World Trade Organisation (WTO)

The WTO is the only international organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements (including the GATT, GATS and TRIPS), negotiated and signed by most of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.

Australia also pursues its interests on international investment through involvement in the WTO Working Group on the Relationship between Trade and Investment (WGTI). The WGTI was formed following the Uruguay Round at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore in 1996.

Following the Fifth Ministerial Conference held in Cancún in September 2003, where developing countries expressed particular resistance to negotiating on the ‘Singapore Issues’ (that is, investment, competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation), Ministers decided, at the July 2004 General Council Meeting, not to proceed with negotiations on multilateral rules on investment under the current WTO round (the Doha Round). While investment has since been referred back to the WGTI for further consideration, the future work program of the WGTI remains uncertain.

Although there will be no negotiations on investment during the Doha Round, it is likely that investment issues will continue to be discussed in this forum.

The Foreign Investment and Trade Policy Division provides investment policy advice and briefings to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which represents Australian at the WGTI meetings.

Further information on Australia’s position on the WTO please see the relevant section of the DFAT website.

Updates on the WTO are available on the WTO website.