The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the primary global body overseeing international trade rules. Before the WTO existed, the framework for international trade was largely governed by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
The GATT was established in 1948. The WTO was officially created on January 1, 1995, following the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, and it formally superseded the GATT. Therefore, GATT was the earlier name or the direct predecessor to the WTO.