Institutional Governance and Decision-Making Processes in the WTO.
The WTO’s institutional mandate is clearly spelled out in its founding charter, the 1994 Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement). (more…)
The Post-Cancun Legal Status of Singapore Issues in the WTO.
This note is intended to provide readers with an analysis of the current legal status of the Singapore issues mandate established during the 1996 Singapore Ministerial Conference and extended up to the 2003 Cancun Ministerial Conference by the 2001 Doha Ministerial Conference. (more…)
Institutional Governance and Decision-Making Processes in the WTO: Some Issues for Consideration after Cancun.
Issues relating to internal WTO institutional governance have long been on the agenda of the WTO, stemming primarily from the fact that the institutional mechanisms and processes used have led to problems of transparency, inclusiveness, and participation, as well as efficiency, in decision-making in the organization. (more…)
Technical Assistance in the Area of Trade and Investment.
The Doha Ministerial Declaration (DMD) confirms the understanding among members that adequate, demand driven and recipient-controlled technical cooperation and capacity building constitute a core element of the development dimension of the multilateral trading system. (more…)
Reflecting Sustainable Development in the Doha Trade Negotiations: Implementing Paragraph 51 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.
Paragraph 51 of the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration provides a unique but ambiguous mandate for the WTO’s Committees on Trade and Development (CTD) and on Trade and Environment (CTE). (more…)
The Balance of Negotiations and Discussions in the Doha Work Programme: Overview Matrix of Negotiating and Non-Negotiating Areas.
The Doha Ministerial Conference of the WTO, held in November 2001, launched an ambitious work programme. The discussions/ negotiations initiated under this work programme include a number of issues in addition to the WTO built-in agenda and purely trade-related issues. (more…)
Process Issues in the WTO: State of Play November 2002.
“Process” issues have been on the agenda of the WTO for a number of years now. Currently, these issues can be divided into three distinct, but closely linked, areas: (more…)
Background note on the implementation-related issues: History, Implementation, and Negotiating strategy for developing countries.
First, this paper looks at the history of implementation issues in the GATT/WTO system, and how such issues were dealt with up to the conclusion of the Uruguay Round. (more…)
Review of the Existing Special and Differential Treatment Provisions: Implementing the Doha Mandate.
By placing Special and Differential Treatment (hereafter referred to as ‘S&DT’) at the heart of the WTO Agreements, the Doha Ministerial Declaration explicitly acknowledged that S&DT is a fully accepted core principle in the WTO legal regime. (more…)
