Twenty years ago today, 15 April 1994, the WTO agreements were signed in Marrakesh, Morocco. They were the result of the 1986-94 Uruguay Round negotiations, and are the basis for the multilateral trading system in its present form. They also created the WTO.

At that time, most of the 123 participating governments signed the agreement, concluding the largest trade negotiation ever, and most probably the largest negotiation of any kind in history. Now, the number has reached 159.

The WTO’s creation on 1 January 1995 marked the biggest reform of international trade since after the Second World War. It also brought to reality – in an updated form – the failed attempt in 1948 to create an International Trade Organization.

Find out more:

• An explanation
• The WTO Agreements