Trade monitoring
Joining the WTO
Liberia and Afghanistan became the 163rd and 164th members of the WTO in 2016. Members agreed to start WTO membership talks for the Federal Republic of Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and to welcome them as observers to the WTO. Comoros kicked off its accession negotiations, while the working parties for the accession of Belarus and Sudan have resumed after interruptions of 12 and 13 years, respectively.
Introducción
Los recursos naturales son fundamentales para la vida humana. Productos no renovables como el petróleo y el gas natural se transforman en energía, indispensable para la producción de prácticamente cualquier otro producto o servicio. Recursos renovables como los bosques, el pescado y los acuíferos, figuran entre los activos naturales más valiosos del mundo. Si se gestionan de forma adecuada, pueden proporcionar también un conjunto inacabable de productos que mejoran enormemente la calidad de la vida humana. Los recursos naturales representan una parte cada vez más importante del comercio mundial, y en 2008 supusieron alrededor del 24 por ciento del comercio total de mercancías. El volumen de este comercio se ha mantenido estable durante el último decenio, pero su valor ha crecido el 20 por ciento anual.
Dynamics of internationalization processes of SMEs
This section will discuss in detail the dynamics of SMEs’ internationalization processes, in particular the role of firm size in engaging in and pursuing internationalization, as well as the impact of internationalization on firms’ performance. As was explained in Section B, internationalization is often defined as how a firm conducts business activities in foreign countries through indirect exports, direct exports, international subcontracting (licensing or outsourcing) or investment.
Doha Development Agenda
At the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, WTO member governments 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 (DDA) or the Doha Round. The negotiations take place in the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) and its subsidiaries, which are usually regular councils and committees meeting in special session or specially created negotiating groups. The chairs of the nine negotiating bodies report to the TNC, chaired by the WTO Director-General, which coordinates their work.
Report by the State of Kuwait
Kuwait gained independence on June 19, 1961. Merely six months after, the country became the first developing country to establish a Fund to provide economic assistance to fellow developing countries.
Concluding remarks by the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body
The thirteenth Trade Policy Review of the European Union has offered us a good opportunity to deepen our understanding of the trade, economic, and investment policies of the EU which remains the biggest trader of goods and services in the world and one of the most important members of the WTO and the multilateral trading system. Well over 1,000 questions were submitted to the EU before the meeting from 38 Members and over 50 delegations intervened, which itself underlines the importance attached to the EU’s trade and investment policies and practices. Just as it was in the last Review in 2015, the EU remains of crucial significance to world trade; it is the second largest exporter and importer of goods, the largest trader of services and ranks first in both inbound and outbound investment.
Report by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
This is Saudi Arabia’s first Trade Policy Review; it covers the period 2005-11. Saudi Arabia is considered one of the recent acceded countries to the WTO and is an active member in the “recently-acceded members” (RAMs) Group. Saudi Arabia is participating in the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations and strongly supports all efforts made to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion as soon as possible.
Activités en matière de règlement des différends en 2014
Dans le domaine du règlement des différends, 2014 a été l’une des années les plus chargées depuis la création de l’OMC en 1995, avec 34 procédures en cours aux niveaux du groupe spécial de la mise en conformité et de l’arbitrage et 6 appels. Une procédure très attendue sur les prescriptions concernant l’emballage neutre du tabac a été engagée contre l’Australie. L’Organe de règlement des différends (ORD), qui s’est réuni 14 fois, a reçu 14 demandes de consultations – première étape du processus de règlement des différends – et a établi 13 groupes spéciaux.
Introduction
La croissance du commerce et de la production a repris au second semestre de 2009 après une contraction sans précédent au début de l’année. La reprise au premier trimestre de 2010 a été insuffisante pour permettre un retour aux niveaux d’avant la crise. L’OMC prévoit que la reprise se poursuivra en 2010 par rapport aux faibles niveaux de 2009, ce qui devrait inverser, mais en partie seulement, l’effet de la contraction des échanges. Un fait positif en 2009 a été l’absence de renforcement notable des obstacles au commerce imposés par les Membres de l’OMC en réponse à la crise, et ce malgré un fort taux de chômage dans de nombreux pays. C’est en partie grâce à l’OMC que l’on a évité un retour au protectionnisme qui avait tant aggravé la situation économique dans les années 1930.
Standards and Trade Development Facility
Since 2002 the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) has expanded both in terms of participation and funding. A number of organizations, including the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UN CTAD), as well as donors and developing countries, participate in the STDF. Funding has expanded from US $ 300,000 of seed finance from the World Bank and the WTO in 2003 to US$ 5 million in 2009, with 16 additional donors contributing to the trust fund since the ST DF’s creation.
Informe de México
Durante el periodo del Sexto Examen de las Políticas Comerciales de México, la economía mundial se ha caracterizado por un crecimiento muy limitado, con importantes impactos en las economías desarrolladas y una desaceleración significativa en los principales países emergentes. Estos desempeños se han enmarcado por factores que han generado gran incertidumbre, resultando en una baja considerable de los precios del petróleo1, una gran volatilidad de los mercados financieros globales y un periodo de bajo crecimiento en algunos de nuestros principales mercados de exportación.
The trade situation in 2007
Growth in world output and trade decelerated in 2007. Weaker demand in the developed economies reduced global economic growth to 3.4 per cent from 3.7 per cent, roughly the average rate recorded over the last decade. At some 7 per cent, growth in the developing regions was nearly three times the rate recorded in the developed regions and the contribution of the developing countries to global output growth in 2007 exceeded 40 per cent. Economic expansion in the least-developed countries fully matched the growth rate recorded by developing countries as a group in 2007, sustaining a pattern that has been maintained since 2000.