WT/DSB/W/609/Rev.19  
8 December  2020 
(20-8806) Page: 1/2 
Dispute Settlement Body  
18 December 2020  Original:  English  
 
  
APPELLATE BODY APPOINTMENTS  
PROPOSAL BY AFGHANISTAN; ANGOLA; ARGENTINA; AUSTRALIA; BANGLADESH; BENIN; 
PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA; BOTSWANA; BRAZIL; BURKINA  FASO; BURUNDI; CABO 
VERDE; CAMEROON; CANADA; CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC; CHAD; CHILE; CHINA; COLOMBIA; 
CONGO; COSTA RICA; CÔTE  D'IVOIRE; CUBA; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO; DJIBOUTI; 
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; ISRAE L; KAZAKHSTAN; KENYA; REPUBLIC OF KOREA; 
LESOTHO; LIECHTENSTEIN; MADAGASCAR; MALAWI; MALAYSIA; MALDIVES; MALI; MAURITANIA; 
MAURITIUS; MEXICO; REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA; MOROCCO; MOZAMBIQUE; NAMIBIA; NEPAL; 
NEW ZEALAND; NICARAGUA; NIGER; NIGERIA; NORTH MACEDONIA;  NORWAY; PAKISTAN; 
PANAMA; PARAGUAY; PERU; QATAR; RUSSIAN FEDERATION; RWANDA; SENEGAL; SEYCHELLES; 
SIERRA LEONE; SINGAPORE; SOUTH AFRICA; SWITZERLAND; THE SEPARATE CUSTOMS 
TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU; TANZANIA; THAILAND; TOGO; TUNISIA; 
TURKEY; UGANDA; UKRAINE; UNITED KINGDOM; URUGUAY; THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF 
VENEZUELA; VIET NAM; ZAMBIA AND  ZIMBABWE  
Revision  
The following communication, dated 7 December  2020, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegations of Afghanistan ; Angola ; Argentina ; Australia ; Bangladesh ; Benin; Plurinational State of 
Bolivia ; Botswana ; Brazil; Burkina Faso ; Burundi ; Cabo Verde ; Cameroon ; Canada ; Central African 
Republic ; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia ; Congo; Costa Rica ; Côte D'Ivoire ; Cuba; Democratic 
Republic of Congo ; Djibouti ; 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 ; 
Lesotho ; Liechtenstein ; Madagascar ; Malawi; Malaysia ; Maldives ; Mali; Mauritania ; Mauritius ; 
Mexico; Republic of Moldova ; Morocco ; Mozambique ; Namibia ; Nepal; New Zealand ; Nicaragua ; 
Niger; Nigeria ; North Macedonia ; Norway ; Pakistan ; Panama ; Paraguay ; Peru; Qatar; Russian 
Federation ; Rwanda ; Senegal ; Seychelles ; Sierra Leone ; Singapore ; South Africa ; Switzerland ; the 
Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu ; Tanzania ; Thailand ; Togo; 
Tunisia ; Turkey ; 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 3 0 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 1 1 December  2017, (iv) a fourth selection process to replace Mr. Shree Baboo Chekitan 
Servansing, whose four -year term of office expired on 3 0 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 WT/DSB/W/609/Rev.19  
- 2 - 
  four-year term of office expired on 1 0 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 cand idates ; 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 Appel late Body members as soon as possible.  
 
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