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

The memorandum, submitted by a coalition of NGOs and civil society groups, asserts that the WTO's internal processes are weighted against developing countries, leading to rules that harm the environment and vulnerable populations. It identifies systemic failures including the misuse of the consensus system, the exclusionary 'Green Room' process, and the lack of neutrality in the WTO Secretariat. The authors propose a shift toward a more inclusive system featuring a regular General Assembly during Ministerial Conferences, transparent drafting of texts that reflect diverse views, and the cessation of 'Mini-Ministerials' and exclusive meetings.

• The WTO's consensus system is applied inconsistently, often serving as a tool for major developed countries to pressure others to conform to their positions while allowing a few developed nations to block a majority of members.
• Developing countries are systematically disadvantaged by an overloaded agenda and simultaneous meetings, which exceed the capacity of small delegations and result in their views being ignored or their absence being counted as consensus.
• The 'Green Room' process and 'Mini-Ministerials' create a de facto parallel, non-elected steering committee that excludes the majority of the membership from critical decision-making.
• Preparatory processes for Ministerial Conferences lack transparency due to the prevalence of undocumented 'informal' meetings and the distribution of documents in English only, hindering the ability of some members to comprehend or consult their capitals.
• The WTO Secretariat and its Director General have failed to maintain neutrality, specifically by campaigning for the 'Singapore issues' despite strong opposition from many developing countries.
• The practice of producing 'clean' draft texts by Chairs obscures divergent views and makes it difficult for developing countries to identify and defend their positions during negotiations.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2003). MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERNAL TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WTO. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Memo.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. MEMORANDUM ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERNAL TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WTO. 2003. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Memo.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 |date=13 July 2003 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Memo.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2003memorandum, 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}, year = {2003}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cancun_21July03_Memo.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }