Ex. 11. Answer the questions.

1. What is the UN?

2. What are the main goals of the UN?

3. What role does the UN play?

4. Who coined the term “United Nations”?
5. When was the first formal use of the term “United Nations”?

6. Why was the UN founded?

7. What organization did the UN replace?

8. How many nations were at the conference in San Francisco in 1945?
9. Why are there 51 founders of the UN instead of 50?
10. What country was not represented at the conference?

11. What are the principal organs of the UN?

12. How many nations are there in the UN at present?

13. What are the official languages of the UN?

14. Where is the Court of Justice seated?
15. When and where was the United Nations headquarters building constructed?
16. Who donated this construction?
17. Who designed the United Nations headquarters building?

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), its goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business. This international organization accomplishes¹ this mainly by helping countries establish and agree upon trade rules. Without such an organization, it is likely that trade relations between foreign entities could be difficult, unfair², and inconsistent³.

The World Trade Organization was created in 1995 and has three official languages: French, English and Spanish. The organization has hundreds of members around the globe, however, and aims to work in the best interest of all of them. Most decisions made by the WTO are matters of consensus⁴. This means that all members agree upon them.

A trade agreement usually contains both the rights and obligations of the agreeing parties. WTO agreements can generally be divided into two categories. Multilateral agreements refer to those that all World Trade Organization members have agreed to. Plurilateral agreements are those that only some members have agreed to.

Different countries tend to have different cultures. Many people in business realize that culture can be a major factor in determining how affairs are conducted. Other factors such as previous experiences, both good and bad, can determine⁵ the business decisions that are made. These are just two of many examples of factors that could cause trade barriers or trade inconsistencies if such business arrangements were left to the whim⁶ of individuals.

One thing that the World Trade Organization aims to do is normalize trade. This means that certain practices should be kept consistent⁷. For example, the organization may secure agreements among trade partners that prevent politics from playing a role in the initiation or rise of tariffs.

In addition to easing trade transactions, the World Trade Organization also aims to eliminate discrimination from international exchange. This can produce the dual benefits of allowing producers access to foreign markets and allowing consumers access to foreign goods. This can also prevent substantial economic growth for some while economic growth is unfairly or unethically inhibited for others.

Another duty of the World Trade Organization is to act as a monitoring agency. This means the organization seeks to ensure that agreeing parties uphold⁸ their decisions. Members often have a great deal of liberty and flexibility to form their own policies, despite the agreements they sign. The WTO is governed by a ministerial conference, meeting every two years; a general council, which implements the conference's policy decisions and is responsible for day-to-day administration; and a director-general, who is appointed by the ministerial conference. The WTO may review national policies and work with members on areas that may inhibit⁹ trade, smother growth, or potentially violate agreements.

Functions

Among the various functions of the WTO, these are regarded by analysts as the most important:

· It oversees the implementation, administration and operation of the covered agreements.

· It provides a forum for negotiations and for settling disputes.

Additionally, it is the WTO's duty to review and propagate the national trade policies, and to ensure the coherence and transparency of trade policies through surveillance in global economic policy-making. Another priority of the WTO is the assistance of developing, least-developed and low-income countries in transition to adjust to WTO rules and disciplines through technical cooperation and training.

The WTO is also a center of economic research and analysis: regular assessments of the global trade picture in its annual publications and research reports on specific topics are produced by the organization. Finally, the WTO cooperates closely with the two other components of the Bretton Woods system, the IMF and the World Bank.

The WTO has 153 members, representing more than 97% of the world's population, and 31 observers. In addition to states, the European Union is also a member. WTO members do not have to be full sovereign nation-members. Instead, they must be a customs territory with full autonomy in the conduct of their external commercial relations.

The WTO's headquarters is at the Centre William Rappard, Geneva, Switzerland.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1161