The World Trade Organization (WTO) came into existence in 1995. It has one hundred and fifty-one (151) Members, and is the main multilateral organization responsible for the regulation of international trade. This course will provide an introduction to the fundamental rules and principles of the WTO, and where necessary, related trade agreements. It is not, however, intended to be exhaustive. It should be beneficial to those seeking an understanding of the rules-based system of the WTO, as part of a broader concern for the role of international organizations in the regulation of international economic relations in general, and their implications for developing countries, in particular.
The course will first examine the legal institutional/constitutional structure of the WTO (including accession issues), followed by an examination of the basic theory of trade liberalisation, and the related core obligations of the two most important WTO Agreements regulating trade in goods and services – the GATT and GATS, respectively. In addition, the Agreements on Agriculture, Anti- Dumping, Safeguards, as well as the General Exceptions to the GATT and GATT/GATS and the Dispute Settlement Understanding will be examined in sufficient detail.
Throughout, the rules, principles and functioning of the WTO will be discussed and analysed in their legal, economic and political contexts – emphasising both law and policy issues.