Trade monitoring
Selected trade developments and issues
In December 1996, at the first WTO Ministerial Conference held in Singapore, 23 economies signed the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). The objective of the ITA was to “encourage the continued technological development of the information technology industry on a world-wide basis” and to “achieve maximum freedom of world trade in IT products” by eliminating all duties on trade in these products. Lower barriers to trade should help to spread “the positive contribution of IT to global economic growth and welfare”.1 The ITA went into force in 1997, when the trade value of the participants exceeded 90 per cent of world trade in the covered products – the benchmark stipulated in the Agreement. Ten years on, the information and communication industry is seen as a major engine of the globalisation process, transforming both the developed and developing economies. The rapid development of the internet (1 billion users in 2005) and the global spread of cellular mobile telephony (2.1 billion subscribers in 2005) are two prominent examples of the increased role of IT in today’s global economy. The spread of IT technologies has created many new business opportunities, transformed many services sectors and challenged many old patterns of production and distribution.
Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade
The Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade, held at the WTO in June/July, highlighted how high trade costs are hampering developing countries’ ability to benefit from market access opportunities. The Review attracted over 1,500 participants and saw the launch of a new OECD-WTO co-publication outlining the impact of the Aid for Trade initiative.
Concluding Remarks by the Chairperson of The Trade Policy Review Body, H.E. Mr. Bozkurt Aran (Turkey) at The Trade Policy Review of Papua New Guinea 16 & amp; 18 November 2010
This second Trade Policy Review of Papua New Guinea has helped us improve our understanding of PNG’s recent achievements, particularly as regards its trade and trade-related policies, and the challenges faced. Our discussion has clearly benefited from the active participation of the PNG delegation, led by Ambassador Peter Maginde, as well as from the contribution of our discussant, Mr. Atsuyuki OIKE, Minister and Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan, and Members’ interventions. PNG’s prompt response to the questions was very much appreciated.
Cómo se organiza todo eso
El órgano supremo para la adopción de decisiones de la OMC es la Conferencia Ministerial, que normalmente se reúne cada dos años.
Introduction
This publication has been prepared under the direction of Robert Koopman, Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division, and the International Trade Statistics Section. The coordination of the report was undertaken by Christophe Degain and Florian Eberth. Statistical research, data compilation and the preparation of estimates were conducted by Barbara d’Andrea-Adrian, Shradha Bhatia, Lori Chang, Christophe Degain, Florian Eberth, Zineb Haj Nassar, Coleman Nee, Steen Wettstein, and Ying Yan.
Foreword by the WTO Director-General
When WTO members concluded their negotiations on the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in Bali in December 2013, they created the first multilateral agreement since the WTO was founded nearly two decades earlier. It demonstrated how global rule-making was functioning effectively to address impediments to today’s global commerce. As much as efforts to further liberalize trade policies, the streamlining, speeding up, and coordinating of trade processes are contributing to the expansion of world trade and helping developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) integrate into today’s global economy.