Since its inception in 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has arbitrated trade disputes between its members in part by deciding whether unilateral actions by its 134 member nations such as trade bans or restrictions violate international free trade rules and authorizing penalties against members that are found to be noncompliant with such rules. The WTO is criticized by those who believe ...

In November 2002, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Africa’s major free trade bloc, applied to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the right to manufacture low-cost drugs to treat AIDS. The Secretary General of the Organization Erastus Mwencha, in announcing this move, said that drugs must be cheaper as the world could not continue to see people dying for the sake o...

The common spiny mouse Acomys cahirinus, of Ethiopian origin, has a widespread distribution across arid, semi-arid and Mediterranean parts of the Arabian sub-region. We compared the daily energy expenditure (DEE), water turnover (WTO) and sustained metabolic scope (SusMS=DEE/resting metabolic rate) of two adjacent populations during the winter. Mice were captured from North- and South- facing s...

This paper attempts to study the usage of the GATT/WTO dispute settlement mechanism and to explain its patterns across different regimes and decades, using a unified theoretical model. This study first explores the role of the degree of legal controversy over a panel ruling in determining countries’ incentives to block/appeal a panel report under the GATT/WTO regime. The model is able to explai...

Paragraph 31(iii) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration mandates to the liberalization of environmental goods and services. This mandate offers a good opportunity to put climate-friendly goods and services on a fast track to liberalization. Agreement on this paragraph should represent one immediate contribution that the WTO can make to fight against climate change. This paper presents the key iss...

The paper argues that East Asian regionalism is fragile since (i) each nation’s industrial competitiveness depends on the smooth functioning of ‘Factory Asia’ – in particular on intra-regional trade; (ii) the unilateral tariff-cutting that created ‘Factory Asia’ is not subject to WTO discipline (bindings); (iii) there is no “top-level management” to substitute for WTO discipline, i.e. to ensure...

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organization (WTO) define sustainable tourism as a “„Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”. It requires informed participation of relevant stakeholders and strong political lead...

Trade is an essential part of economic development. The establishment of WTO is an important milestone in the history of international trade. India played an important role in establishment of GATT and then in establishment in WTO. India became the member of GATT in 1947 and started to play its part and now it’s an active member of WTO, the replacement of GATT, which came into effect on 1st Jan...

Leader changes induce changes in the pattern of protection and of filings of disputes at the WTO. Additionally, political institutions play an important modifying role. We offer a model that explains changes in trade policy and dispute onset induced by shifts in the sectors represented in government when leaders change. Democratic leaders are more likely to initiate WTO disputes than autocrats....

The authors discuss the various approaches to resolving trade disputes available to Member Countries of the OIE (World organisation for animal health). The paper first describes the rights and obligations of Member Countries in setting health measures for the importation of animals and animal products, according to the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Applicatio...