General Agreement on Trade in Goods

Unit I — Evolution of Multilateral Trade Regulation

Post-World War II economic reconstruction and the Bretton Woods system · Origins of the GATT 1947: Objectives, principles, and operational mechanisms · Shortcomings of the GATT framework and the impetus for reform · The Uruguay Round negotiations and the birth of the World Trade Organization (WTO), 1995

• GATT and WTO
• WTO

Unit II — Institutional and Legal Framework of WTO

Legal basis: Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO · Institutional structure: Ministerial Conference, General Council, subsidiary bodies · Membership, accession, and decision-making processes · Legal character and binding nature of WTO agreements · Relationship with other international bodies: IMF, WIPO, World Bank and UNCAD

• WTO

Unit III — Principles of International Trade - I

Tariff bindings and market access commitments · Prohibition of quantitative restrictions [Art. XI, GATT 1994]

Unit IV — Principles of International Trade – II

Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) Treatment [Art. I, GATT 1994] · National Treatment Obligation [Art. III, GATT 1994]

Unit V — Exceptions and Flexibilities under GATT

General Exceptions [Article XX, GATT 1994] – Public morals, human/animal/plant life, environmental protection, etc. · Security Exceptions [Article XXI, GATT 1994] – Measures for national security · Regional Trade Agreements [Article XXIV, GATT 1994] – Customs unions and free trade areas · Special and Differential Treatment for Developing and Least Developed Countries

Unit VI — Agreement Beyond GATT: An Overview of Selected WTO Agreement

Anti-Dumping Agreement · Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) · Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

Unit VII — Dispute Settlement under the WTO

Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU): Objectives and Legal Framework · Process: Consultations → Panel → Appellate Body → Adoption and Implementation · Role of key organs: Panels, Appellate Body, DSB · Compliance, Retaliation and Enforcement Mechanisms · India-related case studies (e.g., solar panels, shrimp-turtle, pharmaceuticals, etc.) · Appellate Body crisis and reform proposals

Unit VIII — India & GATT

India's participation in GATT as a founding contracting party (1947–1994) · India’s role in the Uruguay Round and steps toward trade liberalization · Compliance with GATT obligations: tariff bindings and use of Article XVIII: B (Balance of Payments) · Reliance on Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) and safeguard provisions · Trade policies of India: import licensing, quantitative restrictions, and subsidies