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3rd WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
About the Seattle meeting
These briefing notes describe the situation as it existed at the end of October 1999, prior to the Ministerial Conference of 30 November to 3 December.
They are designed to help journalists and the public understand the key issues of the Seattle 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 in the conference and in future negotiations.
SEE ALSO:
> Other ministerial meetings
Contents
Director-General’s
message
Seattle Ministerial Conference must deliver for the poorest, says Moore
Background
The Seattle “ministerial”
Built-in
Agenda
Work set out in existing agreements
The
WTO agreements and developing countries
Problems with implementation
Least-developed
countries
WTO DG Moore seeks package for poorest states
Agriculture
(1)
The issues
Agriculture
(2)
Some agricultural trade statistics
Sanitary
and phytosanitary (SPS) measures
Food safety, etc
Services
Rules for growth and investment
Intellectual property (TRIPS)
Negotiations, implementation and TRIPS Council work
Textiles
and clothing
Half-way point of agreement’s implementation
Information
technology products
Free trade dawns for a dynamic sector
Trade
and environment
Work of the Trade and Environment Committee
Trade
and investment
Negotiate, or continue to study?
Trade facilitation
Cutting red tape at the border
Trade
and competition policy
Working group set up by Singapore ministerial
Transparency
in government procurement
Applying a fundamental WTO principle on how governments buy goods and services
Trade
and labour standards
Subject of intense debate
Disputes
(1)
Review of the dispute settlement understanding
Disputes
(2)
Disputes facts and stats
Electronic
commerce
Work programme reflects growing importance
Members
and accessions
Becoming a member of the WTO
Some
facts and figures
Stats for Seattle
Glossary
of terms
An informal guide to ‘WTO speak’
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Word format (73 pages, 380 KB)
- PDF format (73 pages, 746 KB)