Trade monitoring
Understanding the WTO
There are a number of ways of looking at the World Trade Organization. It is an organization for trade opening. It is a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements. It is a place for them to settle trade disputes. It operates a system of trade rules. Essentially, the WTO is a place where member governments try to sort out the trade problems they face with each other.
Composition of geographical and economic groupings
WTO members are frequently referred to as “countries”, although some members are not countries in the usual sense of the word but are officially “customs territories”. The definition of geographical and other groupings in this report does not imply an expression of opinion by the Secretariat concerning the status of any country or territory, the delimitation of its frontiers, nor the rights and obligations of any WTO member in respect of WTO agreements. The colours, boundaries, denominations, and classifications in the maps of this publication do not imply, on the part of the WTO, any judgement on the legal or other status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of any boundary.
Évolution du commerce mondial
Le ralentissement largement anticipé de la production et du commerce au niveau mondial aura en définitive été beaucoup plus accentué que la plupart des observateurs ne l’avaient prévu au début de l’année 2001. La production mondiale n’a crû que très faiblement et les échanges internationaux ont quelque peu diminué, ce qui a offert un contraste frappant avec l’année précédente, marqué par une croissance exceptionnelle des échanges comme de la production.
Introducción
En la economía mundial actual, cada vez más interconectada, no solo están cambiando el contenido y la forma del comercio, sino también los agentes de ese comercio. Las grandes empresas siguen dominando el comercio internacional, ya que tienen la masa crítica, el alcance institucional y las tecnologías que necesitan para acceder a los mercados extranjeros y suministrarles sus productos. Pero gracias a Internet, al surgimiento de nuevas plataformas comerciales y a la apertura creciente de la economía mundial, muchas pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) tienen ya el potencial necesario para convertirse también en comerciantes de éxito e importancia a nivel mundial. En el Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2016 se examina la participación de las pymes en el comercio internacional. En particular, se analiza cómo está cambiando para las pymes el panorama comercial internacional, en el que surgen nuevas oportunidades y se mantienen los antiguos desafíos, y qué hace el sistema multilateral de comercio para lograr la participación inclusiva de las empresas en los mercados mundiales.
Acknowledgements
The World Trade Report 2012 was prepared under the general direction of the WTO’s Deputy Director-General Alejandro Jara and supervised by Patrick Low, Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division. The writing of this year’s report was coordinated by Marc Bacchetta and Cosimo Beverelli. Work on individual sections was coordinated by Alexander Keck, Coleman Nee, Roberta Piermartini and Michele Ruta.
Agradecimientos
El Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2005 ha sido elaborado bajo la supervisión general del Director General Adjunto Dr. Kipkorir Aly Azad Rana. Patrick Low, Director de la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística, dirigió el equipo encargado de redactar el Informe. Los autores principales del Informe son Marc Bachetta, Bijit Bora, K. Michael Finger, Marion Jansen, Alexander Keck, Roberta Piermartini y Robert Teh. Hildegunn Kyvik Nordas, ex funcionaria de la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística, es coautora del ensayo sobre deslocalización. Mireille Cossy, de la División de Comercio de Servicios, también colaboró en ese ensayo. Robert Anderson, de la División de Propiedad Intelectual, y Pierre Latrille, de la División de Comercio de Servicios, son coautores del ensayo sobre servicios de transporte aéreo. Lee Ann Jackson, de la División de Agricultura y Productos Básicos, es coautora de las partes del Capítulo II relativas a las normas. Las estadísticas comerciales y la información arancelaria fueron facilitadas por el grupo de estadística de la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística, bajo la coordinación de Guy Karsenty, Julia de Verteuil, Andreas Maurer y Jürgen Richtering.
Conclusions
Although traditional trade barriers such as tariffs have come down, and innovations in transportation and communications technology have shrunk the distance between nations, trade costs remain high, particularly in developing countries. High trade costs isolate developing countries from world markets, limiting their trade opportunities and impeding growth. High trade costs also appear to disproportionately affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), timesensitive products and goods produced in global value chains. Trade procedures that are more cumbersome than necessary and delay the movement, release and clearance of goods constitute a significant part of these trade costs.
Coopération technique et formation
En 2010, l'Institut de formation et de coopération technique (IFCT) a continué à prendre des mesures pour améliorer encore le contenu et l'exécution des programmes d'assistance technique et de formation de l'OMC , renforcer sa capacité de communiquer avec les bénéficiaires de toutes les régions et accroître son rôle de coordonnateur des activités de renforcement des capacités commerciales dans son domaine de compétence et de responsabilité. L'IFCT a pour mission d'aider les Membres de l'OMC à mieux comprendre leurs droits et obligations dans le cadre du système commercial multilatéral et à renforcer leurs capacités institutionnelles pour faire face aux difficultés qui en découlent.
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.
Organization, secretariat and budget
The World Trade Organization came into being in 1995, as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which had been established (1947) in the wake of the Second World War. The WTO’s main objective is the establishment of rules for Members’ trade policy which help international trade to expand with a view to raising living standards. These rules foster non-discrimination, transparency and predictability in the conduct of trade policy.
Report by the WTO Secretariat
For over 30 years Thailand has pursued a policy of export-led development that has successfully turned the county into a major exporter of industrial goods and led to rapid economic growth, particularly in the 1990s. Growth slowed in the 2000s - due partly to lower investment growth and infrastructure bottlenecks - but still remained strong at an average of 5.7% between 2003 and 2006. Although the 2008 global financial crises led to a fall in GDP in 2009, growth picked up again in 2010 when it reached 7.8%. Between 2007 and 2010 GDP per capita rose from US$3,740 to US$4,737, and Thailand has been able to reduce poverty and meet its Millennium Development Goals, although significant income and regional disparities remain.
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.
Economic research activities
In 2011, the WTO’s Economic Research and Statistics Division (ERSD) organized 61 events, many in collaboration with other institutions. They included the launch of the World Trade Report 2011, the launch of a co-publication with the International Labour Organization (ILO), and a series of seminars in the Geneva Trade and Development Workshop programme.
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.
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.
Joining the WTO
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) and Tajikistan formally joined the WTO in 2013, raising WTO membership to 159. The Bali Ministerial Conference in December adopted the accession terms of Yemen and cleared the way for the country to join the WTO. The WTO provided further technical assistance to acceding governments, including a five-day seminar in Geneva. The China Programme, which aims to strengthen the participation of least-developed countries (LDCs) in the WTO, was extended for a further year.
Actividades de información al público
En 2011, la OMC siguió manteniendo contactos regulares con los periodistas en Ginebra y en el resto del mundo, y organizó 39 reuniones de información en Ginebra. Organizó también varias actividades de formación para periodistas y utilizó en mayor medida las redes sociales para transmitir noticias y anunciar actos. Durante 2011, el sitio Web de la OMC se modernizó para ofrecer una idea más clara de la labor de la Organización y facilitar a los visitantes el acceso a la información. La OMC también amplió su programa de publicaciones, en particular las publicaciones conjuntas con otras organizaciones internacionales.