Founded in 1995 by attorney Lori Wallach, GTW is a division of U.S.-based think tank Public Citizen.
GTW advocates for a greater public role in international, federal, state and local policy-making, and for a different set of policies and institutions than those governing the current model of globalization.
Lori Wallach, GTW's Director and Founder was described as "Ralph Nader with a sense of humor" in a Wall Street Journal profile, dubbed "the Trade Debate's Guerrilla Warrior" by the National Journal,[3] the "Madame Defarge of Seattle" by the Institute for International Economics,[4] and "a key player in Washington debates on trade policy" by The Nation.
[5] Wallach is a graduate of Harvard University and previously worked for Public Citizen as a lobbyist for food safety improvements.
Alongside organizations such as the AFL–CIO and the Sierra Club, the GTW urged General Electric to cease offshoring jobs from the United States and invest in renewable energy.