It is not easy for private citizens and organizations (NGOs) to follow what the World Trade Organization (WTO) is doing or to influence what it will do. WTO Members are governments, and civil society has had limited opportunities to take part in the organization’s activities. In July 1996, the WTO established a set of procedures for allowing the public to gain access to documents it uses and produces in the course of its work. Some of these are available to the public immediately. Most of the documents that are important to the development and application of trade rules, however, are first circulated only to the Membership. They are “restricted” and are officially not available to the public until they are “derestricted.” Many types of documents can routinely stay restricted for months. In fact, they can remain restricted indefinitely if even a single Member does not want the public to be able to see them.
Having access to documents as they become available gives the public an opportunity both to discover the Members’ views on international trade issues and to assess whether they have considered how particular trade rules may impact on related areas, such as the environment, safety, jobs, and so on. If this access is timely, non-governmental actors can try to influence international trade deliberations before the WTO makes decisions that are later difficult to challenge.