The Marrakesh Agreement, signed on April 15, 1994, concluded the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and established the World Trade Organization. The WTO supersedes the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was established in 1947 as the umbrella organization for international trade. At the heart of the WTO are the numerous agreements negotiated and signed by members during the Uruguay Round. These agreements cover trade in goods and services, as well as trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. All have some relevance to agricultural trade, and supporting material on a number of them is available in this briefing room.

Multilateral agreements on trade in goods

GATT (1994, 1947)

• Agriculture
• Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
• Textiles and Clothing
• Technical Barriers to Trade
• Trade-Related Investment Measures
• Anti-Dumping
• Customs Valuation
• Preshipment Inspection
• Rules of Origin
• Import Licensing
• Subsidies and Countervailing Measures
• Safeguards

General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)

Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

The Marrakesh Agreement also created a Dispute Settlement Body within the WTO to resolve disputes among WTO members, and it established a system for regular review of national trade policies and international trade trends. Finally, there are four plurilateral agreements (not binding on all WTO members): the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, the Agreement on Government Procurement, the International Dairy Agreement, and the International Bovine Meat Agreement.

for more information, contact: John Wainio
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page updated: November 12, 2003