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15 Years of the Information Technology Agreement
Trade, Innovation and Global Production NetworksThe Information and Technology Agreement (ITA) was finalized at the first WTO Ministerial Conference, in Singapore, in 1996, committing its participants to completely eliminate duties on certain information technology products. In its 15 years, the ITA has promoted affordable access to a wide range of technologies, encouraging closer cooperation between developed and developing countries. As production networks become increasingly global, the ITA will continue to facilitate the shift from products made in a specific country to “made in the world”. To mark the 15th anniversary of the ITA, this publication charts the political and technical obstacles which were overcome during the creation of the Agreement and the issues which still need to be resolved. It details the establishment of the ITA Committee and how the Agreement is implemented, and investigates the impact the ITA has had on trade liberalization and innovation. The publication also examines the effect information technology has had on global production networks and what this means for developing countries and the ITA.
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20 Years of the Information Technology Agreement
Boosting Trade, Innovation and Digital ConnectivityOver the past 20 years, the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) has increased worldwide access to high-tech goods, such as computers, mobile phones and semiconductors. It has also contributed to greater access to the Internet and the growth of the digital economy, creating new opportunities for businesses and individuals in both developed and developing economies. Finalized at the first WTO Ministerial Conference in 1996, the ITA commits its participants to eliminating tariffs on a wide range of IT products with an annual value of approximately US$ 1.7 trillion. To mark the 20th anniversary of the ITA, this publication analyses the impact of the ITA on its participants and on worldwide trade in IT products. It demonstrates how the Agreement has not only made high-tech products more affordable but has also helped to promote innovation and to support developing economies’ integration into global production networks. The publication also reviews new developments, such as the landmark deal concluded in 2015 to eliminate tariffs on an additional 201 IT products valued at over $1.3 trillion per year. Finally, it highlights what still needs to be done to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of providing universal and affordable access to the Internet so that the benefits of the digital revolution can be enjoyed by all.
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20th Anniversary Brochures
The WTO has produced a series of brochures to mark its 20th anniversary. Each brochure looks into a specific area of WTO activity, highlighting the achievements over the past 20 years.
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25 Years of the WTO: A Photographic Retrospective
“25 years of the WTO: A Photographic Retrospective” captures some of the key moments in the life of the WTO since it came into being on 1 January 1995. Over 150 photos provide insights into the work of the organization over the past quarter of a century, reflecting 25 years of challenges, successes and perseverance.
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A Handbook on Accession to the WTO
The Handbook provides the first detailed explanation and analysis of the process whereby governments become Members of the WTO. The WTO Agreement, which came into force on 1 January, 1995, provides few details on how this process is to take place. Consequently, the steps in the detailed negotiations leading up to access have evolved through the actual negotiations for governments which have become Members of the WTO since 1995. This handbook is unique in providing an account of how the process evolved and in offering details on the process as it is now applied. Moreover, the input of the WTO Secretariat into the preparation of the guide provides information not available until now to anyone outside the Secretariat. The Secretariat has supported production of this handbook in the hope it will serve as a useful source of reference for officials from acceding governments, WTO Members, academia, and the general public.
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A Handbook on Anti-Dumping Investigations
A key guide to the intricacies of anti-dumping proceedings
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A Handbook on the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement
This guide to the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement is based on the authors' experiences of teaching its finer points to customs officials and policy-makers around the world. Covering the methods of valuation and the provisions on enforcement, implementation and dispute settlement, the authors give practical examples, explain interpretative decisions of national and international customs bodies, and analyse the history of its negotiation. Written as a learning tool, it helps both new and experienced policy-makers, customs officials, importers and exporters to gain a deeper understanding of the Agreement's function and aims.
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A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System
The primary purpose of this training guide is to explain the WTO dispute settlement system to an interested person with little or no knowledge of how this system functions. However, with its detailed content, it could also serve as a very useful “handbook” to experienced practitioners of WTO Law. It explains the historic evolution of the current system and explores the practices that have arisen in its operation since its entry into force on 1 January 1995.
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A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System, 2nd Edition
The WTO dispute settlement system has become one of the most dynamic, effective and successful international dispute settlement systems in the world over the past twenty years. This second edition of A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System has been compiled by the dispute settlement lawyers of the WTO Secretariat with a view to providing a practice-oriented account of the system. In addition to describing the existing rules and procedures, this accessibly written handbook explains how those rules and procedures have been interpreted by dispute settlement panels and the Appellate Body, and how they have evolved over time. The handbook provides practical information to help various audiences understand the day-to-day operation of the WTO dispute settlement system.
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A Handbook on the WTO TRIPS Agreement
This handbook describes the historical and legal background to the TRIPS Agreement, its role in the WTO and its institutional framework and reviews the following areas: general provisions and basic principles; copyright and related rights; trademarks; geographical indications; patents; industrial designs, layout-designs, undisclosed information and anti-competitive practices; enforcement of IPRs; dispute settlement in the context of the TRIPS Agreement; TRIPS and public health; and current TRIPS issues. It contains a guide to TRIPS notifications by WTO members and describes how to access and make use of the official documentation relating to the TRIPS Agreement and related issues. Furthermore, it includes the legal texts of the TRIPS Agreement and the relevant provisions of the WIPO conventions referred to in it, as well as subsequent relevant WTO instruments.
