A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System

This second edition of "A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System" has been compiled by the dispute settlement lawyers of the WTO Secretariat to explain how the system works on a day-to-day basis. In addition to describing the system’s rules and procedures, this accessibly written handbook explains how those rules and procedures have been interpreted by dispute settlement panels and the Appellate Body, and how they have evolved over time.

The WTO dispute settlement system has become one of the most dynamic, effective and successful international dispute settlement systems in the world over the past 20 years. This new edition provides updated information to help various audiences understand the operation of the WTO dispute settlement system. It includes an expanded section on the compliance process and incorporates jurisprudence concerning dispute settlement procedures that has been elaborated since the last edition of the Handbook was published in 2004. It also has an additional chapter containing a review of the ongoing negotiations aimed at improving dispute settlement procedures.