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.
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The organizations
> In WTO
legal texts
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Main partners
Collaboration with these IGOs is mandated in WTO legal texts:
Codex, FAO, ILO, IMF, ITC, ITU, OECD, OIE, UN, UNCTAD, UNEP, WB, WCO, WHO, WIPO
See also:
> Official
Web Locator for the UN System
News
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Background explanations
- 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
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, November 1996, “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 article III.
- 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 back to top
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
The WTO also has working relations with many other organizations. Here, these are listed according to the Secretariat divisions that work with them.
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Cooperation, by subject
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
Technical barriers to trade and standards (TBT)
- TBT section of the WTO website
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Organizations with observer status in the Technical Barriers to Trade Committee
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
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, Government Procurement and Competition 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, Government Procurement and Competition Division has a working relationship
- Organizations with observer status in the WTO's Committee on Government Procurement
Training and technical cooperation
See also:
NGO gateway: participation of NGOs in WTO Ministerials and Public symposium, and documents submitted to WTO by NGOs.
WTO co-publications with other IGOs
- World Tariff Profiles, co-published annually with ITC and UNCTAD
- Making Trade Work for the Environment, Prosperity and Resilience, co-published with UNE
- Trade and Poverty Reduction: New Evidence of Impacts in Developing Countries, co-published with the World Bank
- Global Value Chain Development Report 2017, co-published with the World Bank, IDE-JETRO, OECD and RCGVC
- Investing in Skills for Inclusive Trade, co-published with ILO
- Aid for Trade at a Glance 2017: Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable Development, co-published with OECD
- An Advanced Guide to Trade Policy Analysis: The Structural Gravity Model, co-published with UNCTAD
- CITES and the WTO: Enhancing Cooperation for Sustainable Development, co-published with CITES
- The Role of Trade in Ending Poverty, co-published with the World Bank
- Aid for Trade at a Glance 2015: Reducing Trade Costs for Inclusive, Sustainable Growth, co-published with OECD
- Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation: Intersections between Public Health, Intellectual Property and Trade, co-published with WHO and WIPO
- Aid for Trade at a Glance 2013: Connecting to Value Chains, co-published with OECD
- Aid for Trade in Action, co-published with OECD
- Making Globalization Socially Sustainable, co-published with ILO
- A Practical Guide to Trade Policy Analysis, co-published with UNCTAD
- Aid for Trade at a Glance 2011: Showing Results, co-published with OECD
- Aid for Trade at a Glance 2009: Maintaining Momentum, co-published with OECD
- Globalization and Informal Jobs in Developing Countries, co-published with ILO
- WTO Agreements & Public Health, co-published with WHO
Observers in the WTO:
International
intergovernmental organizations granted observer status to WTO bodies