The document discusses the World Trade Organization (WTO). It provides information on:
1. The WTO operates as a forum for negotiations among its member countries regarding trade agreements and settling trade disputes. It oversees a system of global trade rules.
2. Important agreements under the WTO include the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
3. The WTO's Doha Round of negotiations, launched in 2001, aims to make global trade more inclusive but has faced obstacles over issues like agricultural subsidies.
2. WHAT is
WTO ?
From GATT to
WTO
From India’s
Perspective
Important
Agreements
WHAT it
does?
Agreement
on
Agriculture
3. 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.
The WTO was born out of negotiations, and everything the WTO does is the
result of negotiations.
What is WTO
5. GATT(General Agreements on Tariffs
and Trade) – Commenced in 1948
Bretton woods Institutions (World
Bank and International Monetary
Fund)
Negotiated Institution for trade –
(International trade Organization-
1st Jan, 1995)
From GAAT to WTO
6. Functions of WTO
• Provide the framework for the implementation, administration and
operation of the multilateral Trade Agreements
• Provide the forum for negotiations among its members concerning
their multilateral trade
• Administer the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing
the Settlement of Disputes.
• AdministerTrade Policy Review Mechanism
• Cooperate, as Appropriate, with the international Monetary Fund
(IMF) and with the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) and its affiliated agencies
7. Uruguay Round: 1986–1994
• The Uruguay Round (Sep.,1986) in Punta del Este Uruguay and officially establishing the
WTO regime was signed 15 April 1994, during the ministerial meeting at Marrakesh,
Morocco, and hence is known as the Marrakesh Agreement.
• The scope of the multilateral trading system was broadened from trade
in goods (GATG) to encompass trade in services (GATS) and trade
related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS).
• The agreement falls into six main parts:
• Agreement establishing the WTO
• Multilateral agreements on Trade in Goods
• General Agreements on Trade in Services
• Agreement on trade related aspects of intellectual property rights
(TRIPS).
• Dispute settlement
• Reviews the governments trade polices
8. Doha Round: 2001
• The WTO launched the current round of negotiations, the Doha
Development Round, at the fourth ministerial conference in
Doha, Qatar in November 2001.
• To make globalization more inclusive and help the world's
poor, particularly by slashing barriers and subsidies in farming
• Trade liberalization and new rule-making, underpinned by
commitments to strengthen substantial assistance to developing
countries
• Progress stalled over differences between developed nations and the
major developing countries on issues such as industrial tariffs and
non-tariff barriers to trade particularly against and between the
EU and the US over their maintenance of agricultural subsidies—
seen to operate effectively as trade barriers
9. Doha Round: 2001
• As of June 2012, the future of the Doha Round remained
uncertain: the work programme lists 21 subjects in
which the original deadline of 1 January 2005 was
missed, and the round remains incomplete
• The conflict between free trade on industrial goods
and services but retention of protectionism on farm
subsidies to domestic agricultural sectors (requested
by developed countries) and the substantiation of fair
trade on agricultural products (requested by
developing countries) remain the major obstacles.
10. Ministerial conferences
Ministerial Conference- Usually meets every two years
Brings together all members of the WTO
Take decisions on all matters under any of the multilateral trade
agreements
The fourth ministerial conference in Doha in 2001 approved
China's entry to the WTO and launched the Doha Development
Round which was supplemented by the sixth WTO ministerial
conference (Hong Kong).
The Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12) is set to be held in
Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2020.
11. The WTO is run by its member governments.
All major decisions are made by the membership as a whole, either by
ministers (who usually meet at least once every two years) or by their
ambassadors or delegates (who meet regularly in Geneva).
While the WTO is driven by its member states, it could not function without its
Secretariat to coordinate the activities.
The Secretariat employs over 600 staff, and its experts — lawyers, economists,
statisticians and communications experts — assist WTO members on a daily
basis to ensure, among other things, that negotiations progress smoothly, and
that the rules of international trade are correctly applied and enforced.
What is does
12. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international
organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.
Agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading
nations and ratified in their parliaments.
The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and
importers conduct their business.
Formed on: January 1st, 1995
160 members (97% of world’s population) since 26 June 2014.
Headquarter : Geneva, Switzerland
Director-General : Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
What is does
13. Implementing WTO agreements and administering the international trade.
Reviewing trade related economic policies of member countries
Acting as forum of trade liberalization
Cooperating with world bank and IMF and it’s associates for
establishing coordination in global trade policy making.
Settling trade relating disputes among member nations of it’s
dispute settlement body(DSB).
