Since the establishment of the WTO on 1 January 1995, no less than 23 States and separate customs territories have joined the multilateral trading system through the procedures of Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement. These represent a range of economies, from global players to important emerging and transition economies and least-developed countries. A relatively large number are at various stages of the accession process. A certain limited number have still to take the decision to seek WTO membership.

Accession to the WTO is complex, multifaceted, and demanding. The nature of the WTO's contractually binding system of rules and disciplines makes this inevitable. Each accession is a negotiation between the acceding government and WTO Members and it is conducted multilaterally and bilaterally. In each case, the essential issue is the same: to attain a workable balance between the special needs of the acceding government on the one hand and the credibility and viability of the rules-based WTO system on the other. The accession process is designed to ensure that new Members emerge as full and effective players from their date of membership. It is a process of learning and preparation for WTO membership. For the same reason, each accession is conducted and completed on its own merits.