WTO

Azevêdo says rise in trade restrictions “cause for concern”: Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, in introducing his annual report “Developments in the International Trading Environment” to the Trade Policy Review Body on 8 December, said that “the stock of trade restrictions introduced by WTO members since 2008 continues to rise”. He said that “in a climate of economic uncertainty the continued accumulation of trade-restrictive measures poses a clear risk”.

Los Perfiles arancelarios en el mundo 2017 ofrecen una información exhaustiva sobre las medidas arancelarias y no arancelarias impuestas por más de 170 países y territorios aduaneros.

Le Rapport annuel de l'OMC se concentre sur les activités régulières de l'organisation et détaille sa structure actuelle, incluant le personnel et le budget.

Le système de règlement des différends de l'OMC suit un calendrier détaillé pour l'examen des affaires portées devant elle. La première étape est l'examen de l'affaire par un groupe de trois membres du jury spécialement sélectionnés pour cette affaire. Leurs conclusions sont publiées dans un rapport auquel les membres concernés peuvent faire appel.

DDG Agah notes no acceleration of new restrictions, urges more trade transparency: Deputy Director-General Yonov Frederick Agah, in presenting the Director-General’s report on trade-related developments (mid-November 2013 to mid-May 2014) to the Trade Policy Review Body on 11 July 2014, said that “the pace at which new trade restrictions have been introduced has not accelerated during the period under review”. He urged members to provide more trade information for the monitoring reports: “I am convinced, and the Director-General’s recent meetings with business groups have confirmed this, that members must accept their collective responsibility for promoting the transparency and predictability which importers and exporters demand”.

The Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement aims to ensure that regulations, standards, testing and certification procedures followed by WTO members do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade. The WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade conducts an annual review of the implementation of the TBT Agreement. The information in this brochure is based on the 2020 review.

Trade Profiles provides a country-by-country breakdown of trade flows and trade policy measures for WTO members and countries seeking to join the WTO. With information provided in a standardized format for each country, this publication is an invaluable quick reference tool for anyone looking for essential trade statistics. The data provided for each country includes basic economic indicators (such as GDP), trade policy indicators (such as tariffs and import duties), merchandise trade flows (broken down by broad product categories and major origins and destinations), commercial trade flows (with a breakdown by major components) and industrial property indicators (such as annual number of patents granted). Presented in a handy format, with one page devoted to each country, Trade Profiles offers a concise overview of global trade.

World Tariff Profiles 2017 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. The data is presented in summary tables and in individual one page profiles for each economy. This is followed by a section on the use of nontariff measures, which are becoming increasingly important in international trade. The special topic for this edition is an article entitled “Export diversification”, which gives an analysis of export diversification indicators over time. The publication is jointly prepared by the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

“World Trade Statistical Review” looks into the latest trends in global trade, with in-depth analysis of what is being traded and who the key players are. It also reviews the latest developments in trade policy-making in areas such as trade facilitation and trade-restrictive measures. Analytical chapters are complemented by over 60 tables providing a detailed breakdown of the goods and services being traded and the leading exporters/importers.

“Trade Policy Reviews” analyse the trade policies and practices of each member of the WTO. The reviews consist of three parts: an independent report by the WTO Secretariat, a report by the government, and the concluding remarks by the Chair of the WTO’s Trade Policy Review Body. The opening section - “key trade facts” - provides a visual overview of the WTO member’s major exports/imports, main export destinations, origins for its imports and other key data. This edition looks into the trade practices of Canada.