The World Trade Organization (WTO) is
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dealing with the global rules of trade between nations.
It has more than
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, accounting for over 90% of world trade. Over 30 others are negotiating membership.
Decisions are made by the entire membership. This is typically by consensus.
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is also possible but it has never been used in the WTO, and
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under the WTO’ s predecessor, GATT. The WTO’ s agreements have been ratified in all
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.
The WTO’s
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is the Ministerial Conference which meets at least once every two years.
Below this is the
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which meets several times a year in the Geneva headquarters. The General Council also meets as the Trade Policy Review Body and the
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.
At the next level, the Goods Council, Services Council and Intellectual Property Council report to
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.
Numerous specialized committees,
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deal with the individual agreements and other areas such as the environment,
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applications and regional trade agreements.
The WTO Secretariat,
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, has around 500 staff and is headed by a director- general. It does not have
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outside Geneva. Since decisions
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the members themselves, the Secretariat does not have the
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that other international bureaucracies are given.
The Secretariat"s
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are to supply technical support for the various councils and committees and the ministerial conferences, to
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for developing countries, to analyze world trade, and to explain WTO affairs to
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. The Secretariat also provides some forms of
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in the dispute settlement process and advises governments wishing to become members of the WTO. The annual budget is
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Swiss francs.
