Enhanced Access to Information and Ability to Participate Effectively

A coalition of organizations wrote to the U.S. Trade Representative in 2004 requesting that the USTR increase transparency in trade negotiations by publishing proposed agreement texts and negotiating proposals on its website and soliciting public comment via the Federal Register. The authors argue that the current ad hoc disclosure process risks bias and excludes non-insider stakeholders, suggesting that the U.S. should require negotiating partners to agree to such transparency as a condition of entry into negotiations.

• A coalition of organizations is urging the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to increase transparency in bilateral and regional trade negotiations through three specific actions: posting proposed agreement texts on the USTR website and requesting public comment via the Federal Register at least 30 days before negotiations conclude; posting all received comments and a listing of those comments electronically; and publishing U.S. negotiating proposals and accompanying documents at the time they are submitted to other countries.
• The authors argue that the current USTR process, where proposed agreement texts are shared on an ad hoc basis rather than routinely made public, creates a risk of bias or the appearance of favoritism and excludes individuals and groups who lack the resources to be 'insiders' or the specialized knowledge of trade law.
• To address potential objections from negotiating partners regarding public disclosure, the document suggests that the U.S. should make it a condition of entry into negotiations that partner governments agree in advance to the USTR's timely publication of draft texts for public comment.
• The letter notes a global trend toward open government to improve accountability and combat corruption, stating that over 50 countries now have legal rights to access government information, with over half of those adopting freedom of information laws in the last decade.

APA

Donnelly, J. M. (2004). Enhanced Access to Information and Ability to Participate Effectively. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/news/letter-to-zoellick-re-enhanced-access-to-information-and-ability-to-participate-effectively/

Chicago

Donnelly, J. Michael. Enhanced Access to Information and Ability to Participate Effectively. Center for International Environmental Law, 2004. https://www.ciel.org/news/letter-to-zoellick-re-enhanced-access-to-information-and-ability-to-participate-effectively/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Donnelly |first1=J. Michael |title=Enhanced Access to Information and Ability to Participate Effectively |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=13 January 2004 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/letter-to-zoellick-re-enhanced-access-to-information-and-ability-to-participate-effectively/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{donnelly2004enhanced, author = {Donnelly, J. Michael}, title = {{Enhanced Access to Information and Ability to Participate Effectively}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2004}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/letter-to-zoellick-re-enhanced-access-to-information-and-ability-to-participate-effectively/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }