Agricultural Policy Reform and the WTO franchise

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a unique international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly and freely as possible, unhindered by political or technical barriers. The WTO was created in 1995 as a result of the Uruguay Round of GATT Negotiations that lasted from 1986 to 1994. It has a current membership of 144 nations and is growing. The headquarters of the organization are in Geneva, Switzerland. The WTO is founded upon a body of international law encompassing the GATT, as modified by the Uruguay Round, and all agreements and arrangements concluded under its auspices. The WTO holds a Ministerial meeting at least once every two years. A General Council oversees the operation of the agreement and ministerial decisions on a regular basis.

The latest Ministerial Conference, held in Doha, Qatar from November 9-13, 2001, resulted in the launch of a comprehensive new series of trade negotiations to be concluded by January 1, 2005.

Agriculture remains one of the most contentious points in the WTO negotiating process. The news and research sections here are dedicated to the issues of upcoming WTO meetings and negotiations.