WTO is
designed to supervise and liberalize
international trade. The WTO came into being
on 1 January 1995, and is the successor to
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT), which was created in 1947.
The WTO is
governed by a Ministerial Conference, a
General Council, which implements the
conference's policy decisions and is
responsible for day-to-day administration;
and a director-general, who is appointed by
the Ministerial Conference.
The WTO's
headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.
The policies
of the WTO impact almost all aspects of
society and the planet.
Do
mot confuse the WTO - World Trade
Organization with World Toilet Organization.
World Toilet
Organization (WTO) is a global non- profit
organization committed to improving toilet
and sanitation conditions worldwide.
WTO is a Schwab
Foundation Social Entrepreneur and an Ashoka
Global Fellow. WTO was recently appointed to
the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda
Council on
Water Security.
WTO NEWS:
TRADE FINANCE: HOW TO
ENSURE CREDIT DURING THE FINANCIAL CRISIS?
One of the side effects of the current
financial crisis is its impact on trade
finance. This very secure form of credit has
become more expensive or dried up
completely. The lack of credit lines and
trade guarantees is one important reason for
the reduction in trade flows, as exporters
cannot ship their merchandise without them.
The impact is even more severe for
developing countries. Kimberly Wiehl,
Secretary-General of the Berne Union, and
Steven Beck, Head of Trade Finance at the
Asian Development Bank, discuss the issues
with Keith Rockwell, WTO Spokesperson.
Video debate:
http://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/debates_e/debate13_e.htm
THE NEW WTO BUILDING WILL
BE UNOBTRUSIVE AND RESPECTFUL OF THE
ENVIRONMENT
In collaboration with the Swiss
authorities, the World Trade Organization (WTO)
has just selected the architecture project
for the extension to the Centre William
Rappard (CWR), the WTO headquarters.
Press release:
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres09_e/pr553_e.htm
LAMY: “WE MUST
REMAIN EXTREMELY VIGILANT”
Director-General Pascal Lamy, in presenting
his report on recent trade developments
associated with the financial crisis to an
informal meeting of the Trade Policy Review
Body on 9 February 2009, warned that with
trade growth already stalled “the fragile
economic prospects of every WTO Member have
become especially vulnerable to the
introduction of any new measure that closes
off market access or distorts competition”.
“This is particularly the case for
developing countries,” he said.
Director-General’s introductory remarks:
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news09_e/tpr_09feb09_e.htm
Audio: Director-General’s introductory
remarks:
http://www.wto.org/audio/2009_02_09_tprb_lamy.mp3
APPELLATE BODY ISSUES ANNUAL REPORT
The Appellate Body, on 9 February 2009,
released its Annual Report for 2008.
Annual Report for 2008:
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/ab_annual_report08_e.doc
Communication to the DSB Chair:
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/wt_ab12_e.doc
NEW WEBSITE DATABASE
OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE TARIFF INFORMATION
Comprehensive information on customs duties
became available to WTO website users on 9
July 2009 through a new database, the WTO
Tariff Download Facility. Users can now
search for members’ customs duty rates, as
actually charged as well as legally bound
maximums, and in many cases imports, down to
a high level of detail.
News item:
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news09_e/tar_09jul09_e.htm
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of
WTO.
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Subjects keywords: WTO
