Trade monitoring
La teoría del comercio y los recursos naturales
En la presente sección se examinan las características fundamentales del comercio de recursos naturales desde una perspectiva teórica. ¿Constituye el comercio un mecanismo eficiente para garantizar el acceso a los recursos naturales? ¿Qué efectos tiene el comercio en los recursos finitos o agotables, incluso en condiciones de “acceso libre”, en que los recursos naturales son de propiedad y acceso comunes? ¿Tiene el comercio efectos en el medio ambiente? ¿Agrava el comercio los problemas relacionados con la predominancia de los recursos en determinadas economías o los reduce? ¿Y de qué forma afecta el comercio a la volatilidad de los precios de los recursos? A estas preguntas generales se responde analizando las pertinentes publicaciones teóricas sobre los factores determinantes y los efectos del comercio de recursos naturales.
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.
Evolución de las políticas comerciales
En el siguiente capítulo se examina la evolución reciente de las políticas comerciales de los gobiernos. Se basa en las notificaciones presentadas por los Miembros de la OMC, los informes de vigilancia del comercio de la OMC, un panorama general de las tendencias con respecto a las nuevas medidas de política comercial aplicadas por los Miembros de la OMC y sus compromisos en el marco del Acuerdo sobre Facilitación del Comercio, que entró en vigor en febrero de 2017.
Specific notes for selected economies
Beginning with the 2002 report, EU data compiled according to national statistical practices have been replaced, starting 1993, with data compiled by Eurostat in accordance with EU legislation. The concepts and definitions adopted by the EU are in line with the United Nations’ International Trade Statistics, Concepts and Definitions, Series M, N° 52, Revision 2. As a result, the conceptual differences between EU member states’ data have been substantially reduced. Moreover, for the EU as a whole, Eurostat data are more timely than the previous source, thus reducing substantially the amount of estimation included in the EU aggregate.
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.
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”.
Concluding remarks by the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body, H.E. Mr. Manuel A.J. Teehankee of the Philippines at the Trade Policy Review of Costa Rica, 18 and 20 September 2019.
This fifth Trade Policy Review of Costa Rica has allowed us to deepen our understanding of Costa Rica’s trade and investment regime since its last review in 2013. I would like to thank H.E. Mr. Duayner Salas, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, as well as Ambassador Gloria Abraham, and the rest of the Costa Rican delegation, for their active and constructive participation. I would also like to thank Ambassador Mikael Anzén, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the WTO, for his remarks as discussant, which were instrumental in framing our discussions, as well as to the 33 delegations that took the floor during this meeting. Costa Rica has provided comprehensive written responses to almost all of the 350 advance written questions posed by Members.
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.
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.
Concluding Remarks by the Chairperson of The Trade Policy Review Body, H.E. Mr. Eduardo Muñoz Gómez at the Trade Policy Review of the East African Community 21 and 23 November 2012
This second joint Trade Policy Review of the East African Community (EAC) countries has allowed us to situate the five countries’ trade and trade-related policies and practices in their socio-economic context. We are grateful for the active participation of the delegations headed respectively by H.E. Mr. Pierre Claver NDAYIRAGIJE, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Burundi to the WTO; H.E. Dr. Tom MBOYA OKEYO, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the WTO; H.E. Mrs. Soline NYIRAHABMANA, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the WTO; H.E. Dr. William A. MGIMWA, Finance Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania; H.E. Mr. Peter KAGIMU KIWANUKA, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the WTO. I would also like to thank the discussant, H.E. Mr. Yi Xiaozhun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to the WTO, and Members of the TPRB for contributing to our fruitful exchange of views, as well as the EAC Secretariat for its assistance to its members during this review process.
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.
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.
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.
World trade developments in 2004 and prospects for 2005
The year 2004 witnessed strong economic growth across most major regions, providing a solid basis for vigorous global trade expansion. Trade and GDP were particularly buoyant in South and Central America and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), while North America, Asia and to a lesser extent Europe also recorded some acceleration in trade and output growth. A noteworthy feature in 2004 was that the two most populous countries in the world – China and India – recorded outstanding economic growth (9.5 per cent and 7.3 per cent respectively) and trade expansion for the second year in a row.
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.
A brief history
The WTO began life on 1 January 1995, succeeding the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade which had regulated world trade since 1948. Over the past 20 years, the WTO has made a major contribution to the strength and stability of the global economy, helping to boost trade growth, resolve numerous trade disputes and support the integration of developing countries into the trading system.
Trade negotiations: Government Procurement Agreement
On 3 December 2013, ministers of the parties to the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), meeting in Bali during the WTO’s Ninth Ministerial Conference, expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved towards bringing into force the revised GPA. Following ratification by 10 of the parties, the agreement finally came into force on 6 April 2014.
Report by the WTO Secretariat
The Gambia has maintained its generally open trade and investment regime since the last TPR in 2010. The main trade policy reform has been the adoption of the five-band ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) from 1 January 2017.
Report by Mozambique
The Government of the Republic of Mozambique is pleased to submit its Third Trade Policy Report to its fellow WTO Members.
Trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS)
The TRIPS Council carried out its regular work on promoting transparency and reviewing WTO members’ implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. It gave least-developed country (LDC) members another eight years to comply with the Agreement. The Council continued discussions on access to medicines for the poorest countries, biotechnology and technical cooperation, among other topics. The Council also exchanged information on, and debated, a number of issues raised by individual countries, such as innovation policies for small and medium-sized enterprises, climate change and, for the first time, sports.
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.
Developments in trade policy, 1998-99
Two years ago the “Asian financial crisis” erupted in Thailand, spread rapidly to other countries in the region, and affected general investor sentiment in those and other developing countries and transition economies, notably Russia in mid-1998 and later Brazil. Output and employment contracted sharply in the countries most directly affected, in turn adversely affecting trade of their partners and, together with steep commodity price declines, trade of many other developing countries. In the past, such events could have been invoked as a justification for raising import barriers, in an attempt to contain the domestic consequences and shift the burden onto trading partners, possibly provoking countermeasures, and thereby exacerbating the downturn. However, this very serious crisis unfolded in the framework of the WTO, the strengthened multilateral trading system created by the Uruguay Round Agreements. The system, and the good sense of governments, helped to keep markets open, facilitating adjustment and providing a critical element for recovery from the Asian crisis.
Report by the WTO Secretariat
During the review period, Japan’s economic performance remained sluggish in light of, among others, persistently low inflation and an aging and declining population. The series of natural disasters that hit the country in recent years further hampered the economy and put increased pressure on public finances. The authorities have responded with extensive policy measures with a view to boosting business and consumer confidence and consolidating public finances. The Government’s three-pillar strategy of monetary easing, fiscal stimulus, and structural reforms (in areas such as agriculture, energy, and healthcare) continues to be the main strategy framework for exiting deflation and revitalizing the country’s economy.
World trade in 2010: Introduction
World trade recorded its largest ever annual increase in 2010 as merchandise exports surged 14.5 per cent, buoyed by a 3.6 per cent recovery in global output as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) . Both trade and output grew faster in developing economies than in developed ones. Exports in volume terms (i.e. in real terms, accounting for changes in prices and exchange rates) were up 13 per cent in developed economies while the increase for developing economies was nearly 17 per cent. The difference between trade of developed and developing economies was even greater on the import side, where developed economies’ imports rose by 11 per cent compared with 18 per cent in the rest of the world.