Trade monitoring
Message du Directeur général de l’OMC, M. Pascal Lamy
Quand le commerce en était encore à ses débuts, les marins se fiaient à la fois à leur connaissance de la navigation, à leur courage et à leur instinct pour se frayer un passage à travers les eaux tumultueuses. Plus tard, la technologie a transformé la navigation autour du globe, mais la nécessité fondamentale de tenir le cap sur une mer déchaînée n’a pas changé.
Comercio y desarrollo
En la Conferencia Ministerial de Bali, los Ministros convinieron en establecer un Mecanismo de Vigilancia para analizar la aplicación de las disposiciones sobre trato especial y diferenciado para los países en desarrollo que figuran en los Acuerdos de la OMC.
Évolution de la politique commerciale
Depuis le dernier rapport annuel de l’OMC, la situation du commerce et, partant, les conditions d’élaboration de la politique commerciale, sont devenues beaucoup plus difficiles. Les effets de la crise financière et économique touchant les marchés émergents et de la récession économique au Japon sont loin d’avoir été pleinement surmontés et influent sur la répartition de la croissance économique mondiale, ainsi que sur les courants d’échanges et les marchés des produits de base (chapitreII). Toutefois, bien que l’on ait ici ou là fait marche arrière dans la libéralisation du commerce, le système commercial multilatéral – pour autant que le montre l’évolution des politiques commerciales – semblait, en septembre 1998, avoir assez bien résisté aux soubresauts des marchés financiers et commerciaux.
Labour market outcomes: Trends and analytical framework
This section aims to put the discussion of the labour market effects of trade and technology into perspective. A narrow focus on these effects may give the misleading impression that trade and/or technology are the main determinants of employment or wages. As explained in this section, however, levels of employment or unemployment and of wages are largely determined by how the labour market works. In other words, the effects of technology or trade on labour market outcomes depend, to a large extent, on institutional conditions in the labour market, concomitant economic changes and the diversification of employment opportunities when shocks occur.
Services trade in numbers
This section presents the importance of trade in services in the global economy by using an experimental dataset, developed by the WTO, called Trade in Services by Modes of Supply (TISMOS). This dataset captures services supplied through the four modes of supply categorized in the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); traditional services trade statistics cover only three of the GATS modes of supply. This section also discusses the participation of developing economies, including least-developed countries (LDCs), the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and the role of women in services trade. Finally, the section explores the content of services value-added in international global value chains.
Concluding Remarks by the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body, H.E. Mr. Yonov Frederick Agah at the Trade Policy Review of Switzerland and Liechtenstein 15 and 16 December 2008
The third joint Review of Switzerland and Liechtenstein has been informative, open, and thought-provoking. The delegation of Switzerland, led by Her Excellency Ambassador Ineichen-Fleisch, and the delegation of Liechtenstein, led by His Excellency Ambassador Frick, have been highly cooperative. We have greatly benefited from the perceptive remarks by our discussant, Mr. Faizel Ismail of South Africa, and the active involvement of many Members.
Foreword by the WTO Director-General
This year’s World Trade Report takes an in-depth fresh look at preferential trade. The choice of this topic reflects two significant trends in international trade relations, both of which carry far-reaching implications for the multilateral trading system. The first and most readily evident of these is the continuing growth and increasing prominence of preferential trade agreements (PTAs). In the last two decades, the number of PTAs has increased more than four-fold, to around 300 active agreements today. There is no reason to assume that PTAs will cease to grow in number or that they will not form part of the long-term tapestry of international trade relations. Secondly, the content of PTAs continues to evolve and deepen, reflecting important changes in the world economy. This too raises vital questions about the focus and reach of the WTO, and the value assigned by governments to globally-based trade relations.