Overview of developments in the international trading environment

For the WTO, the year 2000 was one of stiff challenge and significant opportunity. Stiff challenge due to the events that took place at the Third Ministerial Conference in November 1999 -the failure of the WTO Members to reach a consensus on the launch of a new round of multilateral negotiations, against a background of highly-publicized "anti-globalization" demonstrations in the streets of Seattle - but significant opportunity to effect the changes necessary to better meet the needs of the WTO Members and thereby strengthen the foundations of the trading system.