| Title |
Description |
Source |
Trade Profile 2009
Trade statistics of
WTO members
ENGLISH |
- Trade Profiles provides a country-by-country breakdown of trade flows and trade policy measures for WTO members and countries seeking to join the WTO.
- With information provided in a standardized format for each country, this publication is an invaluable quick reference tool for anyone looking for essential trade statistics.
- The data provided for each country includes
+ basic economic indicators (such as GDP),
+ trade policy indicators (such as tariffs and import duties),
+ merchandise trade flows (broken down by broad product categories and major origins and destinations),
+ commercial trade flows (with a breakdown by major components) and
+ industrial property indicators (such as annual number of patents granted).
- Presented in a handy format, with one page devoted to each country, Trade Profiles offers a concise overview of global trade.
|
WTO Bookshop
(2009) |
World Tariff Profiles
2009 – Statistics
ENGLISH |
- World Tariff Profiles provides invaluable information on market access. The listing of the tariffs imposed by each WTO member on its imports is complemented with an analysis of the market access conditions it faces in its major export markets |
WTO Bookshop
(2009) |
A Handbook of
Anti-Dumping
Investigations
ENGLISH |
- This handbook covers the major areas arising in anti-dumping investigations as embodied in the relevant WTO provisions, providing an exposition of well-sourced information, explanations and guidance for grasping the intricacies of antidumping proceedings.
|
WTO Bookshop
(2003)
(not gratitude) |
World Trade Report 2009
Trade policy commitments
and contingency measures
ENGLISH |
The World Trade Report is an annual publication that aims to deepen understanding about trends in trade, trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system.
The theme of this year’s Report is “Trade policy commitments and contingency measures”.
The Report examines the range of contingency measures available in trade agreements and the role that these measures play.
Also referred to as escape clauses or safety valves, these measures allow governments a certain degree of flexibility within their trade commitments and can be used to address circumstances that could not have been foreseen when a trade commitment was made.
Contingency measures seek to strike a balance between commitments and flexibility. Too much flexibility may undermine the value of commitments, but too little may render the rules unsustainable.
The tension between credible commitments and flexibility is often close to the surface during trade negotiations.
For example, in the July 2008 mini-ministerial meeting, which sought to agree negotiating modalities – or a final blueprint – for agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA), the question of a 'special safeguard mechanism' (the extent to which developing countries would be allowed to protect farmers from import surges) was crucial to the discussions.
One of the main objectives of this Report is to analyze whether WTO provisions provide a balance between supplying governments with necessary flexibility to face difficult economic situations and adequately defining them in a way that limits their use for protectionist purposes.
In analysing this question, the Report focuses primarily on contingency measures available to WTO members when importing and exporting goods.
These measures include the use of safeguards, such as
- tariffs and quotas, in specified circumstances,
- anti-dumping duties on goods that are deemed to be “dumped”, and
- countervailing duties imposed to offset subsidies.
- The Report also discusses alternative policy options, including
- the renegotiation of tariff commitments,
- the use of export taxes,
- and increases in tariffs up to their legal maximum ceiling or binding.
The analysis includes consideration of legal, economic and political economy factors that influence the use of these measures and their associated benefits and costs. |
WTO Bookshop
(2009) |
ENGLISH |
Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (TBT)
- TBT tries to ensure that regulations, standards, testing and certification procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles.
- However, the agreement also recognizes countries’ rights to adopt the standards they consider appropriate — for example, for human, animal or plant life or health, for the protection of the environment or to meet other consumer interests. Moreover, members are not prevented from taking measures necessary to ensure their standards are met. But that is counterbalanced with disciplines. A myriad of regulations can be a nightmare for manufacturers and exporters. Life can be simpler if governments apply international standards, and the agreement encourages them to do so In any case, whatever regulations they use should not discriminate.
- The agreement also sets out a code of good practice for both governments and non-governmental or industry bodies to prepare, adopt and apply voluntary standards. Over 200 standards-setting bodies apply the code.
