TRADE-+Group+3+WTO

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 * 1) ** ** What is WTO? WTO role to the world? **
 * The WTO is a rules-based, member-driven organization — all decisions are made by the member governments, and the rules are the outcome of negotiations among members. The WTO currently has 153 members, of which 117 are developing countries or separate customs territories.
 * The World Trade Organization — the WTO — is the international organization whose primary purpose is to open trade for the benefit of all.
 * It is an organization for trade opening. It is a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements. It is a place for them to settle trade disputes. It operates a system of trade rules. Essentially, the WTO is a place where member governments try to sort out the trade problems they face with each other.

**Location: ** Geneva, Switzerland **Established: ** 1 January 1995 **Created by: **  Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-94) [|**Membership**] **: **  153 countries on 23 July 2008 [|**Budget**] : 196 million Swiss francs for 2011 **Secretariat staff: **  640 ** Head: ** Pascal Lamy (Director-General) **Functions: ** • Administering WTO trade agreements • Forum for trade negotiations <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 17.33px;">• Handling trade disputes <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 17.33px;">• Monitoring national trade policies <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 17.33px;">• Technical assistance and training for developing countries • Cooperation with other international organizations
 * In a nutshell, **

The WTO Agreements recognize the link between trade and development. More than two thirds of WTO Members are [|developing countries]. At the Doha Ministerial Conference, in November 2001, Trade Ministers launched the Doha Development Agenda. With this Agenda, WTO Members have placed development issues and the interests of developing countries at the heart of the WTO’s work. Aim: The Round was officially launched at the WTO’s Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001. The [|**Doha Ministerial Declaration**] provided the mandate for the negotiations, including on agriculture, services and an intellectual property topic, which began earlier. In Doha, ministers also approved a decision on how to address the problems developing countries face in [|**implementing**] the current WTO agreements. WTO agreement: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Technical barriers to trade Trade-related investment measures (TRIMs) **SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES** **Agencies, donors boost coordination on food safety, animal and plant health aid** Strengthened coordination to improve results in a number of areas feature in a new medium-term strategy for 2012-16 adopted on 10 January 2012 by a five-agency programme to help developing countries meet international standards on food safety and animal and plant health. The ultimate goal is to assist developing countries tackle pests, animal and plant diseases and contaminants so that they can expand and diversify food and agricultural production and exports, resulting in economic development, poverty reduction, better nutrition, food security and environmental protection. The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) contributes to this by helping them build up their capacity to implement requirements known as “[|sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)]” standards through increased awareness and knowledge of good practices and by funding projects that promote compliance with the standards, including grants to help prepare projects. It was set up by the [|UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)], [|World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)], [|World Bank], [|World Health Organization (WHO)] and [|World Trade Organization (WTO)], and is run by the five partners together with donor countries and representatives of developing countries. The 2012–16 strategy aims to:
 * 2) ** ** Latest Contribution **
 * 1) Doha Development Agenda
 * to achieve major reform of the international trading system through the introduction of lower trade barriers and revised trade rules. The work programme covers about 20 areas of trade.
 * Balance-of-payments exception: clarifying less stringent conditions in GATT for developing countries if they restrict imports in order to protect their balance-of-payments.
 * Market-access commitments: clarifying eligibility to negotiate or be consulted on quota allocation.
 * Technical assistance for least-developed countries, and reviews of technical assistance in general.
 * When possible, a six-month “reasonable interval” for developing countries to adapt to new measures.
 * The WTO director-general encouraged to continue efforts to help developing countries participate in setting international standards.
 * The Goods Council is “to consider positively” requests from least-developed countries to extend the seven-year transition period for eliminating measures that are inconsistent with the agreement.
 * boost collaboration and information sharing on technical co-operation
 * help recipient countries identify their needs, define their priorities and design project proposals that are likely to receive funding from various donors
 * improve the performance of countries benefiting from the limited number of STDF-funded projects

The Eighth Ministerial Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 15 to 17 December 2011. In parallel to the Plenary Session, where Ministers made prepared statements, three Working Sessions took place with the following themes: “Importance of the Multilateral Trading System and the WTO”, “Trade and Development” and “Doha Development Agenda”. The Conference approved the accessions of Russia, Samoa and Montenegro. In the final session, Ministers adopted a number of decisions and the Chair made a concluding statement.
 * EXTRA STUFFS**
 * Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference**

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 * CREDITS **