WTO Groups during the Doha Round negotiations

In contrast with other institutions of global economic governance, the WTO is a one-member-one-vote institution. It relies on consensus for its decision-making. At first glance, this system should have greatly benefited developing countries. But this is not the case.

Not only developing countries are unable to join to out-vote developed countries, but also the high costs of having a permanent delegation in Geneva and exorbitant legal fees make it difficult for them to dramatically shift the institution’s outcomes.

A reminiscence from GATT culture, informal processes are of vital importance in the WTO. Countries are encouraged to negotiate and resolve their trade and policy predicaments on their own before they appeal to WTO authority or process. In this context, countries form groups according to different negotiating themes and interests.

• Source: Narlikar, Amrita. The World Trade Organization: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford Univ. Press, 2005.

Below is a visualization of all the groups formed for the Doha negotiations. Notice countries are often members of several groups.

• Note: hover over each group or country node to see its connections.