The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is a global international organisation that administers trade policies, laws and procedures between nations. Through WTO, members negotiate, revise, and enforce the rules that govern the multilateral trading system in cooperation with the United Nations System. The WTO agreements cover goods (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade - GATT plus Specific Agreements), services and intellectual property (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)).
Tanzania joined WTO on the 1st of January 1995, pursuant to the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement, thus replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that had been established in 1948. Tanzania was also a member of GATT since 9 December 1961.
By being a member of WTO, Tanzania voices her position in developing rules and principles that govern the multilateral trading system. Such rules and principles include: the Most-favoured-nation (MFN), National Treatment (treating foreigners and locals equally), Transparency, Prohibition of Quantitative Restrictions (Market Access), Tariff Concessions (binding) and Specific Commitments (services). Furthermore, WTO members offer LDCs greater market access opportunities, policy flexibility in implementing WTO rules and targeted technical assistance to strengthen trade capacity to support LDC integration into global trade.
Tanzania participates in the WTO negotiations through various negotiating groups with similar goals and interests. These groups include the African Countries Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP); Least Developed Countries (LDCs); and the G33 Group.
Tanzania’s emphasis on economic diplomacy means more focus and enhanced participation in the activities of WTO. Tanzania also reaffirms the African countries vision and approach on the necessary institutional and rules-based reforms to fairly address trade-related concerns of developing countries
The WTO’s top-level decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference, which usually meets every two years. Between the Ministerial Conferences, the General Council (GC), composed of all Member States (normally represented by ambassadors and heads of delegation in Geneva, and sometimes officials sent from members' capitals), manages the work of the organisation on an on-going basis.
The GC meets several times a year in the Geneva headquarters (The General Council also meets as the Trade Policy Review Body and the Dispute Settlement Body). Technical negotiations are undertaken in the Goods Council, Services Council and Intellectual Property (TRIPS). Negotiation meetings of numerous specialised committees, working groups and working parties deal with individual agreements and other areas such as environment, development and regional trade agreements and finally the report is submitted to the specific Council for adoption.
The WTO General Council on 29 November, 2013. Credit: South African Institute of International Affairs
