What is the WTO? The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.
FACT FILE
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Established: 1 January 1995
Created by: Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-94)
Membership: 151 countries on 27 July 2007
Budget: 182 million Swiss francs for 2007
Secretariat staff: 625
Head: Pascal Lamy (Director-General)
Functions: • Administering WTO trade agreements
• Forum for trade negotiations
• Handling trade disputes
• Monitoring national trade policies
• Technical assistance and training for developing countries
• Cooperation with other international organizations
Does the TRIPS agreement strike the right balance?
The speakers Celine Charveriat, head of Oxfam’s advocacy office in Geneva and Harvey Bale, Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association discuss whether the TRIPS agreement strikes the right balance between the rights of governments and the rights of patent holders. Each speaker has two minutes to make their case, followed by three and a half minutes of exchange and a 30-second summing up. The moderator is WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell.
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