When was the World Trade Organization (WTO) established?

Appeared in: DSSSB - 29 August 2019 (Shift-1)

Explanation

The World Trade Organization (WTO) officially commenced on January 1, 1995.
It was the result of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations that concluded with the signing of the Marrakesh Agreement on April 15, 1994.
The WTO replaced the previous General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as the primary international body for regulating trade between nations.

Option B: In 1998, the WTO launched its Work Programme on Electronic Commerce. This was a significant policy development but not the year the organization was founded.
Option C: In 1990, the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, which eventually led to the creation of the WTO, was still in progress. The organization did not exist yet.
Option D: In 1997, the WTO concluded important sectoral agreements, such as the one on basic telecommunication services. This was a year of significant activity, but not its founding year.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain History of International Organizations as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding the history and function of major international bodies like the WTO is essential for general awareness, as their policies can indirectly affect national health budgets, pharmaceutical trade, and access to medical technologies.
The WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) has significant implications for the pricing and availability of patented medicines, a topic of great importance in global public health.
What if? If the Uruguay Round had failed and the WTO was not created, international trade would likely be more fragmented and disputes harder to resolve, potentially hindering the global supply chains for medical goods and equipment.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the core of the question: it asks for a specific date of a major historical event – the founding of the World Trade Organization.
Recognize this as a factual recall question common in general knowledge sections of exams.
Scan the options, which are all years in the 1990s. This suggests the event took place in that decade.
Recall or deduce that major international organizations are often formed in the aftermath of significant global shifts or negotiations. The mid-1990s, following the end of the Cold War, was a period of new international institution-building.
Eliminate years that are too early (1990, when negotiations were ongoing) or too late (1997/1998, when the organization was already active).
Select 1995 as the correct year, associating it with the conclusion of the Uruguay Round and the Marrakesh Agreement.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full DSSSB - 29 August 2019 (Shift-1)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.