Title:
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN THE WTO: THE INPUT LEGITIMACY QUESTION

Authors:
Anbesie Fura Gurmessa

Abstract:
The establishment of the WTO has brought significant changes in the ways international trade is conducted. Because of these changes, the world trade regulation has been significantly changed both in terms of the areas regulated under this legal framework and the number of countries that are brought into this framework to reap the benefit of free global trade. With this increase, a number of opportunities and challenges have faced the WTO, but none of them has been as serious as the difficulties the organization is facing in relation to its decision-making process. This article argues that unless the WTO is ready to reform its decision-making process, by making them legitimate on the basis of transparency, inclusiveness and generally democratic, the acceptance of the decisions of the Institution will remain to be doubtful and by being so affecting the legitimacy of the Organization in general. As such, it is the position of this article that the input part of the decision-making at the WTO should be revised to gain the acceptance that is so critical for any decision to be enforced with the full force among the member states