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 Legality of Creating Plurilateral Agreements Within the WTO for Singapore Issues.
This note seeks to assess whether it is actually legal, under the WTO Agreement, for WTO Members to undertake and conclude negotiations for plurilateral agreements in the WTO vis-a-vis the Singapore issues. (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…)
Note on the expiry of the Peace Clause: some elements for consideration by developing countries.
According to Art. 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture the reform process should continue through new negotiations which started in the year 2000. Although progress has been achieved in understanding the positions and concerns of members, no concrete result can be presented so far. (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…)
Chronology of Events in the Cancun WTO Ministerial Conference on 10-14 September 2003. (more…)
Suggestions on Procedural Options based on the 1996 WTO Rules of Procedure for Sessions of the Ministerial Conference with Respect to Some Issues.
This short note is prepared by the South Centre for developing country delegations arising from suggestions and discussions made during a meeting held at the South Centre on 3 September 2003. It suggests some procedural tactics that could be used to address some process-related issues of concern raised by developing countries with respect to: (more…)
European Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) reform in the WTO context.
This note is an attempt to appraise the possible implications of the decisions reached in Europe on 26 June on CAP reform for the agriculture negotiations at the WTO. That is, trying to understand how the policy changes agreed could be translated into the WTO framework and put it in context. (more…)
Proposals on a special safeguard for developing countries in agriculture. (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…)
Processes and the Cancun Ministerial Conference.
Developing countries need to translate numerical advantage in the WTO into negotiating and bargaining leverage by working together and speaking out, as much as possible, with a common position on various issues. (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…)
