WTO: Rejected NGOs Challenge WTO Decision
Despite being denied permission to participate in the appeals process at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) last year, a concerned coalition of NGOs nevertheless filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) submission with the Appellate Body in February, 2001. According to Alice Palmer, a solicitor from The Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD), the NGO coalition "views amicus submissions as an important vehicle for public participation in international trade decisions." The supporters of the brief include: Greenpeace International, World Wide Fund for Nature, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, Ban Asbestos Network and Field. The text of the brief can be viewed on FIELD’s website at: http://www.field.org.uk/papers/tepap.htm
The Appellate Body decision in this case will be communicated to the parties in the dispute in mid-March.
February 17, 2001
