Open dispute settlement hearings in the World Trade Organization

A joint statement from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) to the USTR requesting that the United States adopt a policy of requesting open web-cast hearings for all World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement proceedings to increase transparency and accessibility.

• The US Government is credited for allowing public access via closed-circuit television in Geneva for the WTO Beef Hormones case hearings held in September 2005 and September/October 2006.
• Current access to WTO hearings is limited by the high financial costs of traveling to Geneva, which effectively excludes civil society, ordinary citizens, and non-industry groups, particularly those from the Global South and developing countries.
• Web-casting is proposed as a more efficient and transparent alternative to closed-circuit television because it removes the need for physical observer space and the WTO's pre-hearing security clearance processes for individuals entering the premises.
• The authors request that the US Government establish an official policy to request open web-cast hearings for all WTO dispute settlement cases in which the US is a party, noting that the WTO already has the technical capacity to web-cast major events and training.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2006). Open dispute settlement hearings in the World Trade Organization. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WTODispute_USTR_Oct06.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Open dispute settlement hearings in the World Trade Organization. 2006. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WTODispute_USTR_Oct06.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Open dispute settlement hearings in the World Trade Organization |date=10 October 2006 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WTODispute_USTR_Oct06.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2006open, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Open dispute settlement hearings in the World Trade Organization}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2006}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WTODispute_USTR_Oct06.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }