Open dispute settlement hearings in the World Trade Organization

The Center for International Environmental Law and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy urge the USTR to advocate for the web-casting of WTO dispute settlement hearings, arguing that current closed-circuit television access in Geneva excludes civil society and citizens from the Global South due to travel costs.

• The authors acknowledge the US Government's consent to provide closed-circuit television access for the public in Geneva during the WTO Beef Hormones case hearings in 2005 and 2006, noting the process functioned smoothly.
• Current access to WTO hearings is limited to those with the financial means to travel to Geneva, which effectively excludes civil society, ordinary citizens, and non-industry groups, particularly those from the Global South.
• Web-casting is proposed as a solution to increase transparency and credibility because it removes travel barriers and is more efficient than closed-circuit television by eliminating the need for physical space and security clearance processes for observers.
• The authors assert that the WTO already has the technical capacity and willingness to web-cast, as it does so for training and major events.

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} }