WT/DSB/W/609/Rev.2 6 
6 September 2023 
(23-5939) Page: 1/2 
Dispute Settlement Body  
19 September 2023  Original:  English  
 
  
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; CHA D; 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; ZAM BIA; 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 Macedon ia; 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 vacanci es 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 
11 December  2017, (iv) a fourth selection process to replace Mr Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing, WT/DSB/W/609/Rev.2 6 
- 2 - 
  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 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 p revious 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 afte r 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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