(WTO). Established on January 1, 1995, as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT--the multilateral accord based on principles of free trade and the market economy that had governed interna-tional commerce since 1947). The WTO is somewhat more ex-pansive in scope than its predecessor, but like the GATT, its basic purpose is to promote nondiscriminatory trade and to reduce import tariffs and other barriers to global commerce. It also pro-vides a forum for the resolution of trade disputes. To join the WTO, a country must agree to abide by its free trade and free market principles, be certified as doing so by the WTO, and be approved by two-thirds of the existing members. As of mid-1996, there were 123 members of the WTO, not including China, which has applied for membership.

Established on January 1, 1995, as part of the final agreement of the Uruguay Round, the WTO currently has 144 Members and is the legal and institutional foundation of the multilateral trading system. Its main objective is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. Its main functions include administering WTO trade agreements; creating a forum for trade negotiations; resolving trade disputes; monitoring national trade policies; providing trade policy assistance for developing countries; and cooperating with other international organizations.

the WTO is a global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.

A global international organization that specifies and enforces rules for the conduct of international trade policies and serves as a forum for negotiations to reduce barriers to trade. Formed in 1995 as the successor to the GATT, it had 136 member countries as of April 2000.

is the international trade body formed by the agreement of member nations. The WTO is an evolution of the GATT process designed to resolve trade disputes and work for the lowering of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers.

Provisions to establish the WTO were reached in the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO is scheduled to be established no later than 1997 as an international organization of comparable stature to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Organization is expected to facilitate implementation of trade agreements reached in the Uruguay Round by bringing them under one institutional umbrella, requiring full participation of all countries in one new trading system, and providing a permanent forum to discuss new issues facing the international trading system. The WTO system will be available only to countries which: (a) are contracting parties to the GATT, (b) agree to adhere to all of the Uruguay Round agreements, and (c) submit schedules of market access commitments for industrial goods, agricultural goods, and services. Extensive economic analysis of WTO, NAFTA, and FTAA is available

The World Trade Organization is an international body that establishes rules of trade between nations. Established in 1995, the WTO has 132 member nations.

an international organization based in Geneva that monitors and enforces rules governing global trade

Established on Jan. 1, 1995, as a result of the Uruguay Round, the WTO replaces the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade as the legal and institutional foundation of the multilateral trading system of member countries.

An association of 135 nations that meet to regulate international trade.

The international organization that resulted from the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations. It is intended to promote world trade and to settle disputes among member nations. The WTO, established in 1995, had grown to 149 members as of December 2005.

created by the Uruguay Round of GATT to provide a permanent arena for member nations to address international trade issues and oversee implementation of trade agreements negotiated in the Uruguay Round

organization to support the principles of liberal free trade; includes enforcement measures and dispute settlement mechanisms; established in 1995 to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; (208)

An organization established on January 1, 1995 replacing the previous General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GATT that forms the cornerstone of the world trading system.

The governing body for international trade established by the Uruguay round GATT agreement. The WTO is designed to oversee global trade by standardizing regulations and standards, and to provide a dispute mechanism when disagreements arise between nations, or between nations and corporations.

Successor of GATT's the WTO was established on the 1 January 1995 as the legal and institutional foundation of the multilateral trading system. The main function of WTO is to act as a forum for multilateral trade negotiations, to seek to resolve trade disputes, to oversee national trade policies and promote fair competition. It is the platform on which global trade relations among countries evolve through collective debate, negotiation and adjudication. Français: Organisation mondiale du Commerce (OMC) Español: Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC)

A multilateral agency that administers world trade agreements, fosters trade relations among nations, and solves trade disputes among member countries.

The World Trade Organization (WTO, , ) is an international organization that establishes rules for international trade through consensus among its member states. It also resolves disputes between the members, which are all signatories to its set of trade agreements.