- The agreement says the procedures used to decide whether a product conforms with revelant standards have to be fair and equitable. It discourages any methods that would give domestically produced goods an unfair advantage. The agreement also encourages countries to recognize each other’s procedures for assessing whether a product conforms. Without recognition, products might have to be tested twice, first by the exporting country and then by the importing country.
- Manufacturers and exporters need to know what the latest standards are in their prospective markets. To help ensure that this information is made available conveniently, all WTO member governments are required to establish national enquiry points and to keep each other informed through the WTO — around 900 new or changed regulations are notified each year. The Technical Barriers to Trade Committee is the major clearing house for members to share the information and the major forum to discuss concerns about the regulations and their implementation.
|
WTO (2010) |
ENGLISH |
Special and Differential Treatment Provision (S&D)
- The WTO Agreement contains provisions which give developing countries special rights. These are called “special and differential treatment” (S&D) provisions.
- Under existing S&D provisions, WTO Members provide developing country Members with technical assistance and transitional arrangements toward implementation of the WTO Agreement. S&D provisions also enable Members to provide developing country Members with better-than-most favoured nation (MFN) access to markets.
|
WTO (2010) |
WTO Annual Report 2010
ENGLISH |
The 2010 WTO Annual Report provides a brief summary of the organization and a detailed review of its activities in 2009. It also includes a personal message from the Director-General, who reflects on the events of 2009, the impact of the financial crisis and the challenges that lie ahead.
|
WTO Bookshop (2010) |
Aid for Trade at a Glance 2009: Maintaining Momentum
ENGLISH |
Numerous barriers prevent developing countries — in particular, the least developed — from taking advantage of trade opportunities that could help them reduce poverty. The Aid for Trade initiative has successfully built awareness of the support these countries need to surmount these barriers.
As a result, more and more developing countries are raising the profile of trade issues in their development strategies, and donors are responding by increasing the resources they provide to build trade capacity in areas such as policy, institutions and infrastructure.
This Aid for Trade monitoring report — the second of its kind — documents the success of the initiative to date. It examines trends and developments and presents a comprehensive analysis of donor and partner country engagement. In addition, it addresses the regional dimension of Aid for Trade and showcases three cross-border infrastructure projects. Finally, the report provides fact sheets that help in assessing the outcomes and impacts of Aid for Trade.
|
WTO Bookshop (2009) |
Trade and Climate Change
ENGLISH |
What do we know about climate change? What is the relationship between trade and climate change? How does trade affect greenhouse gas emissions and can more open trade help to address climate change? What is the range of national measures that can contribute to global mitigation efforts? These are just some of the questions discussed by this report by the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The Report aims to improve understanding about the linkages between trade and climate change. It shows that trade intersects with climate change in a multitude of ways. For example, governments may introduce a variety of policies, such as regulatory measures and economic incentives, to address climate change. This complex web of measures may have an impact on international trade and the multilateral trading system.
|
WTO Bookshop (2009) |
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-page case summaries
ENGLISH |
The publication attempts to summarize on a single page the core facts and substantive findings contained in the adopted panel and, where applicable, Appellate Body reports for each decided case. Where relevant, the publication also summarizes key findings on significant procedural matters. Other matters of particular significance raised during the proceedings are listed in the accompanying footnotes to each case. The index enables readers to search the disputes by articles and by WTO agreement. The publication has been prepared by the Legal Affairs Division of the WTO with special assistance from the Rules Division and the Appellate Body Secretariat. |
WTO Bookshop (2010) |
Trade Profiles 2010
ENGLISH |
Trade Profiles provides a country-by-country breakdown of trade flows and trade policy measures for WTO members and countries seeking to join the WTO. With information provided in a standardized format for each country, this publication is an invaluable quick reference tool for anyone looking for essential trade statistics.
