Interim Commission for the International Trade Organization (ICITO) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment (Havana, Cuba, November 1947—March 1948) drew up a charter for an International Trade Organization (ITO) and established an Interim Commission for the International Trade Organization (ICITO). Since the charter itself was never accepted, ITO was not established. However, while drawing up the charter, the Preparatory Committee’s members negotiated on tariffs among themselves, and also drew up the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) — a multilateral treaty embodying reciprocal rights and obligations which is the only multilateral instrument that lays down agreed rules for international trade. It entered into force on 1 January 1948 with 23 contracting parties. Since then, ICITO has provided the GATT secretariat.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Partnerships for the Goals