8/4/2019 The WTO Facilitates the Implementation

1/1

.The WTO facilitates the implementation, administration and operation, and furthers the objectives, of this Agreement and the Multilateral Trade Agreements, and also provide frameworkfor the implementation, administration and operation of the Plurilateral Trade Agreements.

2. The WTO provides the forum for negotiations among its members concerning their multilateral trade relations in matters dealt with under the agreements and a frameworkfor the implementation of the results of such negotiations, as may be decided by the Ministerial Conference.

3. The WTO a dministers the Understandings on Rules and Procedures governing the Settlement of Disputes.

4. The WTO administers the Trade Policy ReviewMechanism (TPRM).

5. With a view toachieving greater coherence in global e conomic policy-making, the WTO cooperates as appropriate, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) and its aff iliate agencies.

Four Basic Rules

1. Protection to Domestic Industry Through Tariffs:

a. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) covers international trade in goods. The workings of the GATT agreement are the responsibility of the Council for Trade in Goods (Goods Council) which is made up of representatives from all WTO member countries. GATT requires the member countries toprotect their domestic

industry/production through tariffs only.

b. It prohibits the use of quantitative restrictions, except in a limitednumber of situations.

2. Binding of Tariffs: The member countries are urgedto

a. Eliminate protection todomestic industry/ production by reducing tariffs and removing other barriers to trade in multilateral trade negotiations.

b. The reduced tariffs are bound against further increases by listing them in each country's national schedule.

c. The schedules are an integratedpart of the GATT legal system.

3. Most Favoured-Nation(MFN) Treatment:

a. The rule lays down the principles of non-discrimination amongst member countries.

b. Tariff and other regulations should be applied toimportedor exported goods without discrimination among countries.

c. Exceptions tothe rules i.e., regional arrangements subjectedto preferential or duty free trade agreements, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) where developed

countries apply preferential or duty free rates to imports from developing countries.

4. National Treatment Rule:

The rule prohibits member countries from discriminating between importedproducts and domestically produced like goods in the matter of internal taxes and in the application of internal regulations.