The WTO’s hidden value: How the multilateral trading system delivers for business beyond tariffs 

What does the WTO actually do for business? 

The WTO underpins 74% of global trade through practical systems most companies use without realising it. Every shipment cleared, every service exported, every protected innovation relies on WTO agreements working behind the scenes. 

What is the WTO’s “hidden value”? 

The WTO anchors the global trading system providing the legal and institutional framework that connects thousands of national regulations, standards and trade practices into a single, coherent system.  

This invisible infrastructure delivers stability and predictability through: 

• Daily technical work across councils and committees establishing transparent, rules-based trade 
• Comprehensive scope covering goods, services (two-thirds of global GDP) and intellectual property protection 
• Connecting global standards and encouraging alignment, ensuring national regulations reflect international norms 
• Protecting innovation worldwide through baseline legal protection for patents, trademarks and copyrights 
• Addressing problems that can only be addressed multilaterally – like subsidies or cross-border data rules  
  

What challenges do businesses face in international trade? 

Companies navigating global markets confront barriers at every stage: 

• Unpredictable tariffs that make planning impossible 
• Conflicting technical regulations  
• Complex, costly border procedures 
• Barriers to supplying services abroad 
• Limited access to government procurement  
• Lack of accessible market intelligence 

How does the WTO deliver practical results? 

• Regulatory alignment: Early notification systems give businesses and regulators advance visibility of new technical and food-safety measures, helping prevent unnecessary trade frictions. 

• Faster borders: The Trade Facilitation Agreement supports more efficient and transparent border procedures, reducing delays and administrative costs. 

• Services access: General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitments provide clarity on the conditions for supplying services across markets. 

• Tariff predictability: Members’ bound tariff commitments establish maximum rates, providing businesses a legal ceiling for long-term planning – even when applied rates fluctuate, businesses know the legal ceiling.  

• Intellectual property: WTO disciplines provide a common reference point for how countries approach patents, trademarks and copyrights. 

• Procurement opportunities: The Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) offers participating economies non-discriminatory access to significant public-procurement markets.

• Market intelligence: WTO transparency tools help governments and businesses monitor regulatory changes, compare tariff regimes and identify potential opportunities.

Why does this matter now? 

 
Independent Oxford Economics modelling commissioned by ICC shows what’s at stake: WTO failure would cause a 33% drop in developing countries’ non-fuel goods trade and a permanent 5% GDP loss. 

As WTO Members pursue reform, they must preserve this hidden value while modernising the system for the decades ahead. 

Learn more about  the reform of the multilateral trading system