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. It helps developing countries build their trade capacity. Essentially, the WTO is a place where member governments try to sort out the trade problems they face with each other.
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.
The economics and political economy of international trade cooperation
The rise and decline of free trade in the 19th century and the attendant economic and political consequences of these trends have always intrigued historians and economists. In the difficult times following World War I, when international trade relations had to be rebuilt, the free trade episode among European countries in the second half of the 19th century was perceived as a golden age. During that latter period, widespread economic development, driven by industrialization and technological change, went together with trade expansion supported by a network of bilateral trade treaties. This network started with the Anglo-French (Cobden-Chevalier) treaty of 1860 and triggered a series of other treaties among European countries. Bilaterally agreed reciprocal tariff reductions, together with the application of the unconditional mostfavoured-nation (MFN) clause contained in the treaties, led to historically low tariff levels, in particular for agricultural products. This period of largely unfettered trade across Europe lasted for nearly two decades up to 1879, faltering gradually thereafter and collapsing with World War I.
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.