Representing developing countries before the WTO : the role of the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL)

Abstract

Since its inception in 2001, the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) has enabled developing and least developed countries to understand and participate in the WTO legal system, thereby enhancing the credibility of that system. For the ACWL to succeed, it was essential that its users could be sure that the legal advice they received was independent of any political agenda of either developed countries that fund the ACWL or of the ACWL itself. Hence, the ACWL was created as an independent, impartial, and non-political source of legal advice. These factors have been key to the ACWL's success. The ACWL has developed an excellent reputation for the quality, credibility, confidentiality, and impartiality of its advice. While the ACWL does not remedy all of the legal capacity constraints facing its users in participating in the WTO legal system, it is now recognized as an essential part of the system.