Geneva has hosted the headquarters of the World Trade Organization since 1995.
The WTO was established on 1 January 1995 as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT. Its headquarters are in the Centre William Rappard, a building near Lake Geneva that had previously housed the International Labour Organization.
Geneva already had a strong international role before the WTO was created. The city hosts many United Nations bodies and other international organizations, making it a practical location for negotiations, dispute proceedings and meetings among trade officials. The WTO’s headquarters location is separate from the locations of its ministerial conferences, which can be held in different member countries.