WTO

WTOWTO

By: Mara, Angelica, and Josh

157 Members

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  niger 

Nigeria NorwayOman 

Pakistan  Panama 

Papua New Guinea  Paraguay 

Peru  Philippines 

Slovenia  Solomon Islan0ds 

South Africa Spain 

Sri Lanka Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine 

United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom 

United States of America  Uruguay  Vanuatu 

Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 

Viet Nam Zambia 

Zimbabwe 

Cape VerdeCentral African

Republic  Chad  Chile  China 

Colombia  Congo 

Costa Rica  Côte d'Ivoire 

Croatia    Cuba 

Cyprus  Czech

Republic  Democratic Republic of the Congo  DenmarkDjibouti 

Dominica  Dominican Republic  Ecuador  Egypt 

El Salvador  EstoniaPoland  Portugal Qatar 

Romania  Russian

Federation  Rwanda 

Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia Suriname Swaziland  Sweden 

Switzerland  Chinese Taipei 

Tanzania  Thailand 

European Union

(formerly European

Communities)   Fiji 

Finland  France  Gabon 

The Gambia    Georgia  Germany 

Ghana  Greece 

Grenada  Guatemala 

Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Guyana 

Haiti  Honduras  Hong Kong,

China  Hungary  Iceland  India 

Indonesia  Ireland Israel  ItalySaint

Vincent & the

Grenadines Samoa  Saudi

Arabia, Kingdom of 

Senegal  Sierra Leone 

Singapore  Slovak

Republic The former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) 

Togo  Tonga  Trinidad

and Tobago  

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 

NicaraguaSuriname Swaziland  Sweden 

Switzerland  Chinese Taipei 

Tanzania  Thailand 

What is the purpose you ask?Forum for negotiationsProvide a set of rulesOffer forum for dispute settlementTo ensure that trade flows as

smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

Where did it all start?

Came into existence in 1995

Result of the final round of the General Agreement on Tariffs

and Trade (GATT) negotiations

The first rounds dealt with tariff reductions but later included other areas such as anti-dumping and non-tariff measures. The last

round — the 1986-94 Uruguay Round — led to

the WTO’s creation.

Tell me more…

The WTO’s rules are the result of

negotiations between the members.

The rules include dealing with trade in services,

relevant aspects of intellectual property,

dispute settlement, and trade policy reviews.

Decisions are made by the entire

membership, which is typically by

consensus.

Accounts for about 95% of world trade.

Each country receives a guarantee that its exports

will be treated fairly in other countries’ markets. Each

promises to do the same for imports into its own market.

How is this agreement significant to Canada?

Canada’s economy depends on access

to global markets for manufactured and agricultural goods,

and natural resources

Canada also relies on globally-sourced inputs, technology and

expertise to improve the productivity and

competitiveness of Canadian companies in both domestic

and global markets

What are the advantages ?

Promotes peace

Freer trade cuts the costs of

living

Provides more choice of

products and qualities

Trade stimulates economic

growth

What are some disadvantages?Fundamentally

Undemocratic

Environmental Damage

Developed countries benefit

more than underdeveloped

countries

Job Loss

Adverse Working Conditions

Differences among Economists