About the WTO

Since the last WTO Annual Report conditions for trade and trade-related policy-making have become considerably more difficult. The effects of the financial and economic crisis affecting emerging markets and of the economic downturn in Japan are far from fully worked through. They are having a serious impact on the pattern of world economic growth and hence on trade and on commodity markets (Chapter Two). Although there has been some backtracking in trade liberalization the multilateral trading system – as seen in the development of trade policies – seemed in September 1998 to be standing up well to the turbulence in financial and trading markets.

L’Institut de formation et de coopération technique (IFCT) a renforcé la conception et l’exécution des programmes d’assistance technique de l’OMC ainsi que certains aspects essentiels de ces programmes. L’OMC a organisé 324 activités d’assistance technique en 2014 ce qui est plus qu’en 2013 (279) mais moins qu’en 2012 (343). Malgré la diminution du nombre total d’activités par rapport à 2012 le nombre de participants bénéficiant d’une assistance technique continue d’augmenter grâce à l’utilisation croissante de l’apprentissage en ligne l’accent étant mis de plus en plus sur les pays les moins avancés (PMA) et sur l’Afrique.

Les rapports de suivi du commerce ont montré que le nombre de nouvelles mesures restrictives pour le commerce prises par les Membres de l’OMC avait légèrement diminué. Les rapports de suivi insistent sur le fait que les Membres de l’OMC doivent travailler ensemble pour faire en sorte que les avantages du commerce soient plus largement partagés et soient mieux compris.

In 2016 the Committee on Trade and Environment discussed a broad range of trade-related environmental issues including climate change reform of fossil fuel subsidies chemicals and waste management wildlife trade forestry and fisheries. The Committee was also updated on the WTO environmental database the environmental provisions in regional trade agreements and the Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations.

Tras el éxito de la Décima Conferencia Ministerial de la OMC celebrada en Nairobi en diciembre de 2015 el nivel de participación en muchas de las esferas de nuestra labor se intensificó significativamente en 2016. Ha sido un año caracterizado por un intenso debate entre los Miembros sobre muy diversas cuestiones y por un aumento notable del interés de otros colectivos.

Below this is the General Council (normally ambassadors and heads of delegation in Geneva and sometimes officials sent from members’ capitals) which meets several times a year in the Geneva headquarters. The General Council also meets as the Trade Policy Review Body and the Dispute Settlement Body.

La huitième Conférence ministérielle de l’OMC s’est tenue à Genève (Suisse) du 15 au 17 décembre 2011 et a été présidée par M. Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga (Nigéria).

This publication was prepared by Arti Gobind Daswani Roy Santana and János Volkai of the WTO Secretariat with the support of WTO Deputy Director-General Karl Brauner Valerie Hughes (former Director of the WTO’s Legal Affairs Division) Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis (Director of the WTO Market Access Division) and John Adank (Director of the Legal Affairs Division). Special acknowledgment is owed to William Castro of the WTO’s Young Professionals Programme for his contributions to the processing of the data and preparation of the one-page case summaries to WTO staff members Jesse Kreier and Olga Falgueras Alamo from the Rules Division for their contribution to the compilation of relevant documents and to Jesse Nicol from the Appellate Body Secretariat for his comments. The authors are also grateful to Laoise Ní Bhriain Maria Bressi and Bryson Strupp from the Archives Section of the WTO Information Management Services for their active collaboration in checking the archives and identifying relevant information and to Tan Albayrak intern at the Legal Affairs Division for assisting in the final editing of the onepage case summaries.

Croatia joined the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) on becoming a member of the European Union in 2013. Important developments occurred with respect to the GPA accessions of several other WTO members including China Montenegro and New Zealand. Two more countries were granted observer status. The Committee on Government Procurement which administers the GPA worked towards the entry into force in April 2014 of the revised Agreement adopted by the parties in 2012 (see page 39). A record level of technical assistance was undertaken.

En 2011 l'OMC a poursuivi sa collaboration avec les établissements universitaires des pays en développement et des pays les moins avancés (PMA) et a continué de soutenir les projets visant à renforcer l'élaboration des programmes d'études l'enseignement la recherche et la communication. À travers cette coopération l'OMC entend aider ces établissements à contribuer à la participation de leurs pays au système commercial multilatéral. L'OMC apporte son soutien par le biais de son Programme de chaires et de son Programme de soutien aux établissements d'enseignement supérieur. L'Université nationale de Singapour est le dernier établissement à avoir adhéré au Programme de chaires.

