IGOs in which the WTO regularly or occasionally participates as an observer

IGOs in which the WTO has an observer status (1)

African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Basel Convention
International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Latin American Economic System (SELA)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)
United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD)
World Customs Organization (WCO)
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
World Bank (WB)
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
World Health Organization (WHO)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
International Grains Council (IGC)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)
International Trade Centre (ITC)
Montreal Protocol
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Rotterdam Convention
Stockholm Convention
United Nations (UN)
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

 

Note:
1. IGOs in which the WTO regularly or occasionally participates as an observer.
However, other IGOs have offered the WTO observer status when requesting their own observer status in the WTO. Indeed, the GC decision on Observer Status for International Intergovernmental Organizations in the WTO (WT/L/161 of July 1996) indicates in Annex 3 that WTO Bodies should consider requests for observer status on a case-by-case basis, taking into account inter alia “reciprocity with respect to access to proceedings, documents and other aspects of observership”. The list should thus include at a minimum APCC, IICA, IGC, OIRSA, OIV, WFP. back to text