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The World Trade Organization was founded in 1995 to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). This multilateral organization aims to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers to increase international trade. The 146 member states meet in ministerial sessions at least once every two years. NGOs and poor countries fear that further liberalization of trade will only benefit rich countries. WTO negotiations favor the interests of corporate investors and neglect agricultural protectionism and trade subsidies by rich countries. Critics often charge that the WTO functions undemocratically and that it has opaque negotiation procedures that harm the interest of the poor. In the summer of 2006, five years of Doha Round negotiations ended without any agreement, leading many observers to question whether the WTO continues to be relevant in the absence of rich country trade concessions.
The World Trade Organization | WTO Ministerial Conferences
The World Trade Organization
General Analysis of the World Trade Organization
International Trade and Development
Agricultural Subsidies
Genetically Modified Organisms
NGOs and the World Trade Organization
China and the WTO: Issues and Debates
Links and Resources on the World Trade Organization
WTO Ministerial Conferences
