WTO

During the first Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which met in Singapore from 9-13 December 1996, delegates took stock of the operation of the rules-based multilateral trading system, addressed issues regarding implementation, and determined the future course of activities of the WTO. Achievements of the first Ministerial Conference included the completion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and the adoption of the Comprehensive and Integrated Plan of Action designed to lend further assistance to the least developed countries in accessing and sharing the benefits of the rules-based multilateral trading system. Exhaustive discussions took place on core labor standards, investment and competition policy, and, to a lesser extent, government procurement and implementation of agreements on agriculture and textiles. New working groups were established to examine the relationship between trade and the areas of investment, competition policy and government procurement. In addition, the Committee on Trade and Environment was established as a permanent body of the WTO.