What is the WTO?
• The World Trade Organization, or WTO, is an international organization established January 1, 1995, and located in Geneva. It serves as a forum in which representatives of its 148 member countries negotiate the rules of international trade and settle trade disputes. The rules of trade are set through a number of multilateral trade agreements signed at an ongoing series of negotiating rounds. The Doha Round is the name of the negotiations currently in progress. The WTO aims to liberalize trade, but the rules of trade also recognize the need to protect consumers.