CIEL welcomes the decision by the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization to open to the public the hearing on appeal in the latest stage of the Hormones case

July 2008

This is the first time that an Appellate Body hearing will be open to the public, and this is an important step forward toward the type of transparency that should occur at the WTO. The Appellate Body’s oral hearing on these disputes will be held on July 28 and 29, 2008 at the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland. The public will be able to observe the hearing through a closed-circuit broadcast into a public observation room.

CIEL has consistently advocated for transparency and accountability as essential elements of international dispute settlement. CIEL has also proposed to open WTO hearings via webcast, in order to eliminate the administrative and security difficulties associated to a separate public observation room, as well as to allow the press and the public outside Geneva to witness the hearings.

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