The World Trade Supranational Organization

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

A supranational organization is a universal political institution composed of several countries that waive power to the institution (Martinez 99). These organizations are associations formed by states seeking to realize their mutual goals (Martinez 106). The governments of these countries erect administrative structures that labor to accomplish these aims, by entrusting power to particular authorities (Martinez 106). They also establish financial, economic, and military alliances to help drive the agenda of the institution as a whole (Martinez 107). This essay is a discussion of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a supranational organization, its headquarters location, purpose, significant activities, as well as membership requirements.

Body

Background of the WTO: Headquarters Location

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a universal entity with supranational aspects, inaugurated on 1 January 1995 – approximately twenty years ago (Sek 1). In 1994, 123 countries signed the Marrakech Agreement to authenticate and set WTO in motion, thereby substituting the 1948 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). WTO has an international working scope, and its official languages are English, Spanish, and French (Sek 2). The WTO headquarters location is at Geneva, Switzerland, in the Centre William Rappard building, along the Rue de Lausanne 154 Street.

Purpose of WTO

The WTO pilots and governs world trade rules, by promoting and endorsing liberal trade (Sek 2). Liberal trade refers to commerce proceedings that are free of any barriers such as bias, prejudice, racism, discrimination, partisanship, favoritism, and corruption. The organization certifies international trade agreements and policies, which supervise the trade of services, goods, and intellectual property (Sek 2). WTO also partakes in dispute resolution in business proceedings. It employs diplomatic means to resolve disputes and ease trade negotiations. It also develops directives to protect the consumers from unbalanced transactions (Sek 3). These directives are all protective measures, which the member states devise and appoint.

Current and Most Significant Activities of the WTO

The principal activities of the WTO mainly include dispute resolution. The Ministerial Committee of the WTO assembles every two years to make decisions by consensus and resolve any conflicts brought forth (Bronckers and Baetens 290). One of the ways it does this is by declaring trade sanctions to any country, which impose unreasonable customs duty on other states. Currently, WTO is involved in a dispute settlement between Chinese Taipei as the complainant and Indonesia as the respondent (Bronckers and Baetens 292). On 12 February 2015, Chinese Taipei made requests for dialog with Indonesia, claiming that Indonesia had imposed unsustainable safeguard procedures on the importation of some steel and iron items. The measures were contrary to the trade agreements signed (Bronckers and Baetens 293).

Membership Requirements

Entry into the WTO first necessitates that a state should president over its trade policies (Bronckers and Baetens 295.). There are four steps to attain membership. First, the candidate country presents an application to the WTO working committee comprising of its economic and trade policies (Sek 5). Step 2 is for the candidate to broker Bilateral Trade Agreements with countries party to the organization, to enable free trade. Step 3 is for the WTO working committee makes a draft of the protocol of accession and the terms of agreements (Sek 6). Finally, two-thirds of the WTO state members have to approve this contract, and after approval, the candidate becomes a member.

Conclusion

The WTO is a supranational body that governs trade activities globally (Martinez 100). It contracts trade agreements, resolves dispute among member states and issues sanctions against those overstepping trade policies. It aims at trade opening for importers, producers, exporters, and consumers alike (Sek 4). The trade agreements, devised and ratified by member governments, define the organization’s activities. Nonetheless, some nations oppose these agreements and policies put across as they claim they limit the sovereignty of a nation (Martinez 125).

Works Cited

Bronckers, Marco and Freya Baetens. “Reconsidering financial remedies in WTO dispute settlement.” Journal of International Economic Law 16.2 (2013): 281-311. Print.

Martinez, Magdalena. National Sovereignty and International Organizations, The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1996. Print.

Sek, Lenore. The World Trade Organization: Background and Issues, Washington D.C.: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 2001. Print.

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