L'OMC expliquée

Summary

The video explains the mission and role of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Established in 1995, the WTO creates rules for global trade, ensuring fairness, openness, and predictability for all member countries, rich or poor. It supports sustainable development, job creation, and poverty reduction by fostering smooth trade flows, investment, and competition. The WTO also promotes digital and green trade, intellectual property rights, and inclusivity, especially for developing nations, women, and small businesses. As the global economy evolves, the WTO continues to adapt, helping countries confront modern challenges like food security and decarbonization.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The objective of the WTO is to use trade to enhance living standards, create jobs, and support sustainable development.
• 📜 The WTO is where governments set the rules for global trade to create a fairer, more open, and predictable world trading system.
• 🤝 The WTO consists of over 160 member governments that negotiate and make decisions collectively, with the Secretariat providing support.
• 📈 Since its founding in 1995, the WTO has helped global trade grow significantly, lifting 1.5 billion people out of extreme poverty.
• 🎣 A recent WTO success is the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, aimed at ending harmful subsidies in the fishing industry.
• ⚖️ The WTO's dispute settlement process helps resolve trade issues between members using independent experts to assess compliance with trade rules.
• 💼 Non-discrimination is a core WTO principle, ensuring that trade privileges granted to one member are extended to all, fostering competition and market stability.
• 💡 WTO agreements also cover areas like intellectual property and digital services, promoting innovation and technological advancement.
• 🌱 The WTO aligns its mission with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly addressing challenges like food security and decarbonization.
• 🌍 Developing countries make up over 75% of the WTO membership, and the organization offers special provisions and assistance to support their integration into global trade.

Q & A

What is the primary objective of the WTO?

The primary objective of the WTO is to help members and countries use trade to enhance living standards, create jobs, and support sustainable development.

How does the WTO ensure fairness and predictability in global trade?

The WTO ensures fairness and predictability in global trade by creating rules that promote a fairer, more open, and predictable World Trading System. These rules are agreed upon by its member governments.

Who makes the decisions and negotiates the rules in the WTO?

Decisions in the WTO are made by its member governments, who also negotiate the trade rules. The WTO Secretariat in Geneva assists the members in this process.

When was the WTO founded, and what is its purpose?

The WTO was founded in 1995 with the purpose of making trade work for people and the planet. It supports countries in using open global markets to accelerate growth and development.

What role does the WTO play in poverty reduction?

The WTO has contributed to reducing extreme poverty by helping countries use trade to grow their economies. Over the past 30 years, world trade has nearly quintupled, helping lift more than 1.5 billion people out of extreme poverty.

What is an example of a recent agreement facilitated by the WTO?

A recent example is the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, which aims to end the worst forms of fisheries subsidies.

How does the WTO handle trade disputes between members?

If trade issues between members cannot be resolved through consultations, they are addressed through the WTO's dispute settlement process, where independent experts decide whether the measure or policy complies with WTO agreements.

What is the basic rule of the WTO regarding trade privileges?

The basic rule of the WTO is non-discrimination, meaning when one member grants a trade privilege to another member, it must extend that privilege to all members, ensuring a level playing field.

How does the WTO contribute to sustainable development?

The WTO's mission aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. It supports countries in leveraging trade to tackle global challenges like food security, decarbonization, and promoting green energy through trade policies.

How does the WTO support developing countries and the least developed countries?

The WTO provides technical assistance and training to help developing countries build their trade capacity. It also offers special provisions, such as more time to adjust to new obligations, and encourages the economic empowerment of women and the integration of small enterprises into global trade.