What is WTO? What are India’s objections to its overall functioning?

WTO is now a specialised agency of the UNO. It succeeded and subsumed the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and came into existence on January 1,1995. The main objective of the WTO is the liberalisation of world trade.

India’s objections of its overall functioning were/ are as follows:

i. India and the developing countries, who were already under the burden of fulfilling the commitments undertaken through the Urugvay Round Agreements and who also perceived many of the new issues to be non- trade issues, resisted the introduction some new subjects into WTO.

ii. India pointed out the difficulties that developing countries have been facing in the implementation of the Marrakash Agreement. India also opposed inclusion of Singapore issues.

iii. India resolutely opposed the inclusion of non-trade issues like labour standards, in the agenda of WTO- It also effectively created pressure for taking on board its implementation issues.

iv. India opposed the launch of a new round of WTO talks until implementation issues from the 1994 Urugvay Round agreement resolved.