Coalitions and regional groupings

Decision-making in the WTO is based on a consensus or, in the few cases where the WTO agreement calls for a vote, on the "one member one vote" principle, never practiced however. This formally gives an equal weight to each member in the WTO. In reality, however, the effective influence of a member is determined on the one hand by its economic weight (measured by its share in global merchandise trade) and on the other hand by its active participation in the negotiating meetings. Members, in particular small and less developed economies, are increasingly forming groups and alliances to increase their leverage in the negotiations. Through a coalition, developing country members can share information and research, be represented when consultations are held among smaller groups, and defend their interests in a more assertive manner.

These coalitions are either formed around single issues or around multiple issues. An example of a single-issue coalition is the so-called ТCotton fourУ or ТC-4У; the coalition of four West and Central African cotton producing countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali). The C-4 was successful in requesting a sectoral initiative on cotton and coordinated their negotiating positions since then. Multi-issues coalitions are usually formed around regional groupings, such as the African Group, the ACP States, the Least Developed Countries, the Cairns Group, G-33, G-20, GRULAC, or SVEs[29].

Membership of coalitions may change with time as members may join or withdraw from a group. Coalitions, in particular when they are multi-issue coalitions, run the risk of fragmentation if there are fault lines within the groups. A high variance in membersХ interests limits the coalitionsХ capacity to coordinate their positions through to the end game. Fruitful coalitions require Тa smooth system of information transfer, debriefings and regular information sessions, a quasi legitimate representation, a high level of participation and a strong degree of trust.У [30] In the last part of this module, we will examine the process and stages of coalition-building in greater detail.

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