Interpreting World Trade Organization Agreements for the Development Objective

Of late there has been considerable general focus amongst legal analysts, on the processes involved in the interpretation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements.1 This focus has been direct, as well as rooted in an exploration of the relationship of the WTO with international law, and the continuing appraisal of the WTO dispute settlement system. Yet the methods of interpreting international agreements have been the subject of consideration for almost as long as treaties have been in existence, with established international rules and practices in existence for some time now.2 By the same token, despite the increasing participation of developing Members in the WTO and its dispute settlement system, a significant number of developing country Members have expressed concerns about the manner in which the interpretation and application of WTO Agreements has advanced the development objective.