Trade monitoring
Cooperation with academic institutions
In 2012, cooperation with academic institutions focused on three main activities: The mid-term review of the WTO Chairs Programme (WCP), the annual meeting of the stakeholders of the WCP and the sponsoring of projects by universities not covered by the WCP. Fifty-four activities were carried out in support of academic institutions from developing and least-developed countries, including lectures, sponsoring of academic projects, regional and national seminars, attendance at academic conferences, study visits to the WTO and the donation of WTO publications to universities.
Resumen
el Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2009 se centra principalmente en ciertas medidas de contingencia a que pueden recurrir los Miembros de la OMC en el ámbito de la importación y exportación de mercancías. El marco jurídico de estas medidas está mucho menos desarrollado en el caso del comercio de servicios, aunque este asunto también se analiza.
Budget, finances et administration
En 2010, le Comité du budget, des finances et de l'administration a révisé le budget pour la période biennale 2010–2011 et a examiné les questions relatives au projet de construction, à la diversité du personnel et aux plans de paiements pour les Membres ayant des arriérés de contributions importants.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements are due to the International Monetary Fund, the International Trade Centre, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Statistics Division, the World Bank and the World Intellectual Property Organization. The assistance of all these organizations in supplying statistics as well as other information has greatly facilitated the work of the WTO Secretariat.
Trade negotiations and discussions
Changes to the rules of trade require the agreement of WTO members, who must reach a decision through negotiations.
Foreword by the WTO Director-General
Imagine if a government proposed that its poor citizens pay more than its rich citizens for food, clothing and other essentials. Such a proposal would be met with universal outrage. But the fact is that poor countries are in effect paying nearly twice as much as rich countries to bring goods to their markets.
Actividades de investigación económica
En 2011, la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística de la OMC organizó 61 actividades, muchas de ellas en colaboración con otras instituciones. Cabe mencionar la presentación del Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2011, la presentación de una publicación conjunta con la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) y una serie de seminarios celebrados en el marco del programa de talleres sobre comercio y desarrollo de Ginebra.
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.
Conclusions
Malgré la disparition des obstacles traditionnels au commerce, tels que les droits de douane, et bien que les innovations dans les domaines des transports et des technologies de la communication aient réduit les distances entre les pays, les coûts du commerce restent élevés, en particulier dans les pays en développement, ce qui isole ces pays des marchés mondiaux et limite leurs possibilités commerciales tout en freinant leur croissance. Ces coûts élevés semblent aussi affecter de manière disproportionnée les petites et moyennes entreprises (PME), les produits sensibles au temps et les produits fabriqués dans les chaînes de valeur mondiales. Ils sont dus en grande partie à la pesanteur des procédures commerciales qui ralentissent le mouvement, la mainlevée et le dédouanement des marchandises.
Dispute settlement activity in 2020
WTO members bring disputes to the WTO if they think their rights under trade agreements are being infringed. Settling disputes is the responsibility of the Dispute Settlement Body.
Relations avec les organisations non gouvernementales
En 2009, les relations avec les organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) se sont encore développées grâce à diverses activités, comme le Forum public annuel de l'OMC, les séances d'information régulières organisées à l'intention des ONG par le Secrétariat de l'OMC, les activités des ONG durant la septième Conférence ministérielle et la poursuite du projet pilote de 2008 accordant aux ONG locales un accès permanent au bâtiment de l'OMC.
Report by the WTO Secretariat
The social structure of the Ecuadorian economy underwent considerable changes during the period under review (2011-2018). In particular, there was a notable decline in the oil sector’s share of GDP, which decreased from 13.2% in 2011 to barely 4.8% in 2017. At the same time, there was a growth in the share of services in GDP, driven above all by construction, trade and education, and health and social services. The fastest growing sector during the review period was aquaculture and shrimp fishing. The negative effects of the balanceof- payments crisis caused several sectors and branches of economic activity to contract in 2015 and 2016, and led to the adoption of safeguard measures and a cut in spending. The economic contraction triggered by the crisis had an impact on oil operations and repercussions in most industries.
Concluding remarks by the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body, H.E. Mr Bozkurt Aran at the Trade Policy Review of Guinea 28 and 30 September 2011
This joint review of Guinea and Mauritania has allowed us to better understand their recent trade developments, and the challenges they face. Our discussions have benefited from the participation of the Honourable Mr Mohamed Dorval Doumbouya (Minister of Commerce), head of the delegation of Guinea; and H.E. Mr Cheikh Ahmed Ould Zahaf (Ambassador), head of the delegation of Mauritania. I am also grateful to H.E. Ambassador Omar Hilale for his valuable contribution as discussant, and to Members for their constructive engagement in this review.
Report by Belize
Belize’s economy remains rooted in the performance of the services sector and the resilience of the agro-productive sector, which contribute significantly to the country’s foreign exchange earnings. The focus remains on developing a strategic approach to trade policy and attainment of the Global Sustainable Development Goals, which have resulted in a National Trade Policy Framework (NTPF) and a Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy (GSDS). The Cabinet of Belize has also recently endorsed in principle the development of the National Investment Policy and Strategy (NIPS).