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The
WTO & Doha Round
The
World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international
organization dealing with the global rules of trade between
nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as
smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.
The
result
is assurance. Consumers and producers know that they can enjoy
secure supplies and greater choice of the finished products,
components, raw materials and services that they use. Producers
and exporters know that foreign markets will remain open to
them.
Virtually all decisions in the WTO are taken by consensus among
all member countries and they are ratified by members'
parliaments. Trade friction is channelled into the WTO's dispute
settlement process where the focus is on interpreting agreements
and commitments, and how to ensure that countries' trade
policies conform with them.
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Factfile
Location:
Geneva, Switzerland
Established: 1 January 1995
Created by: Uruguay
Round negotiations (1986-94)
Membership: 146 countries
(as of 4 April 2003)
Budget: 154 million
Swiss francs for 2003
Secretariat staff:
550
Head: Supachai
Panitchpakdi (director-general)
Functions:
• Administering WTO trade agreements
• Forum for trade negotiations
• Handling trade disputes
• Monitoring national trade policies
• Technical assistance and training for
developing countries
• Cooperation with other international
organizations |
At
the heart
of the system — known as the multilateral trading
system — are the WTO’s agreements, negotiated and signed by
a large majority of the world’s trading nations, and ratified
in their parliaments. These agreements are the legal
ground-rules for international commerce. Essentially, they are
contracts, guaranteeing member countries trade rights.
They also bind governments to keep their trade policies within
agreed limits to everybody’s benefit.
The WTO’s top level
decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference
which meets at least once every two years. Below
this is the General Council (normally ambassadors and
heads of delegation in Geneva, but sometimes officials sent from
members’ capitals) which meets several times a year in the
Geneva headquarters. At the
next level, the Goods Council, Services Council and
Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Council report to the General
Council.Numerous specialized committees, working groups and
working parties deal with the individual agreements and
other areas such as the environment, development, membership
applications and regional trade agreements.
Click
here to view the Organisation Chart of the WTO.
The WTO has nearly
150 members, accounting for over 97% of world trade. Around 30
others are negotiating membership.
Click
here
to view the list of WTO Members.
The following WTO annual publications are available for download
(pdf format)
For more
information on the WTO, please visit the site here.
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Doha
Development Agenda 
The
November 2001 declaration of the Fourth Ministerial
Conference in Doha, Qatar, provides the mandate for negotiations
on a range of subjects and other work, including issues
concerning the implementation of the present agreements.
The
negotiations include those on agriculture and services, which began
in early 2000. A number of other issues were added later.
The declaration sets 1 January 2005 as the date for
completing all but two of the negotiations. Negotiations on the
Dispute Settlement Understanding are to end in May 2003; those
on a multilateral register of geographical indications for wines
and spirits, by the next Ministerial Conference in 2003.
Progress will be reviewed at the Fifth Ministerial Conference in
Cancun, Mexico, 10-14 September 2003.
Doha Ministerial Conference Documents
Doha
Ministerial Declaration 2001 Text
The
Doha Work Programme (Ministerial Text Explained)
Declaration
on TRIPS and Public Health
Implementation
Related Issues & Concerns
Subsidies
– procedures for extensions under Article 27.4
Down
to Earth Cover story on the Doha Ministerial Conference
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