Understanding the WTO

The first step is to talk.

Essentially, the WTO is a place where member governments go, to try to sort out the trade problems they face with each other.

At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations.

But the WTO is not just about liberalizing trade, and in some circumstances its rules support maintaining trade barriers — for example to protect consumers or prevent the spread of disease.

Source: www.wto.org