The conduct of trade negotiations in the WTO shows both continuity and change from the GATT period but even the two main points of continuity have come under challenge. One is the use of multi-issue multi-year rounds as the main organizing principle of negotiations which was the general rule throughout the GATT period. The other is the practice of bundling all of the issues in these rounds into a single undertaking which was an innovation from the final (Uruguay) round of the GATT period. Members reiterated both of those principles when they launched the Doha Round in 2001 but after more than a decade of desultory negotiations those principles are increasingly questioned. Some issues have been handled outside of the round as is discussed in Chapter 10 and both rounds and the single undertaking face critical scrutiny from analysts and some practitioners.

La présente publication contient le texte de l'Accord de Marrakech instituant l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (Accord sur l'OMC) de 1994 et ses Annexes. Il remplace et met à jour en d'importants aspects la publication Les textes juridiques: Résultats des négociations commerciales multilatérales du Cycle d'Uruguay publiée en 1994 et réimprimée depuis lors. Il tient compte de l'ensemble des amendements et des rectifications apportés à l'Accord sur l'OMC et à ses Annexes effectués ou adoptés jusqu'à Septembre 2017 tels que le Protocole portant amendement de l'Accord sur les ADPIC la modification du Mécanisme d'examen des politiques commerciales adopté en juillet 2017 et l'Accord sur la facilitation des échanges (AFE). Suivant de près la structure du GATT de 1994 les dispositions du GATT de 1947 figurent comme le premier des textes incorporés dans le GATT de 1994. La présente publication reproduit également la "Clause d'habilitation" de 1979 qui est une des "autres décisions des PARTIES CONTRACTANTES" incluses dans le GATT de 1994. En outre deux accords commerciaux plurilatéraux applicables entre les Membres de l'OMC qui sont parties à ces accords figurent à l'Annexe 4 de l'Accord sur l'OMC à savoir l'Accord sur le commerce des aéronefs civils et l'Accord sur les marchés publics (AMP).

The WTO aims to help developing countries build their trade capacity and allows them a longer time to implement trade agreements. Hundreds of training courses are organized each year for officials from developing countries.

The WTO held its Tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in 2015 the first time such a meeting has been held in Africa. Ministers took a number of decisions on agriculture cotton and issues related to least-developed countries. These included a historic decision to abolish export subsidies for farm exports.

The World Trade Report 2007 has traced sixty years of multilateral trade co-operation starting with the birth of the GATT on 1 January 1948. The world has changed a good deal over those six decades and so too has the multilateral trading system. Globalization has brought economic interaction among nations closer than ever before thanks in no small part to revolutions in information and transport technology and growing openness in government policy. The trend towards increased inter-dependency has rendered international economic co-operation more complex and multi-faceted. Co-operation among nations has become harder to manage and more influential in shaping the circumstances in which people live. The subject matter covered by the system has expanded significantly and many more players are involved in shaping the system. The 23 original signatories of the GATT have now become the 151 Members of the WTO.

Les conseils et comités de l’OMC ont continué de suivre la mise en oeuvre des Accords de l’OMC et d’examiner si les Membres en respectaient les prescriptions. Ils ont aussi servi de cadre à l’examen de questions aussi variées que le commerce et le changement climatique et la crise des prix des produits alimentaires. Les Membres de l’OMC ont procédé à 17 examens des politiques commerciales en 2008.

En 2010 el Comité de Asuntos Presupuestarios Financieros y Administrativos revisó el presupuesto para el bienio 2010-2011 y examinó asuntos relacionados con el proyecto de construcción de la OMC la diversidad del personal de la OMC y los planes de pago para los Miembros muy atrasados en el pago de sus contribuciones.

Treaty interpretation is a practical and fascinating aspect of most dispute settlement proceedings involving an international treaty. The importance of treaty interpretation is highlighted by the ever-increasing number of international treaties and agreements – such as the more than 2800 bilateral treaties for the protection of investments (BITs) more than 400 free trade agreements (FTAs) and the approximately sixty agreements understandings and decisions composing the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement). The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (Vienna Convention)1 comprises a single set of rules applying to treaty interpretation. These rules of interpretation of public international law many of which have become customary are accepted worldwide as the tool for interpreting international treaties.

In 2013 the Committee on Trade and Environment discussed and received information on a broad range of environmental policy developments from environmental footprint and labelling schemes including carbon footprints to green economy policy initiatives and multilateral environmental agreements with trade-related provisions. The WTO Secretariat issued the environmental databases for 2010 and 2011 and updated the “Matrix on trade-related measures pursuant to selected multilateral environmental agreements”.

El número de reuniones de información y conferencias de prensa aumentó fuertemente en 2013 por el interés de los medios de comunicación en el proceso de selección del Director General y la Novena Conferencia Ministerial de la OMC. El número de periodistas inscritos para utilizar la sala de prensa del sitio Web de la OMC ascendió en total a 2.213. Además la OMC organizó diversas actividades de formación para periodistas.