The WTO Annual Report provides a comprehensive overview of WTO activities over the past year and includes information on the WTO's budget and staffing.

The World Trade Report is an annual publication that aims to deepen understanding about trends in trade, trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system.

The WTO's databases and publications provide extensive access to trade and tariff data.

OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES of WTO

> Chapter 1: Basics
> Chapter 2: The Agreements
> Chapter 3: Settling disputes
> Chapter 4: Cross-cutting and new issues
> Chapter 5: The Doha Agenda
> Chapter 6: Developing Countries
> Chapter 7: The Organization

Click any member to see key information on trade statistics, WTO commitments, disputes, trade policy reviews, and notifications.

Any state or customs territory having full autonomy in the conduct of its trade policies may become a member (“accede to”) the WTO, but all WTO members must agree on the terms. This is done through the establishment of a working party of WTO members and through a process of negotiations.

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO 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.

Who we are
What we do
What we stand for
Mission statement

The world is complex. The World Trade Organization is complex. This booklet is brief, but it tries to reflect the complex and dynamic nature of trade and the WTO’s trade rules. It highlights benefits of the trading system, but it doesn’t claim that everything is perfect. Were it a perfect system, there would be no need for further negotiations and for the system to evolve and reform continually.

WTO structure: all WTO members may participate in all councils, committees, etc, except Appellate Body, Dispute Settlement panels, and plurilateral committees.

The ACWL provides advice, support and training to developing and least- developed countries.

The World Trade Organization, (WTO), is the primary international body to help promote free trade, by drawing up the rules of international trade. However, it has been mired in controversy and seen to be hijacked by rich country interests, thus worsening the lot of the poor, and inviting protest and intense criticism.

WTO Principles
Reality Different From The Principles
Trade-Related Aspects Of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
The Multilateral Agreement On Investment
The General Agreement On Trade In Services (GATS)
The Seattle Millennium Round Of The WTO
China’s Entry Into The WTO
Corporate Influence At The WTO

Explore this page to discover the full range of WTO videos covering events and conferences, debates and interviews about trade topics and films about the WTO.

BBC NEWS

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This glossary is designed to help understanding of some of the terms used in the WTO and in international trade.

Select "WTOTERM (April 2013)" and press "OK"

The History and Future of the World Trade Organization is a comprehensive account of the economic, political and legal issues surrounding the creation of the WTO and its evolution. Fully illustrated with colour and black-and-white photos dating back to the early days of trade negotiations, the publication reviews the WTO's achievements as well as the challenges faced by the organization, and identifies the key questions that WTO members need to address in the future.

The Panel on Defining the Future of Trade, convened by Director-General Pascal Lamy, issued its report “The Future of Trade: The Challenges of Convergence” on 24 April 2013.

The WTO Public Forum is an annual event that provides non-governmental organizations, academics, businesses, students and others with the opportunity to discuss the latest issues regarding the multilateral trading system. Around 1,400 people registered for the 2012 Forum, whose theme was “Is Multilateralism in Crisis?”. This publication brings together summaries of the sessions and workshops held during the event.

Centre William Rappard has played host to many international organisations since it first opened its doors in 1926. Centre William Rappard: Home of the World Trade Organization looks into the history of the building, its unique works of art and some of the colourful characters from its early years.

The WTO Building brochure provides a fascinating insight into the artwork, architecture, and history of the Centre William Rappard, home to the World Trade Organization.

The WTO Annual Report provides a comprehensive overview of WTO activities over the past year and includes information on the WTO's budget and staffing.

This book was commissioned by the World Trade Organization as a factual account of the first decade of its existence.

The Doha Round texts and related documents brings together the principal documents agreed by WTO member governments at important stages before and during the trade negotiations that were launched by the Doha Ministerial Conference in November 2001.

The WTO Public Forum 2011 provides an overview of the discussions held at the 2011 event, which was entitled “Seeking answers to global trade challenges”. Representatives from civil society, academia, business, the media, governments and inter-governmental organizations participated.

The Handbook provides the first detailed explanation and analysis of how governments become members of the WTO.

Until 2007, Focus was the official newsletter of the WTO covering negotiations, dispute settlement and other activities.

The Future of the WTO is a report on the future of the multilateral trading system, including recommendations on reforms.

The procedures and practices to implement the provisions relating to tariff negotiations and renegotiations have evolved considerably since the GATT was established in 1947.