International Organization
Intergovernmental Organisations
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Established: By the Marrakesh Agreement signed in Marrakesh, Morocco, on April 15, 1994, effective January 1, 1995.
Purpose: To administer the agreements contained in the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); to provide conciliation mechanisms to resolve trade conflicts between members and, if necessary, adjudicate disputes; to provide a forum for ongoing negotiations in pursuit of further lowering and/or elimination of tariffs and other trade barriers.
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
Principal Organs: Ministerial Conference (all members), General Council (all members), Trade Policy Review Body, Dispute Settlement Body, Appellate Body, Council on Trade in Goods, Council on Trade in Services, Council on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, Secretariat.
Web site: www.wto.org
Director General: Pascal Lamy (France).
Membership (153): Albania, Angola, ...
- African Union (AU)
- Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Opanal)
- Andean Community of Nations (CAN)
- Arab League
- Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)
- Arab Monetary Fund (AMF)
- Arctic Council
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- Bank for International Settlements (BIS/BIZ)
- Benelux Economic Union
- Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom)
- Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)
- Central American Integration System (SICA)
- Central European Initiative (CEI)
- Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
- Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
- Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP)
- Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU)
- Council of Europe
- Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)
- Council of the Entente
- East African Community (EAC)
- Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)
- Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL)
- Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS/CEDEAO)
- Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
- European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
- European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol)
- European Space Agency (ESA)
- Group of Eight
- Group of Ten
- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
- Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)
- Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)
- Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
- International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO/INTERPOL)
- International Energy Agency (IEA)
- International Organization for Migration (IOM/OIM)
- International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF)
- Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (LAES/SELA)
- Latin American Integration Association (LAIA/ALADI)
- Mano River Union
- Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
- Nordic Council
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO/OTAN)
- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/OCDE)
- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
- Organization of American States (OAS/OEA)
- Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)
- Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
- Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)
- Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
- Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
- Pacific Community
- Pacific Islands Forum
- Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
- Permanent Interstate Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS)
- Regional and Subregional Development Banks
- Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
- Southern African Development Community (SADC)
- Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur/Mercosul)
- The Commonwealth
- The European Union (EU)
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations: Related Organization
- United Nations: Specialized Agencies
- West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)
- Western European Union (WEU)
- World Customs Organization (WCO)/Customs Co-Operation Council (CCC)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)