observers - (2) Holy See, Palestine Liberation Organization

** World Trade Organization (WTrO) **

note - succeeded General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT)

established - 15 April 1994;

effective - 1 January 1995

aim - to provide a means to resolve trade conflicts between members and to carry on negotiations with the goal of further lowering and/or eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers

members - (144) Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin,
Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi,
Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica,
Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti,
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, EU,
Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova,
Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua,
Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda,
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,
Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

observers - (31) Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas,
Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Ethiopia,
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Holy See, Kazakhstan, Laos,
Lebanon, Nepal, Russia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,
Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu,
Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia;

note - must start accession negotiations within five years of becoming observers

** Zangger Committee (ZC) **