 notificaciones de Miembros en las que se solicitaba formalmente la celebración de consultas en el marco del ESD, la primera etapa del procedimiento de solución de diferencias. Se reunió en 13 ocasiones a lo largo del año y estableció 6 grupos especiales para pronunciarse sobre 7 asuntos nuevos (normalmente, en los casos en los que se presentan 2 o más reclamaciones en relación con el mismo asunto, un único grupo especial se pronuncia sobre esas reclamaciones). Asimismo, el OSD adoptó 5 informes de grupos especiales y 2 del Órgano de Apelación relativos a 5 asuntos diferentes. En 2010 se notificó una solución mutuamente convenida.
L’Organe d’appel
L’année 2015 a été particulièrement chargée pour l’Organe d’appel, qui a présenté onze rapports dans sept affaires distinctes. À la fin de 2015, il avait distribué au total 138 rapports. Trois procédures d’arbitrage concernant le délai raisonnable pour la mise en oeuvre des recommandations et décisions de l’Organe de règlement des différends (ORD) ont été menées à bien en 2015. L’ORD a reconduit deux membres de l’Organe d’appel, Ujal Singh Bhatia (Inde) et Thomas Graham (États-Unis), pour un deuxième mandat de quatre ans.
Resumen
En la mayoría de los países, se consideran pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) las que emplean entre 10 y 250 personas. Se suele llamar microempresas a las empresas con no más de 10 empleados. Sin embargo, no hay una definición comúnmente aceptada de lo que es una microempresa o una pyme. Estas empresas, por naturaleza heterogéneas, pueden ser desde pequeños proveedores de servicios no comerciables hasta proveedores de productos digitales, artesanías de gran calidad o instrumentos sofisticados con perspectiva de negocio mundial desde sus inicios.
Introduction
These Trade Profiles combine information on trade flows and trade policy measures of Members, Observers and other selected economies. The information is retrieved from various WTO Divisions and external sources and presented in standardized format for quick reference.
Report by the WTO Secretariat
Belize is a small economy with the lowest population density in Central America (377,968 people in 2016 in a total land area of 22,966 km2). It is an upper-middleincome country with GDP per capita at US$4,757 in 2015. Given its limited domestic market, trade is particularly important for the economy (imports and exports combined amounted to 129% of GDP in 2015).