MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERNAL TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WTO

A coalition of NGOs submitted a memorandum to the WTO calling for urgent reforms to internal transparency and the inclusion of developing countries in decision-making, arguing that current failures threaten the environment and global populations.

• A coalition of NGOs and civil society groups asserts that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) lacks internal transparency and fails to ensure the participation of developing countries in decision-making processes. The authors claim that while reforms have been promised, the situation has actually "worsened" over time.
• The authors argue that the WTO's lack of transparency and democracy is particularly problematic given the organisation's far-reaching impact on the environment and the lives of billions of people, as well as its own claims to be a "rules-based organisation" based on procedural fairness and non-discrimination.
• The accompanying memorandum categorises WTO internal process problems and proposed improvements into three areas: general issues, processes preparatory to Ministerial Conferences, and processes occurring during Ministerials. The authors seek the implementation of these proposals specifically for the Cancun Ministerial.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERNAL TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WTO. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Letter.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERNAL TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WTO. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERNAL TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WTO |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Letter.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndmemorandum, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERNAL TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WTO}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }