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"Preface" [2009] ELECD 542; in Joseph, Sarah; Kinley, David; Waincymer, Jeff (eds), "The World Trade Organization and Human Rights" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009)

Book Title: The World Trade Organization and Human Rights

Editor(s): Joseph, Sarah; Kinley, David; Waincymer, Jeff

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781847206619

Section Title: Preface

Number of pages: 2

Extract:

Preface
This book is the culmination of a four-year project examining the relationship
between the World Trade Organization and human rights. A key moment in the
relationship between these regimes occurred in Seattle in December 1999.
Internally, key WTO Members sought to use that meeting as the launching pad
for a new Round of multilateral trade negotiations. Externally, a range of crit-
ics, including influential non-governmental organizations, engaged in public
demonstrations that criticized the processes and goals of the WTO. From that
time, challenges as to the consistency or otherwise of the international trade
law and human rights law regimes have been debated in both public fora and
scholarly circles.
The politicized nature of the debate meant that much of the dialogue was
polarized and rarely displayed a genuine attempt to analyze and synthesize
competing arguments. Even in scholarly circles many of the criticisms
directed from the trade camp towards the human rights camp and vice versa,
were based on misunderstandings or at least questionable generalizations as to
the norms, processes and goals of the other field. One reason for this is the
historical lack of dialogue between scholars from each camp. A number of
earlier worthy projects had begun to redress this. This project also aimed to do
so and, to that end, a range of multidisciplinary scholars were invited to a
conference in Prato, Italy, to present and debate their views, organized by the
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. This volume contains revised versions
of ...