--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The World Trade Organization is an…" description: "\"The World Trade Organization is an organization that defends trade interests. I think the problem is less that they exist. The problem is that internat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/noreena-hertz-8858_defends_the-world-trade-organization-is-an-organ_1279667.jpg" --- # The World Trade Organization is an organization that… ![“The World Trade Organization is an organization that defends trade interests. I think the problem is less that they exist. The problem is that internationally we've only got an organization that protects trade interests. Surely we need some kind of counterweight to protect human rights and the…” quote by Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/noreena-hertz-8858_defends_the-world-trade-organization-is-an-organ_1279667.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/noreena-hertz-8858_defends_the-world-trade-organization-is-an-organ_1279667.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/noreena-hertz-8858_defends_the-world-trade-organization-is-an-organ_1279667.jpg) > “The World Trade Organization is an organization that defends trade interests. I think the problem is less that they exist. The problem is that internationally we've only got an organization that protects trade interests. Surely we need some kind of counterweight to protect human rights and the environment, too.” [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The WTO focuses on trade, but lacks mechanisms to safeguard human rights and the environment, creating an imbalance that needs a counterbalancing institution. **In simple terms:** WTO protects trade, not people or planet. Key Takeaway Advocate for a global body that balances trade with rights and ecology. Themes trade human rights environment governance balance Mood concerned critical hopeful Type policy analytical advocacy When to use this quote - policy negotiations - corporate compliance - environmental activism - human rights advocacy Key Concepts globalization institutional design sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How can existing institutions be reformed to include rights? - What would a counterweight look like in practice? A Different Perspective Creating a new institution may face political resistance and funding challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defends/) [Defends Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defends-trade-4131451/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interests/) [Internationally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internationally/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/less/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Protects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protects/) [Protects Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protects-trade-4131452/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Surely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surely/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Trade Interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade-interests-4131453/) [Trade Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade-organization-1210804/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-trade/) [World trade organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-trade-organization/) ## Related quotes > [We have to build movements in the face of trade retaliation on the basis of people's democratic rights, on the basis of an ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/we-have-to-build-movements-in-the-face-of-trade-retaliation-on-the/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Our global institutional arrangements - the basic ground rules that govern our world economy - are human-made. They don't exist naturally, nor are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pogge/our-global-institutional-arrangements-the-basic-ground-rules-that/) [Thomas Pogge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pogge/) > [Canada and the United States are also working at the World Trade Organization and in our own hemisphere with negotiations for a Trade Area…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cellucci/canada-and-the-united-states-are-also-working-at-the-world-trade/) [Paul Cellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cellucci/) > [Governments have been ceding power to big multinational corporations in the market. We see the manifest in a variety of ways. Where governments are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/governments-have-been-ceding-power-to-big-multinational-corporations/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [What countries must do to join the World Trade Organization is precisely what they must do to become productive and democratic: accept the rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/what-countries-must-do-to-join-the-world-trade-organization-is/) [Richard N. 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Their policies are congruent with North Korea, Somalia, Turkestan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leach/if-texas-and-kansas-were-countries-they-wouldn-t-be-admitted-to-the/) [Mike Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leach/) > [Russian membership in the World Trade Organization has the potential to strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption, and give Russia a stake in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/russian-membership-in-the-world-trade-organization-has-the-potential/) [Richard N. 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It was the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/the-defining-moment-in-american-economic-history-is-when-bill-clinton/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) > [In my movie, "Death By China," it shows Bill Clinton in 2000 promising that when China got into the World Trade Organization we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/in-my-movie-death-by-china-it-shows-bill-clinton-in-2000-promising/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) > [The defining moment in American economic history is when Bill Clinton lobbied to get China into the World Trade Organization. It was the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/the-defining-moment-in-american-economic-history-is-when-bill-clinton-2/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) ## More by Noreena Hertz > [When Apple introduced its game-changing iPhone in 2007, Nokia was caught sleeping on the job. Although it had actually developed an iPhone-style device -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/when-apple-introduced-its-game-changing-iphone-in-2007-nokia-was/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I've become increasingly fascinated with social media to improve on traditional ways of preparing for and predicting the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-ve-become-increasingly-fascinated-with-social-media-to-improve-on/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I grew up in a highly political home. 