UK statement to the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body on Appellate Body Appointments
The UK delivered the following statement to the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body on Appellate Body Appointments on 28 August
The WTO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Thank you, Chair.
The United Kingdom continues its support for this proposal for the launch of the selection process and we refer to our previous statements on this agenda item. We also support the statement made by Mexico on behalf of all co-sponsors.
We continue to be concerned that the WTO Membership has not been able to launch the selection processes for new Appellate Body members and we are now seeing the concrete impairment of rights arising from this situation.
While we do not underestimate the challenge of reaching agreement on the necessary reforms, we continue to view a two-stage dispute settlement system with the support of all Members as a central pillar of the broader multilateral trading system. We have listened carefully to the concerns raised, and proposals advanced, and we continue to call on all Members to engage in a solutions-based discussion on reform.