Trade monitoring
Message du Directeur général
Les responsables politiques ont besoin de statistiques fiables pour pouvoir fonder leurs analyses sur des données factuelles. Cela est vrai pour l'élaboration de la politique commerciale mais aussi pour les autres domaines des politiques publiques
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.
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.