THE 10 MISUNDERSTANDINGS
1.
WTO dictates?
2. Blindly for
trade?
3. Ignores
development?
4. Anti-green?
5. Anti-health?
6. Wrecks jobs?
7.
Small left out?
8. Tool of lobbies?
9. Weak forced to
join?
10. Undemocratic?
See
also
> The
WTO in Brief
> 10
benefits
> Understanding
the WTO
|
Everyone has to follow the same rules
In
recent years, developing countries have become considerably more
active in WTO negotiations, submitting an unprecedented number of
proposals in the agriculture talks, and working actively on the
ministerial declarations and decisions issued in Doha, Qatar, in
November 2001. They expressed satisfaction with the process leading to
the Doha declarations. All of this bears testimony to their confidence
in the system.
At
the same time, the present rules are the result of multilateral
negotiations (i.e. negotiations involving all members of GATT, the
WTO’s predecessor). The most recent completed negotiation, the
Uruguay Round (1986–94), was only possible because developed
countries agreed to reform trade in textiles and agriculture — both
issues were important for developing countries.
In
short, In the WTO trading system, everyone has to follow the same
rules.
As
a result, in the WTO’s dispute settlement procedure, developing
countries have successfully challenged some actions taken by developed
countries. Without the WTO, these smaller countries would have been
powerless to act against their more powerful trading partners.
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