Trade monitoring
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.
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.
Overview
The global trading system is undergoing a period of transition. Shifting economic circumstances, major advances in technology and the emergence of new players on the global scene all underscore that we are on the cusp of big changes. Persistent imbalances, driven largely by macro-economic factors continue to be a cause for concern in some major economies. In such a climate of uncertainty the WTO’s Member governments face the challenge of strengthening the global trading system, rendering it more equitable and relevant for those who trade in the 21st century. That objective was re-affirmed at the WTO’s Sixth Ministerial Conference, in Hong Kong, at the end of 2005. It remains the goal that drives the work of the organization in its pursuit of a successful conclusion to the Doha Round.
Accords commerciaux régionaux
En 2009, 37 nouveaux accords commerciaux régionaux (incluant les accords de libre-échange bilatéraux et interrégionaux) ont été notifiés à l'OMC . C'est le nombre de notifications d'ACR le plus élevé en une seule année depuis la création de l'OMC en 1995. Sur les 457 ACR notifiés à l'OMC au 31 décembre 2009, 266 étaient en vigueur (voir la figure 8).
Conclusión
El presente informe ha puesto de manifiesto que es importante establecer una distinción entre las normas según su función. El marco teórico adoptado en el informe distingue las normas relativas a las externalidades de red, a la información imperfecta y a las externalidades negativas de la producción o del consumo.
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.
WTO Secretariat
The WTO Secretariat, with offices in Geneva, has 640 staff on the regular budget and is headed by Director-General Pascal Lamy. Since decisions are taken by WTO members, the Secretariat has no decision-making powers. Its main duties are to supply technical and professional support for the various councils and committees, to provide technical assistance for developing countries, to monitor and analyse developments in world trade, to provide information to the public and the media, and to organize the ministerial conferences. The Secretariat also provides some forms of legal assistance in the dispute settlement process and advises governments wishing to become members of the WTO.
Trade theory and natural resources
This section looks at key features of natural resources trade from a theoretical perspective. Does trade provide an efficient mechanism for ensuring access to natural resources? What is the impact of trade on finite or exhaustible resources, including under conditions of “open access” where there is a common ownership of – and access to – a natural resource? Is there a relationship between trade and its impact on the environment? Does trade reinforce or reduce problems associated with resource dominance in certain economies? And how does trade affect resource price volatility? These broad questions are addressed by surveying the relevant theoretical literature on the determinants and effects of trade in natural resources.
Trade in services
In 2009 the work in the Council for Trade in Services was reinvigorated by discussions of a number of services sectors and modes of supply, on the basis of new background notes produced by the WTO Secretariat. The notes are intended to capture the most relevant developments, from a trade perspective, that have occurred in key areas over the past decade. S even such papers were discussed in 2009, and another 13 will offer a basis for continued deliberations in 2010.
Trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS)
The TRIPS Council carried out its regular work on promoting transparency of WTO members’ intellectual property systems and reviewing WTO members’ implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. It 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. It considered various aspects of innovation policy, in particular the role of university technology partnerships and innovation incubators, and heard a number of case studies. The Council also continued its discussions on climate change and tobacco control policies.
Relations with non-governmental organizations
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) received regular updates on WTO activities in 2016, including briefings on trade negotiations and other issues. They participated actively in the Public Forum, the WTO’s main outreach event with NGOs.
A message from the Director-General
As we enter the final quarter of 2011, the world finds itself again in a situation of financial turmoil. The positive signs of growth in the first part of the year have been clouded by the sovereign debt crisis and ensuing currency turbulence which have brought us to the edge of a new crisis. Trade growth has also slowed down in the closing months of 2011.
Forward by the Director-General
In the last few months trade has contracted more than at any time since the 1930s, reflecting the dramatic global economic downturn provoked in the first instance by the collapse of major financial institutions. Trade growth will be strongly negative this year and we are unlikely to see sustained economic growth until 2010. This adversity is severely testing the policy ingenuity of governments across the globe, and in today’s interdependent world, their willingness to make common cause in addressing shared challenges. Effective international cooperation and open markets are as vital today as they have ever been.
Trade monitoring reports
Five comprehensive reports on global trade developments in 2010 were prepared by the WTO Secretariat on behalf of the Director-General. Three of these reports, covering trade and investment measures taken by the Group of 20 (G-20) economies, were prepared jointly with the Secretariats of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OE CD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The other two covered relevant measures taken by all WTO members and observers, and were discussed at TPR B meetings. The Director-General stressed at these meetings that the global crisis and the WTO’s trade-monitoring exercise underlined the importance of increased transparency for the smooth functioning of the multilateral trading system.
Las pymes en el comercio internacional: hechos estilizados
Toda empresa que se proponga expandir sus operaciones a otro país tiene que elegir una estrategia específica de entrada al mercado. Dado que el comercio es la forma más común de internacionalización en el caso de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes), en esta sección se analizan los datos estadísticos disponibles sobre la participación de las pymes en el comercio internacional, tanto en las economías desarrolladas como en desarrollo, y se examina en qué medida sus actividades influyen en los flujos comerciales tradicionales y en el comercio en el contexto de las cadenas de valor mundiales. El objetivo es ofrecer una descripción exacta y detallada del panorama comercial de las pymes, e identificar lagunas importantes en la cobertura de la información y los datos.
Informes de vigilancia del comercio
Los informes de vigilancia del comercio mostraban que en 2015 los Miembros de la OMC continuaron introduciendo medidas restrictivas del comercio al mismo ritmo que el año anterior. Habida cuenta de las constantes incertidumbres en la economía mundial, en los informes se hacía hincapié en la necesidad de que los Miembros actuaran con moderación en cuanto a la aplicación de nuevas medidas y suprimieran más medidas ya existentes a fin de reducir el número total acumulado de restricciones. En los informes también se pedía una mayor transparencia en la esfera de las medidas no arancelarias.
Asuntos presupuestarios, financieros y administrativos
El Comité de Asuntos Presupuestarios, Financieros y Administrativos examinó los informes sobre la situación financiera y presupuestaria de la OMC y siguió deliberando sobre el examen estratégico de la Organización, iniciado en 2013. En noviembre se estableció una Oficina de Supervisión Interna.