Global trade

The WTO building in Geneva,
Switzerland

Legal rules of global trade

Most of the world’s trading nations – industrialized, industrializing and developing countries – are members of the WTO (World Trade Organization) and have signed and ratified WTO’s trade agreements on goods and services.

These documents provide the legal ground-rules for international commerce. They bind governments to keep their trade policies within agreed limits. The objective is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers, conduct their business, while allowing governments to meet social and environmental objectives.