home > the wto > ministerials > geneva 2011 > briefing notes

Other WTO Ministerials:
> Geneva 30 Nov. - 2 Dec. 2009
> Hong Kong 13–18 Dec 2005
> Cancún 10–14 Sept. 2003
> Doha 9–14 Nov. 2001
> Seattle 30 Nov.–3 Dec. 1999
> Geneva 18 & 20 May 1998
> Singapore 9–13 Dec. 1996

MINISTERIAL CONFERENCES

Briefing notes for the Eighth Ministerial Conference

These briefing notes are designed to provide background information on issues revelant to the Ministerial Conference. While every effort has been made to ensure the contents are accurate, they are not legal interpretations of the WTO agreements, nor do they prejudice member governments’ positions

Ministerial Conference issues

• Accessions
• How the accession process works
• Montenegro
• Russia
• Samoa
  

• Electronic commerce
    
• Food security
    
• Government Procurement Agreement
    
• Intellectual property
  • Giving least developed countries’ more time. News with explanation and background
  • Moratorium on non-violation cases. News with explanation and background
      
• Least-developed countries
• Accessions:
• Intellectual property: see above and least developed countries’ priority needs in intellectual property
• Services waiver
    
• Small, vulnerable economies
    
• Trade monitoring

WTO current issues

• Agriculture (including negotiations and cotton)
• Aid for trade
• Dispute settlement and negotiations
• Intellectual property (TRIPS)
• Negotiations: the Doha Development Agenda
• Regional trade agreements and negotiations
• Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures
• Trade and development
• Trade and finance
• Trade and environment
• Trade remedies: anti-dumping, safeguards, subsidies, and negotiations on rules and fisheries subsidies