International Trade Law Research Guide
- WTO Basic Instruments and Selected Documents (WTO BISD), Call No. REF KZ5185 .A4
WTO BISD is the official compilation of WTO-related documentation in print. Its coverage is selective, not comprehensive, but it does include many of the most significant protocols, memoranda, reports, and instruments. Each volume in the series includes a subject index. Note that WTO panel and Appellate Body reports are not included in the BISD. Note also that the WTO ceased publication of the series with Volume 12 (2006). For post-2006 documents, consult WTO Documents Online.
- WTO Ministerial Conferences: Key Outcomes, Call No. HF1385 .W763 2019
Covering the 11 WTO Ministerial Conferences held between 1996 and 2017, this publication reproduces in a single volume all ministerial decisions, ministerial declarations, and statements of chairpersons issued during each conference, as well as the key ministerial outcomes from the Uruguay Round of negotiations, which resulted in the establishment of the WTO.
- WTO Documents Online
This free online database contains more than 100,000 official WTO documents from 1995-present and is updated daily. All documents are available in PDF and MS Word formats, and most can be accessed in all three of the WTO’s official languages (English, French, and Spanish). Browse by topic or search by keyword. Consult the User Guide for search tips. For information about WTO document symbols, consult the Guide to Documentation.
Document Classification & Symbols
Like the United Nations and other international organizations, the WTO employs an internal system of classifying documents, which grew out of the system employed by its predecessor, the GATT. This system can be confusing to those who are not familiar with it.
- Consult the WTO’s Guide to Documentation webpage to understand how the WTO organizes its official documents.
- Download this guide to WTO Document Nomenclature for a complete list of document symbols and acronyms.
- The GATT Digital Library provides a helpful guide to Understanding GATT Symbols.
Citations to WTO & GATT Documents
Citations to WTO and GATT documents are governed by Rule 21.11 of The Bluebook (Call No. KF245 U5 2015). If it is unclear from the context that a citation refers to a WTO or GATT document, explain the reference in a parenthetical following the citation.
Citations to WTO and GATT dispute settlement materials, governed by Rule 21.11 (a) and (b), are covered in the Dispute Settlement section of this research guide. Citations to the WTO's founding agreements, governed by Rule 21.11 (d), are covered in the WTO and GATT Agreements section of the guide.
Rule 21.11 (c) Reports
Cite reports from the WTO Secretariat and other bodies as you would those from the United Nations according to Rule 21.7.3:
- Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, Note by the Secretariat: Available Information on the Existence of Patents in Regard to the Diseases Referred to in the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, WTO Doc. IP/C/W/348 (June 11, 2002).
- Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services, Guidelines and Procedures for the Negotiations on Trade in Services, WTO Doc. S/L/93 (Mar. 29, 2001).
- GATT Secretariat, An Analysis of the Proposed Uruguay Round Agreement, with Particular Emphasis on Aspects of Interest to Developing Countries, GATT Doc. MTN.TNC/W/122 (Nov. 29, 1993).
Rule 21.11 (e) Ministerial Documents.
Cite ministerial documents by name of issuing body, document number, and to an unofficial source, such as International Legal Materials, if therein:
- World Trade Organization, Ministerial Declaration of 14 November 2001, WTO Doc. WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1, 41 ILM 746 (2002) [hereinafter Doha Declaration].
Rule 21.11 (f) Other Documents.
(i) Arbitration documents. Cite ICSID arbitration documents according to Rule 21.6.
(ii) Press Releases. Cite press releases according to Rule 17.2.3.
(iii) WTO website. Some documents may be found on the WTO’s website, and should be cited in accordance with Rule 18.1.
