US Ambassador to WTO Hopeful for Functioning Dispute Settlement System by End of 2024
The World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system should be "fully functioning" by the end of 2024, U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Maria Pagan told Reuters. Pagan made the remarks as the U.S. is heading into a third phase of negotiations with other WTO members about how to reform the global trade organization after the Appellate Body has been hobbled for years by U.S. unwillingness to seat members on the body.
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Pagan said that "[o]ur goal is a fully functioning (dispute system) by 2024," adding that reviving the Appellate Body was not off the table. "I think it needs a lot of revamping," she said. WTO talks held over the past year with over 70 countries have centered on 12 themes expected to end in concrete proposals, Pagan said.
While WTO members reached a new deal during the 12th Ministerial Conference on fisheries subsidies, progress over WTO dispute settlement revisions has stalled due to a spat over who will chair negotiations. Pagan told Reuters that the process is "frustrating," clarifying she was hopeful a breakthrough had been found.