1、Unit 13 Text:WTO（世界贸易组织）1.Key words2.Objectives and functions of the WTO3.Institutional structures of the WTO4.Basic principles of the WTO5.QuestionsThe General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade de facto Uruguay Round intellectual property rights sustainable development Doha Development Agendadispute s
2、ettlement processMinisterial ConferenceGeneral CouncilDispute Settlement BodyTrade Policy Review Bodymarket accesssafeguardrules of originleast-developed countriesSecretariatDirector-GeneralAppellate Bodymost-favored-nationnational treatmentplurilateral agreement2.1 Objectives2.2 Functions(1)Raising
3、 standards of living;(2)Ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand;(3)Expanding the production of and trade in goods and services;(4)Allowing for the optimal use of the worlds resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable developm
4、ent;(5)Seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so in a manner consistent with their respective needs and concerns at different levels of economic development;(6)Ensuring that developing countries,and especially the least developed among them,secure a s
5、hare in the growth in international trade commensurate with the needs of their economic development.2.2.1 WTO is a negotiating forum2.2.2 WTO is a set of rules2.2.3 WTO helps to settle disputesEssentially,the WTO is a place where member governments go,to try to sort out the trade problems they face
6、with each other.The WTO is currently the host to new negotiations,under the“Doha Development Agenda”launched in 2001.Where countries have faced trade barriers and wanted them lowered,the negotiations have helped to liberalize trade.But the WTO is not just about liberalizing trade,and in some circums
7、tances its rules support maintaining trade barriersfor example to protect consumers or prevent the spread of disease.At its heart are the WTO agreements,negotiated and signed by the bulk of the worlds trading nations.These documents provide the legal ground-rules for international commerce.They are
8、essentially contracts,binding governments to keep their trade policies within agreed limits.Although negotiated and signed by governments,the goal is to help producers of goods and services,exporters,and importers conduct their business,while allowing governments to meet social and environmental obj
9、ectives.Trade relations often involve conflicting interests.Agreements,including those painstakingly negotiated in the WTO system,often need interpreting.The most harmonious way to settle these differences is through some neutral procedure based on an agreed legal foundation.That is the purpose behi
10、nd the dispute settlement process written into the WTO agreements.3.1 Ministerial Conference3.2 General Council3.3 Councils and Specific Committees3.4 SecretariatThe Ministerial Conference is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO,which has to meet at least every two years.It brings together al
11、l members of the WTO,all of which are countries or customs unions.The Ministerial Conference can take decisions on all matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements.The General Council meets regularly to carry out the functions of the WTO.It has representatives(usually ambassadors or equiva
12、lent)from all member governments.The General Council has the authority to act on behalf of the ministerial conference in the intervals between meetings of the Ministerial Conference,in addition to carrying out the specific tasks assigned to it by the WTO Agreement.It should report to the Ministerial
13、 Conference.Meanwhile,the General Council meets as the Dispute Settlement Body（DSB）and the Trade Policy Review Body(TPRB)to oversee procedures for settling disputes between members and to analyze members trade policies.3.3.1 Three councils3.3.2 Goods Council3.3.3 Services Council3.3.4 Six other bodi
14、es under the General CouncilCouncil for Trade in Goods(Goods Council)Council for Trade in Services(Services Council)Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS Council)The Goods Council has 11 committees dealing with specific subjects(market access,agriculture,sanitary an
15、d phytosanitary measures,technical barriers to trade,subsidies and countervailing measures,anti-dumping practices,customs valuation,rules of origin,import licensing,trade-related investment measures,and safeguards).The Services Councils subsidiary bodies deal with financial services,domestic regulat
16、ions,General Agreement on Trade in Services(GATS)rules and specific commitments.The scope of their coverage is smaller,so they are“committees.”These specific committees cover issues such as trade and environment,trade and development,least-developed countries,regional trade agreements,balance of pay
17、ments restrictions,and budget,finance and administration.The WTO Secretariat,with offices only in Geneva,has 625 regular staff and is headed by a Director-General.Since decisions are taken by Members only,the Secretariat has no decision-making powers.Its main duties are to supply technical and profe
18、ssional support for the various councils and committees,to provide technical assistance for developing countries,to monitor and analyze developments in world trade,to provide information to the public and the media and to organize the ministerial conferences.The Secretariat also provides some forms
19、of legal assistance in the dispute settlement process and advises governments wishing to become Members of the WTO.4.1 Trade without discrimination4.2 Freer trade:gradually,through negotiation4.3 Predictability:through binding and transparency4.4 Promoting fair competition4.5 Encouraging development
20、 and economic reform(1)Most-favored-nation(MFN):treating other people equally.Under the WTO agreements,countries cannot normally discriminate between their trading partners.Grant someone a special favor(such as a lower customs duty rate for one of their products)and you have to do the same for all o
21、ther WTO members.(2)National treatment:Treating foreigners and locals equally.Imported and locally-produced goods should be treated equallyat least after the foreign goods have entered the market.The same should apply to foreign and domestic services,and to foreign and local trademarks,copyrights an
22、d patents.Lowering trade barriers is one of the most obvious means of encouraging trade.The barriers concerned include customs duties(or tariffs)and measures such as import bans or quotas that restrict quantities selectively.From time to time other issues such as red tape and exchange rate policies
23、have also been discussed.Sometimes,promising not to raise a trade barrier can be as important as lowering one,because the promise gives businesses a clearer view of their future opportunities.In the WTO,when countries agree to open their markets for goods or services,they“bind”their commitments.For
24、goods,these bindings amount to ceilings on customs tariff rates.The system tries to improve predictability and stability in other ways as well.One way is to discourage the use of quotas and other measures used to set limits on quantities of imports.Another is to make countries trade rules as clear a
25、nd public(“transparent”)as possible.The system does allow tariffs and,in limited circumstances,other forms of protection.More accurately,it is a system of rules dedicated to open,fair and undistorted competition.The rules on non-discriminationMFN and national treatmentare designed to secure fair con
26、ditions of trade.Many of the other WTO agreements aim to support fair competition:in agriculture,intellectual property,services,for example.The agreement on government procurement(a“plurilateral”agreement because it is signed by only a few WTO members)extends competition rules to purchases by thousa
27、nds of government entities in many countries.The WTO system contributes to development.On the other hand,developing countries need flexibility in the time they take to implement the systems agreements.And the agreements themselves inherit the earlier provisions of GATT that allow for special assista
28、nce and trade concessions for developing countries.(1)What are the objectives of the WTO?(2)What are the functions of the WTO?(3)To what extent is the WTO a negotiating forum?(4)Discuss the basic principles of the WTO,and what are their implications for the international trade?(5)Explain the most-favored-nation treatment and the national treatment,give an example for each.
