During the past decade or so, international trade agreements have been dramatically expanded to encompass areas of policy, programs and law - such as those concerning water - that had always been strictly matters of domestic concern. In addition to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which has guided international trade affairs since 1947, the framework of the World Trade Organization now includes "trade" agreements relating to investment, services, procurement, intellectual property and domestic regulation, including environmental standards.

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