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Some enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/we-live-increasingly-in-a-world-of-haves-and-have-nots-of-gated/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [With consumers having ever more choice, corporations must invest more and more in courting public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/with-consumers-having-ever-more-choice-corporations-must-invest-more/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I was really interested to see whether we could make predictions or forecasts by listening in on what people were saying on social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-was-really-interested-to-see-whether-we-could-make-predictions-or/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [Things do go wrong. Not everyone benefits from the capitalist dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/things-do-go-wrong-not-everyone-benefits-from-the-capitalist-dream/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [It's actually very surprising how little we think about the quality of our decision-making and how we could improve it. How absent decision-making classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/it-s-actually-very-surprising-how-little-we-think-about-the-quality/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [Get into the habit of imagining an alternate scenario. By posing such 'imagine if' questions... we can distance ourselves from the frames, cues, anchors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/get-into-the-habit-of-imagining-an-alternate-scenario-by-posing-such/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I really believe in a globalist agenda, but globalization isn't just allowing companies to trade freely all over the world. It's about what types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-really-believe-in-a-globalist-agenda-but-globalization-isn-t-just/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [Surely in a world of email, video conferencing and virtual assistants, isn't being expected to show up at the office extremely anachronistic? Yet to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/surely-in-a-world-of-email-video-conferencing-and-virtual-assistants/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [My parents decided - because they were not going to teach us anything Jewish at home - to send both me and my sister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/my-parents-decided-because-they-were-not-going-to-teach-us-anything/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [People are looking for certainty. The more complex the world becomes, the more people look for people to give them certainty and tell them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/people-are-looking-for-certainty-the-more-complex-the-world-becomes/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) [Explore all 77 Noreena Hertz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) ## More Defends quotes > [Truth is treasurer.You have not to defend it.Truth always defends itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/truth-is-treasurer-you-have-not-to-defend-it-truth-always-defends/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [Every nation makes decisions based on self-interest and defends them on the basis of morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/every-nation-makes-decisions-based-on-self-interest-and-defends-them/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [The length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-length-of-this-document-defends-it-well-against-the-risk-of-its/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Republicans constantly claim to be the party that defends the Constitution. We have no legitimate right to that claim until we get right on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/republicans-constantly-claim-to-be-the-party-that-defends-the/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [God loves and defends those with the least economic and social power, and so should we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-loves-and-defends-those-with-the-least-economic-and-social-power/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Ecuador is a country which defends the right to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-correa/ecuador-is-a-country-which-defends-the-right-to-life/) [Rafael Correa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-correa/) > [Exercise thy lasting youth defends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gay/exercise-thy-lasting-youth-defends/) [John Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gay/) > [A true friend is one who upon seeing a fault gives you advice and defends you in your absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narenkumar/a-true-friend-is-one-who-upon-seeing-a-fault-gives-you-advice-and/) [Narenkumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narenkumar/) > [I never seem to be able to sell my films correctly in the U.S. The U.S. defends itself on its own turf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-ocelot/i-never-seem-to-be-able-to-sell-my-films-correctly-in-the-u-s-the-u-s/) [Michel Ocelot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-ocelot/) > [I'm not a person who defends myself very often. I kind of let my actions speak for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brady/i-m-not-a-person-who-defends-myself-very-often-i-kind-of-let-my/) [Tom Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brady/) > [No science ever defends its first principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/no-science-ever-defends-its-first-principles/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [For me, what makes Liverpool special is that they are a team that works very well on the lines, very compact, in which everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bojan-krkic/for-me-what-makes-liverpool-special-is-that-they-are-a-team-that/) [Bojan Krkic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bojan-krkic/) > [Man only honors what he conquers or defends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/man-only-honors-what-he-conquers-or-defends/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-report-by-its-very-length-defends-itself-against-the-risk-of/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“Whoever defends himself will have himself for defense, and he will have no other. But let him come defenseless before the Lord and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/whoever-defends-himself-will-have-himself-for-defense-and-he-will/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) [Browse all 36 Defends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defends/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The World Trade Organization is an organization that defends trade interests. I think the problem is less that they exist. The problem is that internationally we've only got an organization that protects trade interests. 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