一、WTO的宗旨

The Parties to this Agreement,[1]

Recognizing that their relations in the field of trade and economic endeavour should be conducted with a view to raising standards of living, ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand, and expanding the production of and trade in goods and services, while allowing for the optimal use of the world's resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development, seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so in a manner consistent with their respective needs and concerns at different levels of economic development,

Recognizing further that there is need for positive efforts designed to ensure that developing countries, and especially the least developed among them, secure a share in the growth in international trade commensurate with the needs of their economic development,

Being desirous of contributing to these objectives by entering into reciprocal and mutually advantageous arrangements directed to the substantial reduction of tariffs and other barriers to trade and to the elimination of discriminatory treatment in international trade relations,

Resolved, therefore, to develop an integrated, more viable and durable multilateral trading system encompassing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the results of past trade liberalization efforts, and all of the results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations,

Determined to preserve the basicprinciples and to further the objectives underlying this multilateral trading system。

总的来说，WTO的宗旨包括以下五个方面：

第一，提高人类生活水平、保证充分就业、促进收入与有效需求的持续增长；

第二，扩大生产，扩大货物贸易和服务贸易；

第三，以可持续发展为目标，最合理的配置世界资源，同时注意对环境的保护和养护；

第四，确保发展中国家，尤其是最不发达国家在国际贸易中份额的增长和经济发展；

第五，建立一体化的多边贸易体制。

二、WTO的法律地位

Status of the WTO

[2]

1.The WTO shall have legal personality, and shall be accorded by each of its Members such legal capacity as may be necessary for the exercise of its functions.

2.The WTO shall be accorded by each of its Members such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the exercise of its functions.

3.The officials of the WTO and the representatives of the Members shall similarly be accorded by each of its Members such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions in connection with the WTO.

4.The privileges and immunities to be accorded by a Member to the WTO, its officials, and the representatives of its Members shall be similar to the privileges and immunities stipulated in the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies, approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 21 November 1947.

5.The WTO may conclude a headquarters agreement.

WTO是管理国际贸易问题的国际组织，该组织取代关贸总协定是为了更好地保障多边贸易体制下复杂的国际贸易法律规则的有效执行，为此目的，《WTO协定》第8条对WTO的法律地位进行了全面的规定。

首先，WTO具有国际法律人格，各成员方均应给予WTO履行其职能所必需的法定地位。根据国际法一般原理，WTO可以在国际上进行缔约、取得和处置不动产以及进行诉讼。

其次，WTO的每一个成员均应给予WTO及其官员和成员代表为履行其职能所需的特权和豁免。根据国际法一般原理，成员应赋予WTO为履行其职能在房舍、档案、文件、通讯、财产和诉讼等方面的特权和豁免；应给予有关人员的特权和豁免则是为了其履行职务有关的财产、通讯和诉讼等，而非为个人私利。

《WTO协定》第8条虽然没有具体规定特权和豁免的具体内容，但却在第8条第4款中规定，WTO成员给予WTO及其官员和成员代表的特权和豁免应与1947年11月21日联合国大会批准的《专门机构特权及豁免公约》所规定的相似。

三、WTO的职能

Functions of the WTO[3]

1.The WTO shall facilitate the implementation, administration and operation, and further the objectives, of this Agreement and of the Multilateral Trade Agreements, and shall also provide the framework for the implementation, administration and operation of the Plurilateral Trade Agreements.

2.The WTO shall provide the forum for negotiations among its Members concerning their multilateral trade relations in matters dealt with under the agreements in the Annexes to this Agreement. The WTO may also provide a forum for further negotiations among its Members concerning their multilateral trade relations, and a framework for the implementation of the results of such negotiations, as may be decided by the Ministerial Conference.

3.The WTO shall administer the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes （hereinafter referred to as the “Dispute Settlement Understanding” or “DSU”） in Annex 2 to this Agreement.

4.The WTO shall administer the Trade Policy Review Mechanism （hereinafter referred to as the “TPRM”） provided for in Annex 3 to this Agreement.

5.With a view to achieving greater coherence in global economic policy-making, the WTO shall cooperate, as appropriate, with the International Monetary Fund and with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and its affiliated agencies.

（一）实施和管理协议

WTO框架下的协议不仅继承了GATT几十年关于货物贸易的规则，而且包含了乌拉圭回合谈判达成的新议题，涉及范围相当广泛。WTO最主要的职能是对多边协议和诸边协议[4]进行管理和实施，确保WTO各协议得到切实的履行；为协议的履行、管理和实施提供框架。

（二）为成员方多边贸易谈判提供场所

WTO为两类谈判提供谈判的场所：一类是为《WTO协定》附件各协议中的相关议题提供谈判的场所，主要是针对现有的各类问题；另一类是为WTO部长级会议可能决定的、有关成员方间多边贸易关系的新议题谈判提供场所。

（三）解决贸易争端

WTO根据附件2《关于争端解决规则与程序的谅解》履行该项职能。WTO建立了强有力的、统一的争端解决规则和程序，彻底改变了GATT解决争端的软弱、分散的局面，为WTO各协议的顺利实施和多边贸易体制的正常运转提供了可靠的保障。

（四）评审贸易政策

WTO的贸易政策评审机制创立于乌拉圭回合，是在1979年东京回合达成的《关于通知、协商、争端解决和监督谅解书》基础上形成的。WTO根据《贸易政策评审机制》对各成员方的贸易政策进行评审主要有两个目的：一是了解成员方实施多边贸易协定的情况以确保规则的实施；二是提高成员方贸易政策的透明度。

（五）与其他国际组织进行合作

为了实现全球性经济决策更大的一致性，WTO酌情与国际货币基金组织和世界银行进行合作。具体讲，总理事会应就职责上与WTO有关的政府间组织和非政府组织进行有效合作作出适当安排。

[1] The preface of Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.

[2] Article Ⅷ of Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.

[3] Article Ⅲ of Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.

[4] 又称复边协议，是多边贸易协定的对称，不适用“一揽子”方式，只对签字国有效。