Technical assistance and training for developing countries.
Maintaining trade related database.
What is does
15. Negotiating the reduction or elimination of obstacles to trade
Administering and monitoring the application of the WTO's agreed rules for trade in
goods, trade in services, and trade-related intellectual property rights
Monitoring ,Reviewing , Maintaining Transparency and Settling Dispute of trade
policies between our members
Assisting the process of accession of some 30 countries who are not yet members
of the organization .
Conducting economic research and collecting and disseminating trade data in
support of the WTO's other main activities.
Explaining to and educating the public about the WTO, its mission and its activities.
WHAT it stand for
18. Frame work starts with basic principles-
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARRIF & TRADE (GATT)
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES (GATS)
TRADE RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (TRIPS)
TRADE RELATED INVESTMENT MEASURES (TRIMS)
TRIPS TRIMS GATS
Literal Work To Facilitate Investments Movement Of Persons
Artistic Work To Liberalize World Trade Air Transport
Industrial Property To Strike Out Investment
Measures Which Can Create
Hindrance
Financial Services
Taking Into Account Needs Of
Developing And Least
Developing Countries
Shipping
Important Agreements
19. The WTO Agreement on Agriculture was one of the main agreements which were
negotiated during the Uruguay Round.
The objective is “To reform trade in agriculture and to make policies more
market oriented”
It contains provisions in 3 broad areas of agriculture.
1. Market access
This includes tariffication, tariff reduction and access opportunities.
Tariffication means that all non-tariff barriers such as...
1. quotas.
2. variable levies.
3. minimum import prices.
4. discretionary licensing.
5. state trading measures.
Agreement on Agriculture
20. 2. Domestic Support.
It measures that have a minimum impact on trade also known as “Green Box policies”
It includes general government services like-As in the area of Research, disease
control, infrastructure and food security
It Also includes direct payment to producers in form of income support etc.
3. Export subsidies.
The Agreement contains provisions regarding members commitment to reduce Export
Subsidies.
Developed countries are required to reduce their export subsidy expenditure by
36%.
For developing countries the percentage cuts are 24%.
Agreement on Agriculture
21. It deals with the protection & enforcement of “Trade-Related intellectual property
rights”. It establishes minimum levels of protection that each government has to give
to the intellectual property of fellow WTO members
DEALS IN :
How basic principles of the trading system and other international
intellectual property agreements should be applied
How to give adequate protection to intellectual property rights
How countries should enforce those rights adequately in their own territories
How to settle disputes on intellectual property between members of the WTO
Special transitional arrangements during the period when the new system is
being introduced.
TRIPS
22. Trade related Investment Measures does not provide any new language ,
but It concentrates on 2 major articles. Article III & Article IX - which talks about National
Treatment and Trade Restrictions respectively.
TRIMS
ARTICLE III
●National treatment of imported
product, unless specified in other
agreements.
● Subjects the purchase or use by
an enterprise of imported products to less
favorable conditions than the purchase or
use of domestic products.
ARTICLE XI
●Prohibition of quantitative restrictions
on imports and exports.
●Part of the general trend in textiles and
agriculture to phase out the use of
quantitative restrictions.
23. The General Agreement On Trade In Services(GATS) which extends multilateral rules and
discipline to services is regarded as a Landmark achievement of the Uruguay Round.
In short ,GATT covers the four modes of international delivery of services
1)Cross-border supply : This refers to the delivery of service from the territory of one cou
to the territory of the other country by crossing international border
2)Commercial Presence : foreign service-providing companies establish their local
subsidiary offices (affiliates) to supply services in the domestic market
3)Consumption Abroad(Tourism) : consumer moves to a foreign country to get services, s
as tourism, education, medical treatment etc
4)Movement of personal(entry and temporary stay of foreign consultants) :
The service supplying foreign person moves to the host territory on temporary basis
GATS
24. A product is considered to be dumped if the export price is less than the price
charged for the same product in the exporting country, or it is sold for less than its
cost of production.
The WTO agreement on anti-dumping allows governments to act against dumping
where there is genuine (‘material’) injury to the competing domestic industry.
Anti-Dumping Agreement
25. ADVANTAGES
Increases in foreign trade
Increase in agriculture
exports
Increase in inflow of foreign
investment
Improvement in services
Benefits for clothing and
textile industry
From India’s Perspective
DISADVANTAGES
Disadvantage to agriculture sector
- reduction in subsidy
- Import of food grains
Loss to domestic industries
Patent of Indian herbs by foreign
companies
Tramples human and labor rights
undermines local level decision making
and national sovereignty