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A Handbook on the WTO TRIPS Agreement
This Handbook describes the historical and legal background to the TRIPS Agreement, its role in the WTO and its institutional framework. It reviews the following areas: general provisions and basic principles; copyright and related rights; trademarks; geographical indications; patents; industrial designs, layout-designs, undisclosed information and anti-competitive practices; enforcement of IPRs; dispute settlement in the context of the TRIPS Agreement; TRIPS and public health; and current TRIPS issues. It contains a guide to TRIPS notifications by WTO members and describes how to access the official documentation relating to the TRIPS Agreement and related issues. Furthermore, it includes the legal texts of the TRIPS Agreement and the relevant provisions of the WIPO conventions referred to in it, as well as subsequent relevant WTO instruments and related non-WTO treaties. The new edition covers the public health revision of the Agreement that entered into force in 2017 and provides updates on other recent developments.
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A History of Law and Lawyers in the GATT/WTO
How did a treaty that emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War, and barely survived its early years, evolve into one of the most influential organisations in international law? This unique book brings together original contributions from an unprecedented number of eminent current and former GATT and WTO staff members, including many current and former Appellate Body members, to trace the history of law and lawyers in the GATT/WTO and explore how the nature of legal work has evolved over the institution's sixty-year history. In doing so, it paints a fascinating portrait of the development of the rule of law in the multilateral trading system, and allows some of the most important personalities in GATT and WTO history to share their stories and reflect on the WTO's remarkable journey from a 'provisionally applied treaty' to an international organisation defined by its commitment to the rule of law.
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A Practical Guide to Trade Policy Analysis
This Guide to Trade Policy Analysis provides the main tools for the analysis of trade policy. Written by experts with practical experience in the field, this publication outlines the major concepts of trade policy analysis and contains practical guidance on how to apply them to concrete policy questions.
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Accelerating Trade Digitalization to Support MSME Financing
For many micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) around the world today, access to financing can mean the difference between prosperity and bankruptcy. Working to identify, understand, and ultimately overcome the challenges that MSMEs face in their quest for acquiring financing will help to ensure that the next great technological idea does not cease to exist before it has a chance to change the world. This publication seeks to identify some of the most pressing of these challenges, understand them, and explore the potential application of digital technologies to mitigating their impact. To that end, the authors conducted interviews and surveys with experts in the field of MSME financing, including, in some cases, trade financing, to shed light on these issues and explore the ways in which technology can be used. This publication begins by examining some of the challenges that have been identified as impacting MSME financing, as well as the role that the COVID-19 pandemic has had in moulding the landscape. Next, it moves on to examining key digital technologies, their potential benefit to the industry – in particular to MSME financing – a selection of case studies and of companies utilizing these technologies, the adoption challenges they face, and recommendations for overcoming these challenges. The technologies in question include cloud computing, optical character recognition, the Internet of Things, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, distributed ledger technology and application programming interfaces.
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Accord sur les mesures sanitaires et phytosanitaires
10 résultats clés de 2020Une nouvelle brochure présentée le 27 juillet souligne le ferme engagement des Membres de l’OMC, quel que soit leur niveau de développement, en faveur de la transparence et de la prévention des différends commerciaux. Les renseignements contenus dans cette brochure sont fondés sur l’examen de la mise en œuvre, par les Membres, de l’Accord sur l’application des mesures sanitaires et phytosanitaires (Accord SPS), réalisé en 2020.
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Acuerdo sobre la aplicación de medidas sanitarias y fitosanitarias
10 resultados clave de 2020En un nuevo folleto presentado el 27 de julio se destaca el firme compromiso de los Miembros de la OMC en todos los niveles de desarrollo con la transparencia y la prevención de diferencias comerciales. La información contenida en el folleto se basa en el examen de 2020 de la aplicación por los Miembros del Acuerdo sobre la Aplicación de Medidas Sanitarias y Fitosanitarias (el “Acuerdo MSF”).
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African Perspectives on Trade and the WTO
Domestic Reforms, Structural Transformation and Global Economic IntegrationTwenty-first century Africa is in a process of economic transformation, but challenges remain in areas such as structural reform, governance, commodity pricing and geopolitics. This book looks into key questions facing the continent, such as how Africa can achieve deeper integration into the rules-based multilateral trading system and the global economy. It provides a range of perspectives on the future of the multilateral trading system and Africa's participation in global trade and underlines the supportive roles that can be played by multilateral and regional institutions during such a rapid and uncertain transition. This volume is based on contributions to the Fourth China Round Table on WTO Accessions and the Multilateral Trading System, which took place just before the WTO's Tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in December 2015.
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