Master10
International Organisations & Relations Module

World Trade Organization (WTO) & World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are vital specialized multilateral institutions headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WTO, established on January 1, 1995, following the Marrakesh Agreement which replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT 1947), establishes binding legal frameworks for international merchandise and services trade, intellectual property (TRIPS), and multilateral dispute settlement. The WHO, established on April 7, 1948 (commemorated annually as World Health Day), serves as the directing and coordinating authority on international public health. The WHO manages the International Health Regulations (IHR), coordinates global disease eradication campaigns (such as smallpox and polio), and declares Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC).

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • The World Trade Organization (WTO) was officially established on January 1, 1995, by the Marrakesh Agreement, replacing GATT.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) constitution entered into force on April 7, 1948, a date now observed annually as World Health Day.
  • The TRIPS Agreement (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) under WTO sets minimum standards for intellectual property regulation globally.
  • The World Health Assembly (WHA), meeting annually in Geneva, serves as the supreme decision-making body of the WHO.
  • The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed in 1947 in Geneva and governed international merchandise trade before its institutional transition to the WTO.
  • The WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism operates through panels and the Appellate Body to adjudicate international trade disputes among member states.
  • The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the supreme decision-making body of the WHO, attended by delegations from all member states each May in Geneva.
  • The International Health Regulations (IHR), originally adopted in 1969 and revised in 2005, are legally binding regulations defining state responsibilities during Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC).
  • The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) under the WTO classifies agricultural domestic support subsidies into Green Box, Blue Box, and Amber Box categories.
  • The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which entered into force in February 2017, was the first multilateral agreement concluded across the entire WTO membership since its founding.
  • Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus became the first African Director-General of the WHO upon his election in 2017.
  • The Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle under Article I of GATT mandates that any trade advantage granted to one member country must be accorded immediately to all other members.
  • The National Treatment Principle under Article III of GATT prohibits discrimination between imported goods and domestically produced goods once they clear customs.
  • The Doha Development Agenda (Doha Round) was launched at the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001 to focus on developing countries' integration into world trade.
  • The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), concluded at the Bali Ministerial Conference in 2013 and entered into force in 2017, streamlines global customs procedures and clearance times.
  • Agricultural subsidies under WTO rules are categorized into three 'boxes': Amber Box (trade-distorting, subject to reduction), Blue Box (production-limiting), and Green Box (non-distorting, permitted).
  • The Peace Clause, negotiated at the Bali Ministerial Conference (2013), temporarily protects developing countries from legal challenges against public stockholding for food security.
  • The Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) prohibits investment policies that restrict trade in goods, such as local content requirements.
  • The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), adopted in 2003, is the first evidence-based global public health treaty negotiated under WHO auspices.
  • The International Health Regulations (IHR), revised in 2005, provide a legally binding instrument requiring countries to report public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC).
  • The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) was established in April 2022 at Jamnagar, Gujarat, in collaboration with the Government of India.
  • India was officially certified Polio-Free by the World Health Organization in March 2014 along with the entire South-East Asia Region.
  • WHO publishes the Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) every two years to guide national health systems on core medicines required for basic healthcare.
  • The Global Initiative for the Elimination of Trachoma (GET2020) is a WHO-led alliance employing the SAFE strategy (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, Environmental improvement).
  • The WHO Pandemic Agreement is an international legal instrument under negotiation by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to strengthen future global pandemic prevention and response.
  • The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed by 23 nations in Geneva on October 30, 1947, entering into force on January 1, 1948, to reduce international trade barriers.
  • The Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations (1986-1994) culminated in the Marrakesh Agreement of April 15, 1994, establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  • The World Trade Organization officially commenced operations on January 1, 1995, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, superseding GATT.
  • Unlike GATT, which dealt exclusively with trade in physical goods, the WTO covers trade in goods (GATT 1994), trade in services (GATS), and Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
  • The Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle under Article I of GATT mandates that any tariff concession granted to one trading partner must be extended unconditionally to all WTO members.
  • The National Treatment principle under Article III of GATT requires that imported products, once they enter a domestic market, must be treated no less favorably than domestic goods.
  • The WTO Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body of the organization, meeting every two years with representation from all member states.
  • The WTO General Council acts on behalf of the Ministerial Conference and also convenes in two specialized configurations: the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) and the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB).
  • The WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism operates through ad-hoc Dispute Panels and a permanent 7-member Appellate Body, which has faced operational paralysis since December 2019.
  • Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria took office on March 1, 2021, as the Director-General of the WTO, becoming the first woman and the first African to lead the organization.
  • The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) under the WTO classifies domestic farm support into three color-coded boxes: Green Box (non-distorting), Blue Box (production-limiting), and Amber Box (trade-distorting).
  • The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), concluded at the Bali Ministerial Conference in 2013, entered into force in February 2017 to streamline customs procedures and cross-border transit of goods.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) was established on April 7, 1948, as a specialized UN agency headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the supreme decision-making forum of the WHO, convening annually in Geneva in May with delegations from all 194 member states.
  • The Executive Board of the WHO comprises 34 technically qualified members elected for three-year terms to give effect to WHA decisions and advise on public health policies.
  • Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia was elected Director-General of the WHO in May 2017, becoming the first African to hold the top leadership post.
  • Dr. Soumya Swaminathan of India served as the inaugural Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization from 2019 to 2022.
  • The WHO successfully coordinated the global eradication of smallpox, certified in December 1979 and officially declared by the World Health Assembly in May 1980.
  • The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), adopted in 2003, was the first international public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO.
  • The International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) are a legally binding instrument of international law governing global surveillance, detection, and response to Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC).
  • A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) has been declared by the WHO for outbreaks including H1N1 influenza (2009), Ebola (2014, 2019), Zika virus (2016), COVID-19 (2020), and Mpox (2022, 2024).
  • The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML), updated biennially since 1977, identifies minimum medication needs for a basic healthcare system.
  • The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) was established in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, in 2022 as the world's first and only global outpost for traditional medicine.
  • The COVAX facility was a global risk-sharing mechanism co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, and WHO to guarantee equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
  • The WHO coordinates the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which certified India as officially polio-free in March 2014 after three consecutive years without wild poliovirus transmission.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: WTO Official Trade Agreements, WHO Constitution & Technical Report Series, Marrakesh Agreement (1994).

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

Where is the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) located?

Q2.EASY

Where is the headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which replaced GATT in 1995?

Q3.HARD

The 'Dispute Settlement Body' (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) includes which standing body whose appointments have been blocked since 2019?

Q4.EASY

On 7 April 1948, the constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) came into force, a landmark date commemorated worldwide every year as which global observance?

Q5.EASY

The World Trade Organization (WTO), which regulates rules of international trade among nations, replaced which agreement on 1 January 1995?

Q6.EASY

Who made history in March 2021 by becoming both the first woman and the first African to serve as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)?

Q7.EASY

The highest decision-making body of the World Trade Organization, meeting once every two years, is called what?

Q8.EASY

The "TRIPS" agreement administered by the WTO sets multilateral global standards for which domain of law?