Resource Desk

The purpose of the Bilateral Trade Agreement website is to advocate the efforts against bilateral trade agreements. It provides news and featured articles as well as information regarding the major bilateral trade agreements around the world.

Global Trade Negotiations is a website managed by the Center for International Development of Harvard University.It provides a centralized information resource on global trade negotiations, including trade news, issues related to global trade negotiation, research papers, and list of official and non-official trade organizations. The site is updated weekly.

Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreement is a sub-section of the Global Union Research Network, which is sponsored by Trade Union. It provides new and featured articles about trade agreements, as well as Trade Union’s comments on major bilateral and regional trade agreements. In addition, it also offers links to some trade agreement related websites.

A primary objective of the Office of NAFTA (ONA) at the Department of Commerce is to provide accurate and timely information to U.S. exporters interested in selling their products to Canada and Mexico.

The World Bank hosts a section of their webpage dedicated to CAFTA as it has been helping Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to design strategies for development.

The Tuck Trade Agreements Database has text-searchable versions of all bilateral, free trade, and custom union agreements since June 1, 2003. In creating an index for these agreements, the Tuck Center of International Business created their own method, which is very similar to the ‘standard format’ for notification to the WTO.

The United States Trade Representative holds a special section on its site for the proposed CAFTA because of the implications of increased trade associated with the trade agreement. The site contains news, press releases, final printed agreement and future plans for trade after the passage of CAFTA.

International Trade is a sub-section of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on the internet. It provides an introduction of international trade, trade blocs, free trade agreements, custom unions, and common markets. It also contains information regarding regulations in international trade, and potential risks. The website is available in multiple languages.

UEMOA is composed of Bening, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. Its purpose is to unite members through competition in an open market. Available only in French.

The African Union is an organization for regional, social and economic cooperation. The website provides detailed information about all major economic cooperation programs in Africa. The information includes the participating countries, official documents, major events, and press releases. The website is also available in French.

The East African Community website provides detailed information about the history, structure, and participating countries of the organization. Also, social and economic cooperation programs and activities within the community are included. In addition, it provides news and publications regarding the latest community developments.

The South Africa Development Community site provides information regarding the structure and legal documents of the organization, and of the participating countries. It has different sub-sections focusing respectively on food and agricultural issues, trade and industry cooperation, and social programs within the region. The website is also available in French and Portuguese.

The FTAA provides information about the negotiations and agreements of an initiative by 34 democracies in the western hemisphere to unite their economies into a single free trade arrangement by 2005. Ministerial declarations, negotiation groups, a trade and tariff database, and links to participating countries are available. Site offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

This website provides a great amount information about the United States and Chile Free Trade, in addition to many trade links and assistance with importation and exportation dealing with Chile.

Part of the Australian Government website, the SAFTA site contains the agreement itself as well as a guide explaining the agreement and how it has enhanced Australian accessibility to the Singapore market.

APEC is "the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region." Information includes news, economies of the 21-member countries, a business center, publications, a virtual library and a database of useful links.

The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Agreements Database is a product of The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Features include a searchable Trade Agreements Database and Interactive Trade Indicators, a component designed to help policymakers calculate some of the most commonly used indicators related to an economy’s trade profile. The site also allows access to a number of other helpful trade resources and ESCAP research.

The ASEAN site offers various sections covering the history of ASEAN, economic and social indicators for each Member Country, developments in the political arena, basic political documents signed by Member Countries, ASEAN's activities in economic cooperation, with emphasis placed on the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). It also provides information on the trade and investment policies of Member Countries.

The Gulf Cooperation Council provides detailed information about the foundation and structure of the organization. Also, it also provides legal documents, press releases, publications, and statistics of the organization, as well as information about its major activities.

The SAARC site offers information about regional cooperation in South Asian countries, including cooperation in the areas of agriculture, biotech, communication technology, energy, environment, and human resources. SAARC offers the latest news, press releases, and publications of the organization. It also allows readers to dowload the declarations of all its summits.

Regional Trade Agreements in the ECE is a web blog that is used by staff of the United Nations Economic Commision for Europe for sharing and gathering research information on Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). Focusing mostly on RTAs in Southeast Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Central Asia, the site also centers on RTAs in Western and Central Europe and North America. Finally, it also posts some information about RTAs in other parts of the world, for comparison purposes.

The European Free Trade Association - EFTA - is an international organization composed by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland promoting free trade and economic integration. The site has three sections: EFTA Secretariat, Surveillance Authority and EFTA Court. In the Secretariat, the visitor can find the latest news covering trade agreements with EFTA. The Surveillance Authority aims to guarantee the free movement within the Agreement in the European Economic Area and provides access to legal texts. The EFTA Court fulfils the judicial function within the EFTA system and it also gives the visitor access to legal texts and cases.

External Trade of European Union is a sub-section of the official EU website focusing on trade cooperation with other worldwide regions. It provides information about the commission, structure, legal framework, and programs of the EU external trade cooperation activities. It also provides the latest news on this topic, as well as links to related EU documents.

Among other goals, the Andean Community strives for the development and integration of member countries and for progress in the standard of living. The website provides information on economic policies, treaties and legislation, trade in goods and services, common foreign policy and much more. While some publications must be purchased, access to documents, like the declarations of the CAN, is free. The site is also available in Spanish.

The Caribbean Community Secretariat offers unique information relating to the Caribbean including regional issues, human and social development topics, and region specific history. Related Links is a great resource for Caribbean news, government information, and educational institutions.

The site, hosted by the United States Department of Commerce, brings together information and resources about the opportunities that will become available through CAFTA. The CAFTA will offer new opportunities in Central America, which includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

MERCOSUR is a customs union incorporating the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Available only in Spanish or Portuguese.

Free Trade Agreements is a sub-section of the official SICE website. It offers documents of the specific trade agreements as well as of other relating topics. In addition, information on customs unions and preferential agreements is available. Some documents are also available in Spanish or French or Portuguese.

NAFTA Secretariat, which administers the North American Free Trade Agreement dispute resolution processes, explains the requirements and processes of dispute settlement through this web site. Also, the site provides information about NAFTA itself. (English, French and Spanish versions are available.)

Part of the Australian Government website, the AUSFTA site provides information on the trade agreement between the United States and Australia. Beside the full text of the agreement, the site provides the background, the outcomes, and the press releases regarding the free trade agreement.

USTR is a sub-section of the official website of the Office of the United States Trade Representative. It provides detailed information about the actions of the United States in the World Trade Organization, and the negotiation and cooperation of the United States with some major regional trade agreements. In addition, it also offers information about bilateral trade agreements of the United States against other countries that have been signed or are being negotiated.

The Trade Compliance Center is a website of the United States Department of Commerce. It provides bilateral treaties and trade agreements between the United States and other countries. Also, it offers friendship treaties with countries like Austria, Finland, Nepal and Norway.