Overview of The WTO

 Objective of presentation

 WTO: The Beginnings

 Growth in Trade Underway

 A New Multilateral Organization

 The WTO: what is it?

 How does the WTO function?

 Principles of the Trading System

 Provisions for developing countries

 Progressing by packages

 The Round to end all rounds

 The WTO Agreement

 Liberalising trade in goods

 Textiles - back in the mainstream

 Agriculture: fairer markets for all

 Trade remedies

 Standards and procedures

 Administrative procedures

 Services: rules for growth and investment

 Services: the key rules

 Services: Better Access to Markets

 Intellectual Property: protection and enforcement of rights

 TRIPS: what does it cover?

 Settling Disputes: the heart of the system

 Meetings of Ministers

  Singapore Ministerial

 Geneva and Seattle Ministerials

 Doha Ministerial Meeting

 Cancun Ministerial Meeting

 Recent Developments

Singapore Ministerial

Meeting in Singapore 1996

At Singapore in December 1996, Ministers decided to set up three new working groups - on trade and investment, on the interaction of trade and competition policy, and on transparency in government procurement. These groups have had a continuing impact on the work program of the WTO and ensuing ministerial conferences. So too has the fact that ministers instructed the WTO Goods Council to look at possible ways of simplifying trade procedures, an issue sometimes known as "trade facilitation".

 The "Singapore Issues"

These four areas are commonly known as the "Singapore issues". The working groups on trade and competition policy and trade and investment were not given the mandate to negotiate new rules or commitments. The ministers made clear that no decision had been reached on whether there would be negotiations in the future. In addition,  discussions could not develop into negotiations without a clear consensus decision.

 Government procurement

The working group on transparency in government procurement is, in fact, different. This is largely because the WTO already has an Agreement on Government Procurement. It is a plurilateral agreement as only some WTO members have signed it. The decision by ministers in Singapore did two things. It set up a working group that is multilateral: it included all WTO members. And, secondly, it focused the group's work on transparency in government procurement practices.

 Labour Standards

Some developed countries, at the urging of trade unions, periodically suggest that the WTO should consider labour issues. Developing countries have been strongly opposed, fearing that these concerns are only a cloak for protectionism. At the Singapore meeting, ministers reconciled their differences through a statement which expressed their commitment to core labour standards. They endorsed collaboration between the WTO and the Secretariat of the International Labour Organization, but did not support any specific WTO work on labour standards.

 Action for least developed countries

At the ministerial meeting ministers also adopted the Comprehensive and Integrated WTO Plan of Action for Least  Developed Countries in an attempt to improve their situation in world trade.