The World Trade Organisation (WTO) located in Geneva, Switzerland, succeeded the GATT Secretariat which existed from 1948 – 1994. The WTO was established on 1st January 1995 following the end of the GATT Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations.
The WTO is the sole multilateral body regulating global trade among its Members. The primary objective of the Organisation is the progressive liberalisation of international trade to facilitate the free movement of goods and services. The WTO currently has 164 members. The majority of the membership comprises developing and least developed countries.
Jamaica became a founding member of the WTO on 9th March 1995. The country was originally a contracting party to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) on the basis of its colonial relationship with the United Kingdom. Jamaica has participated in multilateral trade negotiations since the GATT Kennedy Round (1963-1994) and has been participating in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations which were launched in 2001 at the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha, Qatar.
All CARICOM Member States are members of the WTO except The Bahamas and Montserrat. The Bahamas is an Observer and is in the process of acceding to full membership of the Organisation. Montserrat is a dependent territory of Britain.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has responsibility for all matters relating to the WTO.
Jamaica’s Permanent Mission in Geneva is accredited to the WTO.
The WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation
A breakthrough in the Doha Round was reached at the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC9) held in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2013, with the adoption of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TF).
The TF Agreement entered into force on 22nd February 2017 when the two-thirds membership ratification threshold (i.e. 110 Members to ratify to facilitate entry into force) was met. The main objective of the Agreement is to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods at the border.
Jamaica ratified the Agreement in January 2016. Several other CARICOM countries have also ratified it. A Task Force on Trade Facilitation has been established to oversee domestic coordination and implementation of the TF Agreement by Jamaica.
Jamaica has submitted its Category A notifications and is about to submit its Category B and C notifications.
WTO Trade Policy Reviews for Jamaica
Since the inception of the WTO, three Trade Policy Reviews (TPRs) have been conducted for Jamaica. Work is now in progress for the 4th TPR to be held on 13th and 15th September 2017 in Geneva.