The term multilateral trade negotiations initially applied to negotiations between General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was negotiated during the UN Conference on Trade and Employment and was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization . GATT was signed in 1947 and lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the World...

 (GATT) member nations conducted under the auspices of the GATT and aimed at reducing tariff and nontariff trade barriers. In 1995 the World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...

 replaced the GATT as the administrative body. A current round of multilateral trade negotiations was conducted in the Doha Development Agenda round.

Prior to the ongoing Doha Development Round, eight GATT sessions took place:

• 1st Round: Geneva Tariff Conference, 1947
• 2nd Round: Annecy Tariff Conference, 1949
• 3rd Round: Torquay Tariff Conference, 1950-51
• 4th Round: Geneva Tariff Conference, 1955-56
• 5th Round: Dillon Round, 1960-61
• 6th Round: Kennedy Round, 1963-67
• 7th Round: Tokyo Round , 1973-79
• 8th Round: Uruguay Round
  Uruguay Round
  The Uruguay Round was the 8th round of Multilateral trade negotiations conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , spanning from 1986-1994 and embracing 123 countries as “contracting parties”. The Round transformed the GATT into the World Trade Organization...
  
  , 1986-94