1、AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING THEWORLD TRADE ORGANIZATIONThe Parties to this Agreement,Recognizing that their relations in the field of trade and economic endeavour should be conducted with a view to raising standards of living, ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real incom
2、e and effective demand, and expanding the production of and trade in goods and services, while allowing for the optimal use of the worlds resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development, seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so
3、in a manner consistent with their respective needs and concerns at different levels of economic development,Recognizing further that there is need for positive efforts designed to ensure that developing countries, and especially the least developed among them, secure a share in the growth in interna
4、tional trade commensurate with the needs of their economic development,Being desirous of contributing to these objectives by entering into reciprocal and mutually advantageous arrangements directed to the substantial reduction of tariffs and other barriers to trade and to the elimination of discrimi
5、natory treatment in international trade relations,Resolved, therefore, to develop an integrated, more viable and durable multilateral trading system encompassing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the results of past trade liberalization efforts, and all of the results of the Uruguay Round
6、of Multilateral Trade Negotiations,Determined to preserve the basic principles and to further the objectives underlying this multilateral trading system, Agree as follows:Article IEstablishment of the OrganizationThe World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as “the WTO“) is hereby establish
7、ed.Article IIScope of the WTO1. The WTO shall provide the common institutional framework for the conduct of trade relations among its Members in matters related to the agreements and associated legal instruments included in the Annexes to this Agreement.2. The agreements and associated legal instrum
8、ents included in Annexes 1, 2 and 3 (hereinafter referred to as “Multilateral Trade Agreements“) are integral parts of this Agreement, binding on all Members.3. The agreements and associated legal instruments included in Annex 4 (hereinafter referred to as “Plurilateral Trade Agreements“) are also p
9、art of this Agreement for those Members that have accepted them, and are binding on those Members. The Plurilateral Trade Agreements do not create either obligations or rights for Members that have not accepted them. 4. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 as specified in Annex 1A (herein
10、after referred to as “GATT 1994“) is legally distinct from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, dated 30 October 1947, annexed to the Final Act Adopted at the Conclusion of the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment, as subsequentl
11、y rectified, amended or modified (hereinafter referred to as “GATT 1947“). Article IIIFunctions of the WTO1. The WTO shall facilitate the implementation, administration and operation, and further the objectives, of this Agreement and of the Multilateral Trade Agreements, and shall also provide the f
12、ramework for the implementation, administration and operation of the Plurilateral Trade Agreements.2. The WTO shall provide the forum for negotiations among its Members concerning their multilateral trade relations in matters dealt with under the agreements in the Annexes to this Agreement. The WTO
13、may also provide a forum for further negotiations among its Members concerning their multilateral trade relations, and a framework for the implementation of the results of such negotiations, as may be decided by the Ministerial Conference.3. The WTO shall administer the Understanding on Rules and Pr
14、ocedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (hereinafter referred to as the “Dispute Settlement Understanding“ or “DSU“) in Annex 2 to this Agreement. 4. The WTO shall administer the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (hereinafter referred to as the “TPRM“) provided for in Annex 3 to this Agreement.5.
15、With a view to achieving greater coherence in global economic policy-making, the WTO shall cooperate, as appropriate, with the International Monetary Fund and with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and its affiliated agencies.Article IVStructure of the WTO1. There shall be a
16、Ministerial Conference composed of representatives of all the Members, which shall meet at least once every two years. The Ministerial Conference shall carry out the functions of the WTO and take actions necessary to this effect. The Ministerial Conference shall have the authority to take decisions
17、on all matters under any of the Multilateral Trade Agreements, if so requested by a Member, in accordance with the specific requirements for decision-making in this Agreement and in the relevant Multilateral Trade Agreement.2. There shall be a General Council composed of representatives of all the M
18、embers, which shall meet as appropriate. In the intervals between meetings of the Ministerial Conference, its functions shall be conducted by the General Council. The General Council shall also carry out the functions assigned to it by this Agreement. The General Council shall establish its rules of
19、 procedure and approve the rules of procedure for the Committees provided for in paragraph 7.3. The General Council shall convene as appropriate to discharge the responsibilities of the Dispute Settlement Body provided for in the Dispute Settlement Understanding. The Dispute Settlement Body may have
20、 its own chairman and shall establish such rules of procedure as it deems necessary for the fulfilment of those responsibilities.4. The General Council shall convene as appropriate to discharge the responsibilities of the Trade Policy Review Body provided for in the TPRM. The Trade Policy Review Bod
21、y may have its own chairman and shall establish such rules of procedure as it deems necessary for the fulfilment of those responsibilities.5. There shall be a Council for Trade in Goods, a Council for Trade in Services and a Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (hereinaf
22、ter referred to as the “Council for TRIPS“), which shall operate under the general guidance of the General Council. The Council for Trade in Goods shall oversee the functioning of the Multilateral Trade Agreements in Annex 1A. The Council for Trade in Services shall oversee the functioning of the Ge
23、neral Agreement on Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as “GATS“). The Council for TRIPS shall oversee the functioning of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (hereinafter referred to as the “Agreement on TRIPS“). These Councils shall carry out the functions
24、assigned to them by their respective agreements and by the General Council. They shall establish their respective rules of procedure subject to the approval of the General Council. Membership in these Councils shall be open to representatives of all Members. These Councils shall meet as necessary to
25、 carry out their functions.6. The Council for Trade in Goods, the Council for Trade in Services and the Council for TRIPS shall establish subsidiary bodies as required. These subsidiary bodies shall establish their respective rules of procedure subject to the approval of their respective Councils. 7
