International Trade Organizations

Introduction

This entry concentrates on the structure, role and competence of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its constituent agreements, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the various ancillary agreements on goods (e.g., on agriculture, antidumping, subsidies and countervailing duties, safeguards, textiles, investment, and licensing), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the Agreement on Trade‑Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the Understanding on Dispute Settlement (DSU) and the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM).

The entry considers the origins of these agreements, the goals and objectives sought by member governments, the extent to which these are met, the structure of the rights and obligations in the agreements, the nature of decision‑making, the approach to the resolution of disputes, and other constitutional and institutional aspects. The module will also briefly consider the structure, role and competence of other multilateral institutions in the trade field, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the US Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), commodity councils (such as the International Wheat Council), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Additionaly, the entry briefly examines the relationship of the international trade organizations to the international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (IBRD), and the regional banks (such as the Inter-American Development Bank).

Resources

See Also

• International Organizations Cross References
• International Trade and Commercial Relations resources
• Types of International Organizations
• Intergovernmental Organizations
• Trade and Commercial Relations conventions
• International Trade Centre
• International Trade Law Resources
• Outline of International economic laws
• List of international trade topics

Further Reading

• Hampson, Fen Osler with Michael Hart, Multilateral Negotiations: Lessons from Arms Control Trade and the Environment (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1995).
• Jackson, John H., The World Trading System: Law and Policy of International Economic Relations (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1989).
• Kahler, Miles, International Institutions and the Political Economy of Integration (Washington: Brookings, 1994).
• Preeg, Ernest H., Traders in a Brave New World: The Uruguay Round and the Future of the International Trading System (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995).
• Schott, Jeffrey J., The Uruguay Round: An Assessment (Washington: Institute for International Economics, 1995).
• Trebilcock, Michael J. and Robert Howse, The Regulation of International Trade (New York: Routledge, 1995).
• UNCTAD, The Outcome of the Uruguay Round: An Initial Assessment (Geneva: UNCTAD, 1994)