Work with Other International Organizations

WORK WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The WTO and other organizations

The WTO works with a number of other international governmental organizations under the banner of “coherence”, a term originating in the “Decision on achieving greater coherence in global economic policy-making”, which ministers agreed in Marrakesh, April 1994. But coherence in global economic policy-making goes much beyond the WTO's formal and specific cooperation arrangements with the IMF and the World Bank. Indeed, it is now recognized that the WTO system is only one part of a much broader set of international rights and obligations that bind WTO Members. The WTO maintains extensive institutional relations with several other international organizations; there are some 140 international organisations that have observer status in WTO bodies. The WTO also participates as observer in the work of several international organizations. In all, the WTO Secretariat maintains working relations with almost 200 international organisations in activities ranging from statistics, research, standard-setting, and technical assistance and training. Although the extent of such cooperation varies, coordination and coherence between the work of the WTO and that of other international organizations continues to evolve so as to assist Members in the operation of their economic policies.

News backtotop

· 3May2012: Three organizations collaborate to help developing countries handle trade litigation

· 23March2012: WTO, WIPO hold fourth course on intellectual property for government officials
News item
Activity sheet for the course (coming soon)

· 10January2012: Agencies, donors boost coordination on food safety, animal and plant health aid

More news on the WTO and other organizations

Background explanations backtotop

· The WTO in global economic policy-making

· Multimedia presentation on the coherence mandate

· Discussion paper: Fulfilling the Marrakesh Mandate on Coherence: Ten Years of Cooperation between the WTO, IMF and World Bank

The mandate backtotop

The desire of WTO member countries for greater coherence in global economic policy-making through closer cooperation between the WTO, World Bank and IMF is expressed in a number of Agreements, Ministerial Declarations and Decisions:

· General Council decision, November1996, “Agreements between the WTO, IMF and World Bank”

· “Agreement establishing the WTO from the Uruguay Round Final Act” Browse or download from the Legal texts gateway. See articleIII.

· Summary of the “Decision on achieving greater coherence in global economic policy-making” from the Uruguay Round Final Act.

· “Declaration on the Contribution of the World Trade Organization to Achieving Greater Coherence in Global Economic Policymaking”, from the Uruguay Round Final Act. Browse or download on the legal texts gateway.

· “Declaration on the Relationship of the World Trade Organization with the International Monetary Fund”, from the Uruguay Round Final Act. Browse or download on the legal texts gateway.

Organizations mentioned in WTO legal texts backtotop

Cooperation between these organizations and the WTO is specifically mandated in WTO agreements, ministerial declarations or decisions, or General Council decisions

· Codex Alimentarius (joint FAO/WHO)

· Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

· International Labour Organization (ILO)

· International Monetary Fund (IMF)

· International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) (hosted by FAO)

· International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

· International Trade Centre (ITC)

· Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

· United Nations (UN)

· United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

· United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

· World Bank (WB)

· Word Customs Organization (WCO)

· World Health Organization (WHO)

· World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)

· World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Other organizations backtotop

The WTO also has working relations with many other organizations. Here, these are listed according to the Secretariat divisions that work with them.

Cooperation, by subject backtotop

Agriculture

· Organizations working with WTO's Agriculture and Commodities Division

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO Committee on Agriculture

· Cooperation on food security

Development

· Development section of the WTO website:
detailed information on cooperation between multilateral organizations on development. Includes “coherence” work with World Bank and IMF, “Integrated Framework” for trade-related technical assistance to least-developed countries,“ Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP)” also for least-developed countries

· Aid for trade

· Organizations working with WTO's development division

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO Committee on Trade and Development

· WTO and Millennium Development Goals

Environment

· Environment section of the WTO website:
section on observers and cooperation

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment

· The Doha mandate on multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs)

· Events on environment

· Organizations working with WTO's Trade and Environment Division

Food safety, animal and plant health (SPS)

· SPS section of the WTO website: The SPS Agreement refers to the international standards of the “three sisters” — Codex Alimentarius (for food), the World Organization for Animal Health, and International Plant Protection Convention — and the SPS Committee works closely with them.

· Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF): a joint initiative of the World Trade Organization, World Health Organization, World Bank, World Organization for Animal Health, and Food and Agriculture Organization

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO SPS Committee

· Organizations with which the WTO Agriculture and Commodities division has a working relationship

Market access

· WTO cooperates regularly with the World Customs Organization (WCO)

· ITC market access map

· Organizations with observer status in the Market Access Committee

· Organizations with which the WTO Market Access division has a working relationship

Services

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO Council on Services

· Organizations with which the WTO's Trade in Services Division has a working relationship

Trade facilitation

· Cooperation with the World Customs Organization

· Trade facilitation section of the WTO website: events

· Organizations with which the WTO's Trade and Finance and Trade Facilitation Division has a working relationship

Trade Finance

· Trade finance gateway

Economic Research and Statistics

· Statistics section of the WTO website

· Organizations with which the WTO's Economic Research and Statistics Division has a working relationship

· Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (joint project with EU, IMF, OECD, UNCTAD, UN)

· Inter-agency Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics

· Inter-agency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services

Intellectual property

· Intellectual Property section of the WTO website:
collaboration with WIPO and other organizations

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO's TRIPS Council

· Organizations with which the WTO's Intellectual Property Division has a working relationship

· WHO-WIPO-WTO cooperation on intellectual property and public health

Trade Policy Review

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO's Trade Policy Review Body

· Organizations with which the WTO's Trade Policy Review Division has a working relationship

Government procurement

· Event — joint WTO-World Bank workshop on government procurement, 2003

· Organizations with which the WTO's Intellectual Property Division has a working relationship

· Organizations with observer status in the WTO's Committee on Government Procurement

Training and technical cooperation

· Global Technical Assistance Database (GTAD)

· Cooperation with the WCO on technical assistance