26、. The Ministerial Conference shall establish a Committee on Trade and Development, a Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions and a Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration, which shall carry out the functions assigned to them by this Agreement and by the Multilateral Trade Agreements, a
27、nd any additional functions assigned to them by the General Council, and may establish such additional Committees with such functions as it may deem appropriate. As part of its functions, the Committee on Trade and Development shall periodically review the special provisions in the Multilateral Trad
28、e Agreements in favour of the least-developed country Members and report to the General Council for appropriate action. Membership in these Committees shall be open to representatives of all Members.8. The bodies provided for under the Plurilateral Trade Agreements shall carry out the functions assi
29、gned to them under those Agreements and shall operate within the institutional framework of the WTO. These bodies shall keep the General Council informed of their activities on a regular basis.Article VRelations with Other Organizations1. The General Council shall make appropriate arrangements for e
30、ffective cooperation with other intergovernmental organizations that have responsibilities related to those of the WTO.2. The General Council may make appropriate arrangements for consultation and cooperation with non-governmental organizations concerned with matters related to those of the WTO.Arti
31、cle VIThe Secretariat1. There shall be a Secretariat of the WTO (hereinafter referred to as “the Secretariat”) headed by a Director-General.2. The Ministerial Conference shall appoint the Director-General and adopt regulations setting out the powers, duties, conditions of service and term of office
32、of the Director-General.3. The Director-General shall appoint the members of the staff of the Secretariat and determine their duties and conditions of service in accordance with regulations adopted by the Ministerial Conference.4. The responsibilities of the Director-General and of the staff of the
33、Secretariat shall be exclusively international in character. In the discharge of their duties, the Director-General and the staff of the Secretariat shall not seek or accept instructions from any government or any other authority external to the WTO. They shall refrain from any action which might ad
34、versely reflect on their position as international officials. The Members of the WTO shall respect the international character of the responsibilities of the Director-General and of the staff of the Secretariat and shall not seek to influence them in the discharge of their duties.Article VIIBudget a
35、nd Contributions1. The Director-General shall present to the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration the annual budget estimate and financial statement of the WTO. The Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration shall review the annual budget estimate and the financial statement presente
36、d by the Director-General and make recommendations thereon to the General Council. The annual budget estimate shall be subject to approval by the General Council. 2. The Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration shall propose to the General Council financial regulations which shall include pro
37、visions setting out:(a) the scale of contributions apportioning the expenses of the WTO among its Members; and(b) the measures to be taken in respect of Members in arrears.The financial regulations shall be based, as far as practicable, on the regulations and practices of GATT 1947.3. The General Co
38、uncil shall adopt the financial regulations and the annual budget estimate by a two-thirds majority comprising more than half of the Members of the WTO.4. Each Member shall promptly contribute to the WTO its share in the expenses of the WTO in accordance with the financial regulations adopted by the
39、 General Council.Article VIIIStatus of the WTO1. The WTO shall have legal personality, and shall be accorded by each of its Members such legal capacity as may be necessary for the exercise of its functions.2. The WTO shall be accorded by each of its Members such privileges and immunities as are nece
40、ssary for the exercise of its functions.3. The officials of the WTO and the representatives of the Members shall similarly be accorded by each of its Members such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions in connection with the WTO.4. The privileges a
41、nd immunities to be accorded by a Member to the WTO, its officials, and the representatives of its Members shall be similar to the privileges and immunities stipulated in the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies, approved by the General Assembly of the United Natio
42、ns on 21 November 1947.5. The WTO may conclude a headquarters agreement.Article IXDecision-Making1. The WTO shall continue the practice of decision-making by consensus followed under GATT 1947.1 Except as otherwise provided, where a decision cannot be arrived at by consensus, the matter at issue sha
43、ll be decided by voting. At meetings of the Ministerial Conference and the General Council, each Member of the WTO shall have one vote. Where the European Communities exercise their right to vote, they shall have a number of votes equal to the number of their member States2 which are Members of the
44、WTO. Decisions of the Ministerial Conference and the General Council shall be taken by a majority of the votes cast, unless otherwise provided in this Agreement or in the relevant Multilateral Trade Agreement.32. The Ministerial Conference and the General Council shall have the exclusive authority t
45、o adopt interpretations of this Agreement and of the Multilateral Trade Agreements. In the case of an interpretation of a Multilateral Trade Agreement in Annex 1, they shall exercise their authority on the basis of a recommendation by the Council overseeing the functioning of that Agreement. The dec
46、ision to adopt an interpretation shall be taken by a three-fourths majority of the Members. This paragraph shall not be used in a manner that would undermine the amendment provisions in Article X.3. In exceptional circumstances, the Ministerial Conference may decide to waive an obligation imposed on
47、 a Member by this Agreement or any of the Multilateral Trade Agreements, provided that any such decision shall be taken by three fourths4 of the Members unless otherwise provided for in this paragraph.(a) A request for a waiver concerning this Agreement shall be submitted to the Ministerial Conferen
48、ce for consideration pursuant to the practice of decision-making by consensus. The Ministerial Conference shall establish a time-period, which shall not exceed 90 days, to consider the request. If consensus is not reached during the time-period, any decision to grant a waiver shall be taken by three
49、 fourths4 of the Members.1 The body concerned shall be deemed to have decided by consensus on a matter submitted for its consideration, if no Member, present at the meeting when the decision is taken, formally objects to the proposed decision.2 The number of votes of the European Communities and their member States shall in no case exceed the number of the member States of the European Communities.3 Decisions by the General Council when convened as the Dispute Settlement Body shall be taken only in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 4 of Article 2 of the Dispute Settlement Understan
