The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.
The WTO was born out of negotiations, and everything the WTO does is the result of negotiations. The bulk of the WTO’s current work comes from the 1986–94 negotiations called the Uruguay Round and earlier negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO is currently the host to new negotiations, under the ‘Doha Development Agenda’ launched in 2001.
WTO structure: all WTO members may participate in all councils, committees, etc, except Appellate Body, Dispute Settlement panels, and plurilateral committees.
Albania Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh Barbados Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia, Plurinational State of Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Chinese Taipei Colombia Congo Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia European Union (formerly European Communities) Fiji Finland France Gabon Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong, China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kenya Korea, Republic of Kuwait, the State of Kyrgyz Republic Latvia Lesotho Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao, China Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova, Republic of Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent & the Grenadines Samoa Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal Sierra Leone Singapore Slovak Republic Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Tanzania Thailand The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) The Gambia Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States of America Uruguay Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam Zambia Zimbabwe
Observer governments
Afghanistan Algeria Andorra Azerbaijan Bahamas Belarus Bhutan Bosnia and Herzegovina Comoros Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia Holy See (Vatican) Iran Iraq Kazakhstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Lebanese Republic Liberia, Republic of Libya Russian Federation Sao Tomé and Principe Serbia Seychelles Sudan Syrian Arab Republic Tajikistan Uzbekistan Vanuatu Yemen
Note: With the exception of the Holy See, observers must start accession negotiations within five years of becoming observers.
World Trade Organization Centre William Rappard, Rue de Lausanne 154, CH-1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland.
Organ(s)
Category
HQ location
Date established
Resolution
Joined CEB
Leadership
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.
The WTO was born out of negotiations, and everything the WTO does is the result of negotiations. The bulk of the WTO’s current work comes from the 1986–94 negotiations called the Uruguay Round and earlier negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO is currently the host to new negotiations, under the ‘Doha Development Agenda’ launched in 2001.
WTO structure: all WTO members may participate in all councils, committees, etc, except Appellate Body, Dispute Settlement panels, and plurilateral committees.
Albania
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Bahrain, Kingdom of
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Chinese Taipei
Colombia
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
European Union (formerly European Communities)
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong, China
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Korea, Republic of
Kuwait, the State of
Kyrgyz Republic
Latvia
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macao, China
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova, Republic of
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Samoa
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
Thailand
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
The Gambia
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Viet Nam
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Observer governments
Afghanistan
Algeria
Andorra
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Belarus
Bhutan
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Comoros
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Holy See (Vatican)
Iran
Iraq
Kazakhstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lebanese Republic
Liberia, Republic of
Libya
Russian Federation
Sao Tomé and Principe
Serbia
Seychelles
Sudan
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Yemen
Note: With the exception of the Holy See, observers must start accession negotiations within five years of becoming observers.
World Trade Organization
Centre William Rappard,
Rue de Lausanne 154,
CH-1211 Geneva 21,
Switzerland.
Tel: +41 (0)22 739 51 11
Fax: +41 (0)22 731 42 06
email: enquiries@wto.org
Agreements between WTO and the UN