Status of non-governmental entities and dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO: An analysis with special reference to amicus brief controversy.

摘要

A central feature of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is its Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM). Access to the DSM is presently limited to member governments; other entities such as NGOs are not eligible to be WTO Members and, consequently, are denied formal participation in the dispute settlement process. However, non-governmental entities have been afforded a limited opportunity to express their views through the submission of amicus briefs in dispute settlement proceedings. There are concerns, in particular on the part of Developing Countries, over the Appellate Body's authority to confer such a role to these entities. This paper aims to analyze the issues surrounding the status of non-governmental entities at the WTO level with respect to the DSM, how its Appellate Body is interpreting the law of the WTO, and how far the criticism of Developing Countries towards the Appellate Body's interpretation of WTO law is justified.