I have always maintained that the WTO website is a fine piece of work showcasing the standards of transparency and ease of finding documents. I have also blogged earlier about the website here and here. I came across the "WTO Analytical Index - Guide to WTO Law and Practice" on the WTO website which was very informative.
Explaining the rationale of the WTO Analytical Index, the WTO website decalres:
"The WTO Analytical Index is a guide intended to assist in the understanding of the legal interpretation given to, and the application of, the WTO Agreements by WTO dispute settlement panels and the Appellate Body, and decisions adopted by other WTO bodies. Its principal objective is to make WTO law and jurisprudence more understandable and accessible to the reader by identifying how the legal findings of these WTO adjudicatory bodies and the relevant decisions of the numerous WTO committees relate to any given provision of the various WTO Agreements."
Explaining in plain terms, it seeks to demystify various Agreements, their provisions and provisos and case law related to it. Tracing the legislative history of the provisions, the guide seeks to explain the current interpretation of the provisions by the Panel and Appellate Bodies and their interpretative history. The Guide is a welcome "help" in traversing the complex quagmire of WTO rules. It is another example of the emphasis of a "rule based system" rather than a power based one. Coming from the multilateral institution itself is an added advantage. The Analytical Guide is a necessary partner for any serious researcher of WTO law and practice.
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