Trade diplomacy of non-state actors

It is not disputable that the significance of the non-state actors' role in trade in nowadays greater than it used to be, however, it still remains limited comparing to the states' impact. The area of activity of NSAs in trade is quite broad and extends from local to international level (Milner, Moravcsik, 2009). Some NSAs and NSA alliances work on issues including financing and training of businesses, trade policy and negotiations and economic development. Nonetheless, their biggest importance lays probably in the ability to trasfer the public opinion to the international negotiations, as well as in being kind of a "watchdog", controlling what is happening behing the doors closed to the public and "governing the governors". NSAs were recognized as significant global figures for example by being given the right to submit amicus curiae briefs in WTO disputes (Lopez, 2001).
 The capability to reshape global governance patterns and the importance of the non-state voice was particularly visible in the Seattle protests in 1999, where the Millenium Round was abandoned partly because of the public demonstrations, but also because of the NGOs opposition. Moreover, a year earlier, NSAs played a significant role in trials to inhibit the Multilateral Agreement on Investment. Lobbying by NGOs and 'reform oriented' think tanksbrought attention of more influential global institutions to alleviating the social costs of economic restructuring Scholte, 2000). Also under the pressure of non-state actors, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the IMF, the WTO and the World Bank have increased public relations and disclosures regarding their policies and decisions (ibid.).
An example of the NSA involvement in trade and aid negotiations can be the Cotonou Agreement in 2002, which introduced a new participatory approach. The Agreement defined the NSA participation as a fundamental principle of the cooperation between the EU and African Carribean and pacific countries. It was supposed to encourage integration of all sections of the society, however, the NSAs' participation was meant to be limited to information and consultation, while, the decision-making process is left to the State actors.
The issue of aid packages or aid offset agreements for some specific states or groups of states are just one of the many areas in multilateral trade negotiations, but thanks to organizations like for instance, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) the problem can be raised on the level of WTO. The immediate effect of participation in WTO disputes is the demonstration of the livelihood concerns, but the long term effect is influencing economic governance and policy-making processes to focus more on people, therefore the growing importance of NSAs participation in global trade, in the times of democracy and cooperation.