Briefing notes on the ministerial and the main issues

These briefing notes describe the situation as it exists at the time of going to press (mid October 2001).

They are designed to help journalists and the public understand the key issues of the Doha Ministerial Conference. While every effort has been made to ensure the contents are accurate, they are not legal interpretations of the WTO agreements, nor do they prejudice member governments’ positions in the conference and in future negotiations.

Past WTO Ministerials:
> Seattle, 1999
> Geneva, 1998
> Singapore, 1996
 

Further information:
> 10 Benefits of the WTO
> 10 Common Misunderstandings about the WTO
> The WTO in brief
> Understanding the WTO:
Introduction to the WTO
 

Director-General’s letter to journalists

Background
The Doha “Ministerial”

Least-developed countries (LDCs)
Towards free market access for least-developed countries

Agriculture
Current negotiations, implementation, and Doha

Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures
Food safety, etc

Trade in services
The work programme and the current negotiations

Implementation issues
Central to WTO future work programme

Intellectual property (TRIPS)
Negotiations, implementation and TRIPS Council work

Textiles and clothing
Nearing the penultimate stage

Information technology (IT) products
Free trade for a dynamic trade sector

Trade and environment
The Trade and Environment Committee, and Doha preparations 

Trade and investment
Negotiate, or continue to study? 

Trade and competition policy
Working group set up by Singapore Ministerial

Transparency in government procurement
Applying the fundamental WTO principle of transparency to how governments buy goods and services 

Trade facilitation
Cutting red tape at the border

Trade and labour standards
A difficult issue for many WTO member governments 

Disputes
The dispute settlement system

Electronic commerce
Work programme

Members and accession
Becoming a member of the WTO

Regional trade agreements
Regionalism and the multilateral trading system 

Some facts and figures
Data for Doha

Glossary of terms
An informal press guide to ‘WTO speak’

See: Guide to downloading files