Trade liberalization is highly contested, as demonstrated by the collapse of the Cancun Ministerial meetings of the WTO in September 2003 and related disputes regarding global imbalances in agricultural trade policy.
While the WTO may be the most visible arena in which trade liberalization is advanced, the policies and programs supported by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund play an equally important, though less prominent role in promoting trade reform. In their roles as the leading development financiers and development "knowledge banks", these International Financial Institutions (IFIs) influence trade policies through both lending and non-lending instruments. Lending instruments include policy-based loans, project loans and technical assistance. Non-lending instruments include advice on bilateral and multilateral negotiations, and assessments and strategy papers that determine a country's access to funding. WB and IMF operations frequently require measures such as the lowering of tariffs, the modification of customs procedures, fiscal and labor regulations and procurement policies, and the promotion of private sector ownership. At times, the lending and advisory activities of the World Bank and IMF support reforms that have not been agreed upon at the multilateral level and may run counter to the development interests and priorities of a country.