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Friday, June 21, 2013

World Trade Organization(WTO)


The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization that intends to supervise and liberlize international trade


WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement replacing the ''General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade(GATT)which commenced in 1948

The organization deals with -
  • regulation of trade between participating countries
  • provides a framework for negotiating and formalizing trade agreements 
  • provides a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants' adherence to WTO agreements, which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their Parliaments

Members & Observers
The WTO has 159 members and 25 observer governments.In addition to states, the European Union is a member. WTO members do not have to be full sovereign nation-members. Instead, they must be a customs territory with full autonomy in the conduct of their external commercial relations. Thus Hong Kong has been a member since 1995 (as "Hong Kong, China" since 1997) predating the People's Republic of China, which joined in 2001 after 15 years of negotiations

Members

Albania  8 September 2000
Angola  23 November 1996
Antigua and Barbuda  1 January 1995
Argentina  1 January 1995
Armenia  5 February 2003
Australia  1 January 1995
Austria  1 January 1995
Bahrain, Kingdom of  1 January 1995
Bangladesh  1 January 1995
Barbados  1 January 1995
Belgium  1 January 1995
Belize  1 January 1995
Benin  22 February 1996
Bolivia, Plurinational State of  12 September 1995
Botswana  31 May 1995
Brazil  1 January 1995
Brunei Darussalam  1 January 1995
Bulgaria  1 December 1996
Burkina Faso  3 June 1995
Burundi  23 July 1995
Cambodia 13 October 2004
Cameroon  13 December 1995
Canada  1 January 1995
Cape Verde 23 July 2008
Central African Republic  31 May 1995
Chad  19 October 1996
Chile  1 January 1995
China  11 December 2001
Colombia  30 April 1995
Congo  27 March 1997
Costa Rica  1 January 1995
Côte d'Ivoire  1 January 1995
Croatia    30 November 2000
Cuba  20 April 1995
Cyprus  30 July 1995
Czech Republic  1 January 1995
Democratic Republic of the Congo  1 January 1997
Denmark  1 January 1995
Djibouti  31 May 1995
Dominica  1 January 1995
Dominican Republic  9 March 1995
Ecuador  21 January 1996
Egypt  30 June 1995
El Salvador  7 May 1995
Estonia  13 November 1999
European Union (formerly European Communities)  1 January 1995
Fiji  14 January 1996
Finland  1 January 1995
France  1 January 1995
Gabon  1 January 1995
The Gambia    23 October 1996
Georgia  14 June 2000
Germany  1 January 1995
Ghana  1 January 1995
Greece  1 January 1995
Grenada  22 February 1996
Guatemala  21 July 1995
Guinea  25 October 1995
Guinea-Bissau  31 May 1995
Guyana  1 January 1995
Haiti  30 January 1996
Honduras  1 January 1995
Hong Kong, China  1 January 1995
Hungary  1 January 1995
Iceland  1 January 1995
India  1 January 1995
Indonesia  1 January 1995
Ireland  1 January 1995
Israel  21 April 1995
Italy  1 January 1995
Jamaica  9 March 1995
Japan  1 January 1995
Jordan  11 April 2000
Kenya  1 January 1995
Korea, Republic of  1 January 1995
Kuwait, the State of  1 January 1995
Kyrgyz Republic  20 December 1998
Lao People’s Democratic Republic  2 February 2013
Latvia  10 February 1999
Lesotho  31 May 1995
Liechtenstein  1 September 1995
Lithuania  31 May 2001
Luxembourg  1 January 1995
Macao, China  1 January 1995
Madagascar  17 November 1995
Malawi  31 May 1995
Malaysia  1 January 1995
Maldives  31 May 1995
Mali  31 May 1995
Malta  1 January 1995
Mauritania  31 May 1995
Mauritius  1 January 1995
Mexico  1 January 1995
Moldova, Republic of  26 July 2001
Mongolia  29 January 1997
Montenegro  29 April 2012
Morocco  1 January 1995
Mozambique  26 August 1995
Myanmar  1 January 1995
Namibia  1 January 1995
Nepal  23 April 2004
Netherlands  1 January 1995
New Zealand  1 January 1995
Nicaragua  3 September 1995
Niger  13 December 1996
Nigeria  1 January 1995
Norway  1 January 1995
Oman  9 November 2000
Pakistan  1 January 1995
Panama  6 September 1997
Papua New Guinea  9 June 1996
Paraguay  1 January 1995
Peru  1 January 1995
Philippines  1 January 1995
Poland  1 July 1995
Portugal  1 January 1995
Qatar  13 January 1996
Romania  1 January 1995
Russian Federation  22 August 2012
Rwanda  22 May 1996
Saint Kitts and Nevis  21 February 1996
Saint Lucia  1 January 1995
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines  1 January 1995
Samoa  10 May 2012
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of  11 December 2005
Senegal  1 January 1995
Sierra Leone  23 July 1995
Singapore  1 January 1995
Slovak Republic  1 January 1995
Slovenia  30 July 1995
Solomon Islands  26 July 1996
South Africa  1 January 1995
Spain  1 January 1995
Sri Lanka  1 January 1995
Suriname  1 January 1995
Swaziland  1 January 1995
Sweden  1 January 1995
Switzerland  1 July 1995
Chinese Taipei 1 January 2002
Tajikistan 2 March 2013
Tanzania  1 January 1995
Thailand  1 January 1995
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)  4 April 2003
Togo  31 May 1995
Tonga  27 July 2007
Trinidad and Tobago  1 March 1995
Tunisia  29 March 1995
Turkey  26 March 1995
Uganda  1 January 1995
Ukraine 16 May 2008
United Arab Emirates  10 April 1996
United Kingdom  1 January 1995
United States of America  1 January 1995
Uruguay  1 January 1995
Vanuatu  24 August 2012
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of  1 January 1995
Viet Nam  11 January 2007
Zambia  1 January 1995
Zimbabwe  5 March 1995

Obervers


Headquarters
The HQ is at the Centre William Rappard,Geneva,Switzerland

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