International trade and investment has become a central part of how the global economy operates. As a result, it is important to understand the details of international regulations and policies for operation.

World Trade Organization
The primary regulatory body is the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO monitors global economic trends and makes recommendations to member governments about trade agreements, including international investment to encourage economic expansion.

The WTO was established in 1995 under the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which was established after World War II, and has been successful in establishing a stable and steady global marketplace that has opened new economic opportunities for developing countries to participate in the global economy.

As a result of the efforts of the WTO, agreements have been made in wide ranging industries including the financial services arena, telecommunications, agriculture, textiles and service industries.

However, it should also be made clear that the WTO is not a world governing body for international laws or regulations, but instead is a member organization which countries join. The WTO is only an advisory organization. There is no worldwide governing body when it comes to global agreements about trade or investments.

International Trade Rules
In many cases, the rules about international trade are largely about transparency in the supply chain. Recent events like lead found in children’s toys or contaminated foods from countries that are trading internationally have raised concerns about accurate and full information being disclosed regarding the sources of all of the ingredients or components of any trade goods entering countries.

Trade zones like the North American Fair Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union have specific rules about country of origin documentation forms that have to be completed before international trade goods are allowed to enter a regional trade zone. NAFTA and EU regulations are legally regulated according to the trade agreements made between the nations involved in the trade zone.

International Investment
Since there is no one world regulatory body for international trade and investment, recommendations about global financial investments often come from the WTO and the United Nations and other member organizations that have an interest in creating fair trade and investment opportunities for all national around the world.

In a February 2009 meeting, the United Nations recommended that countries make an extreme effort at encouraging financial transparency to encourage global investment. They went further to state that countries and investment organizations should also keep track of individual country trade agreements that influence the ability for investors to participate in international investment opportunities.

In many cases, international investment and trade agreements are extremely convoluted and complicated and may involve not just one international agreement between two countries, but may involve multiple countries. As a result, international investments can be confusing and difficult to maintain, particularly if those investments span several different industries. For example, the manufacturing of computer components for the telecommunications industry may span computer components, software and telecommunications industries all at the same time.

Summary
International trade and investments are not regulated by one single global organization and many countries make international trade agreements based on recommendations from organizations like the World Trade Organization, the United Nations and others. As a result, individual countries may make international trade agreements that are extremely complicated for investors to understand, particularly if those investments span several different industries.