The new GATT Disputes database provides an interactive platform to access, research and visualise detailed information relating to dispute settlement under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1947, the predecessor of the WTO.
The database allows users to search for information relating to the 317 GATT disputes brought by contracting parties from 1948 to 1995. The information provided includes documents such as consultation requests and reports, serving adjudicators, the disputing parties, claims and defences of the parties, the procedural legal basis cited by the complainants, and products at issue in the proceedings.
It contains a one-page summary of key dates, documents and other information relating to each GATT dispute. The resources section provides access to a compilation of GATT dispute settlement procedures, revealing how these evolved over the decades, as well as other relevant GATT documents of historical value.
The database compiles and updates information on GATT dispute settlement decisions and procedures, based on GATT Disputes: 1948-1995 published in 2018. The GATT 1947 was the predecessor to the WTO and provided the rules for much of world trade for its 47‑year existence. The GATT 1947 continues to have legal effect as part of the GATT 1994, itself a component of the WTO Agreement.