Dispute Settlement Body - 23 September 2022 - Appellate Body appointments - Proposal by Afghanistan; Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Bangladesh; Benin; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Congo; Costa Rica; Côte D'Ivoire; Cuba; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Eswatini; the European Union; Gabon; The Gambia; Ghana; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea Bissau; Honduras; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Israel; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Republic of Korea; Lao People's Democratic Republic ; Lesotho; Liechtenstein; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Republic of Moldova; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Pakistan; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; the Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; South Africa; Switzerland; the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu; Tanzania; Thailand; Togo; Tunisia; Türkiye; Uganda; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Uruguay; the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Viet Nam; Zambia; and Zimbabwe - Revision

APPELLATE BODY APPOINTMENTS

PROPOSAL BY AFGHANISTAN; ANGOLA; ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA; ARGENTINA; AUSTRALIA; BANGLADESH; BENIN; PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA; BOTSWANA; BRAZIL; BRUNEI DARUSSALAM; BURKINA FASO; BURUNDI; CABO VERDE; CAMBODIA; CAMEROON; CANADA; CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC; CHAD; CHILE; CHINA; COLOMBIA; CONGO; COSTA RICA; CÔTE D'IVOIRE; CUBA; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO; DJIBOUTI; DOMINICA; DOMINICAN REPUBLIC; ECUADOR; EGYPT; EL SALVADOR; ESWATINI; THE EUROPEAN UNION; GABON; THE GAMBIA; GHANA; GUATEMALA; GUINEA; GUINEA‑BISSAU; HONDURAS; HONG KONG, CHINA; ICELAND; INDIA; INDONESIA; ISRAEL; KAZAKHSTAN; KENYA; REPUBLIC OF KOREA; LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC; LESOTHO; LIECHTENSTEIN; MADAGASCAR; MALAWI; MALAYSIA; MALDIVES; MALI; MAURITANIA; MAURITIUS; MEXICO; REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA; MOROCCO; MOZAMBIQUE; MYANMAR; NAMIBIA; NEPAL; NEW ZEALAND; NICARAGUA; NIGER; NIGERIA; NORTH MACEDONIA; NORWAY; PAKISTAN; PANAMA; PARAGUAY; PERU; THE PHILIPPINES; QATAR; RUSSIAN FEDERATION; RWANDA; SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS; SAINT LUCIA; SENEGAL; SEYCHELLES; SIERRA LEONE; SINGAPORE; SOUTH AFRICA; SWITZERLAND; THE SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU; TANZANIA; THAILAND; TOGO; TUNISIA; TÜRKIYE; UGANDA; UKRAINE; UNITED KINGDOM; URUGUAY; THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA; VIET NAM; ZAMBIA; AND ZIMBABWE

Revision

The following communication, dated 5 September 2023, is being circulated at the request of the Delegations of Afghanistan; Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Bangladesh; Benin; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Congo; Costa Rica; Côte D'Ivoire; Cuba; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Eswatini; the European Union; Gabon; The Gambia; Ghana; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea‑Bissau; Honduras; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Israel; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Republic of Korea; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Lesotho; Liechtenstein; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Republic of Moldova; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Pakistan; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; the Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; South Africa; Switzerland; the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu; Tanzania; Thailand; Togo; Tunisia; Türkiye; Uganda; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Uruguay; the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Viet Nam; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.

 

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Given the urgency and importance of filling the vacancies in the Appellate Body, in compliance with the DSU and so that it can carry on its functions properly, the delegations referred to above, propose that, at its meeting, the DSB takes a decision with regard to the following:

(1)   to launch: (i) one selection process to replace Mr Ricardo Ramírez Hernández, whose second four‑year term of office expired on 30 June 2017, (ii) a second selection process to replace Mr Hyun Chong Kim, who resigned from the Appellate Body as of 1 August 2017, (iii) a third selection process to replace Mr Peter Van den Bossche, whose second four‑year term of office expired on 11 December 2017, (iv) a fourth selection process to replace Mr Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing, whose four‑year term of office expired on 30 September 2018, (v) a fifth selection process to replace Mr Ujal Singh Bhatia, whose second four‑year term of office expired on 10 December 2019, (vi) a sixth selection process to replace Mr Thomas R. Graham, whose second four‑year term of office expired on 10 December 2019, and (vii) a seventh selection process to replace Ms Hong Zhao, whose first four‑year term of office expired on 30 November 2020.

(2)   to establish a Selection Committee, consistent with the procedures set out in document WT/DSB/1 and with previous selection processes, composed of the Director‑General and the Chairpersons of the General Council, the Goods Council, the Services Council, the TRIPS Council and the DSB, to be Chaired by the DSB Chair;

(3)   to set a deadline of a 30‑day period after the date of its decision, for Members to submit nominations of candidates; and

(4)   to request the Selection Committee to carry out its work in order to make recommendations to the DSB within 60 days after the deadline for submitting nominations of candidates, so that the DSB can take a decision to appoint seven new Appellate Body members as soon as possible.

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