The data provided for each country includes basic economic indicators (such as GDP), trade policy indicators (such as tariffs and import duties), merchandise trade flows (broken down by broad product categories and major origins and destinations), commercial trade flows (with a breakdown by major components) and industrial property indicators (such as annual number of patents granted). Presented in a handy format, with one page devoted to each country, Trade Profiles offers a concise overview of global trade.
|
WTO Bookshop (2010) |
Consumer Conscience: how environment and ethics are influencing exports
ENGLISH |
This report on the ITC World Export Development Forum on Consumers, Ethics and Environment (October 2008), reflects on what ethical trade means, the growth in the global fair trade and ethical markets, how entrepreneurs in developing countries can break into these markets, and what trade support institutions and governments should be doing to help ethical traders. It considers the bottom line for every topic discussed: how to use ethical trade as a tool to raise standards of living for everyone involved. |
ITC (2009) |
Secrets of electronic commerce: a guide for small and medium-sized exporters (second edition)
ENGLISH |
Part of ITC’s Trade Secrets series, this book provides extensive information, resources and advice on electronic commerce. The guide’s question and answer format allows users to focus on areas of particular interest, while at the same time covering the myriad issues linked to selling and buying via the Internet
|
ITC (2009) |
Export Promotion and the WTO: a brief guide
ENGLISH |
This study focuses on export promotion schemes that developing countries may use without violating international trade rules. It examines the rules themselves – the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures for industrial goods and the Agreement on Agriculture for agricultural products – and looks at schemes currently in place in the developing world. |
ITC (2009) |
Guide to geographical indications: linking products and their origins
ENGLISH |
With only 10% of the world’s protected geographical indications coming from developing countries, there is great potential to use this tool to reduce poverty through trade. This is the first book targeted to the business sector in developing countries on this topic. It draws from eight case studies and 200 published reports to provide valuable insights on how to set up and monitor geographical indications, share costs and benefits, and interpret legal frameworks.
|
ITC (2009) |
How to access trade finance: a guide for exporting SMEs
ENGLISH |
This guide helps small exporters understand how to obtain finance, outlining the credit process of financial institutions, pre-application preparation, finding appropriate lenders and loan repayment. Models for business plans and loan requests are included. The guide also examines barriers to finance for small firms, and what financial institutions perceive as lending risks |
ITC (2009) |
Model Contracts for small firms: legal guidance for doing international business
ENGLISH |
Small and medium-sized enterprises, the backbone of many economies, did nearly all their business within national borders until just a few decades ago. Now they are exporting to and importing from all corners of the world. But most small firms do not have access to the legal advice they need at the best of times, and even less so in the current economic climate when they are under pressure to cut costs. To meet this challenge, the International Trade Centre (ITC) set up a network of top trade lawyers to create this series of model contracts that take into account the increasing sophistication of international trade transactions, incorporate internationally recognized standards and best practices, and still try to make things as simple as they can be in a global context.
|
ITC (2010) |
VIETNAMESE |
|
MoIT (2009) |
Export Promotion and the WTO
ENGLISH |
This study focuses on export promotion schemes that developing countries may use without violating international trade rules. It examines the rules themselves – the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures for industrial goods and the Agreement on Agriculture for agricultural products – and looks at schemes currently in place in the developing world.
Key words: Export promotion, subsidies, Agreement of Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, Agreement on Agriculture, World Trade Organization (WTO).
|
WTO-2009 |
Market Access, Transparency and Fairness in Global Trade: Export Impact for Good
ENGLISH |
This new International Trade Centre report on market access, transparency and fairness in global trade concludes that ‘market access begins at home’. It argues that further reducing barriers to trade between developing countries needs to be an essential part of the way forward. The report is the first of an annual series on market access issues and focuses on reducing global poverty by improving market entry and trade transparency for developing countries. In this report, ITC has applied a new methodology offering more accurate estimates of global poverty distribution and the impact of export growth on poverty. |
ITC-2010 |
World Tariff Profiles 2011
ENGLISH |
Annual publication providing a comprehensive picture of tariff profiles from around the world in an abridged format - shows summary statistics for all WTO Members and other countries and customs territories for all products, as well as broken down by agricultural products and non-agricultural products, allowing a cross-country comparison as well as a comparison of the levels of bound and applied duties; provides for each of these countries and territories, one full page with disaggregations by sectors and duty ranges; contains a section on the market access conditions faced in their respective major export markets; also includes data sources and articles which discuss in more detail issues related to the calculation of ad valorem equivalents (AVEs) and to different aggregation methods for tariff averages.
|
ITC (2011) |
