PRESS RELEASE 
 
PRESS/558 
23 June 2009 
 
(09-3078) 
DISPUTE SETTLEMENT 
WTO appoints two new Appellate Body Members 
The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) appointed today (19 June 2009) the following two new 
members to the seven-member Appellate Body: Mr Ricardo Ramírez Hernández of Mexico for four 
years commencing on 1 July 2009 and Mr Peter Van den Bossche of the EC for four years commencing on 12 December 2009. Messrs Ramírez and Van den Bossche will replace 
Mr Luiz Olavo Baptista, who resigned owing to he alth reasons with effect from 11 February 2009, 
and Mr Giorgio Sacerdoti, whose second and final term expires on 11 December 2009. The DSB also agreed to reappoint Mr David Unterhalter for a second four-year term starting on 12 
December 2009.  
 The appointments were made according to the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) which 
stipulates that the Appellate Body shall “comprise persons of recognized authority, with 
demonstrated expertise in law, international tr ade and the subject matter of the WTO agreements 
generally.” The DSU also requires that the Appellate Body membership be broadly representative 
of the WTO membership. Candidates were nomi nated by WTO Members and interviewed by a 
Selection Committee comprising the Director-General, and the Chairpersons of the General Council, the DSB, the Council for Trade in Goods, the Council for Trade in Services and the TRIPS 
Council. The appointments were made by the DSB on the basis of the Selection Committee's 
recommendation and following consultations with WTO Members. 
Notes to editors 
 1. Biographical notes on the two new members ar e attached. Biographical data on all of the 
Appellate Body members and former member s may be found on the WTO web site at 
www.wto.org. 
 2. The Appellate Body hears appeals from dispute settlement panel reports on issues of law 
covered in the panel report and legal interpretations developed by the panel. Three members of 
the Appellate Body hear and determine any one a ppeal. The Appellate Body can uphold, modify or 
reverse the legal findings and conclusions of a panel. Appellate Body reports are adopted by the 
Dispute Settlement Body, and unconditionally accepted by the parties to the dispute, unless there 
is a consensus against adoption. Since its estab lishment in November 1995, the Appellate Body 
has issued 97 reports and every report has been adopted. PRESS/558 
Page 2 of 2 
 
  
Biographical Note – Ricardo Ramírez Hernández  
Born in Mexico on 17 October 1968, Ricardo Ramírez is Counsel and Head of the International 
Trade Practice for Latin America at the law fi rm of Chadbourne & Parke in Mexico City.   His practice 
has focused on issues related to NAFTA and trade across Latin America, including international 
trade dispute resolution.  He holds the Chair of International Trade Law at the Mexican National 
University (UNAM) in Mexico City. 
Prior to practicing with a law firm, Mr. Ramírez was Deputy General Counsel for Trade Negotiations 
of the Ministry of Economy in Mexico for more than  a decade.  In this capacity, he provided advice 
on trade and competition policy matters related to  11 Free Trade Agreements signed by Mexico, as 
well as with respect to multilateral agreements, including those related to the WTO, the Free Trade 
Area of the Americas (FTAA), and the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI). 
Mr. Ramírez also represented Mexico in complex international trade litigation and investment 
arbitration proceedings.  He acted as lead couns el to the Mexican government in several WTO 
disputes.  He has also served on NAFTA panels. 
Mr. Ramírez holds an LL.M. degree in International Business Law from the Washington College of 
Law of the American University, and a law degree from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. 
 
Biographical Note – Peter Van den Bossche  
Born in Belgium on 31 March 1959, Peter Van den Bossche  is currently Professor of International 
Economic Law and Head of the Department of International and European Law at Maastricht 
University, the Netherlands.  He also serves as the Academic Director of Maastricht University's 
Institute for Globalization and International Regulation and is on the faculty of the World Trade 
Institute in Berne, and the Institute of European Studies of Macau. 
Mr. Van den Bossche has extensive experience in academia and has published extensively in the 
field of international economic law.  The second edition of his textbook The Law and Policy of the 
World Trade Organization  was published by Cambridge University Press in 2008.  Mr. Van den 
Bossche is a Member of the Board of Editors of the Journal of International Economic Law .  He has 
also acted as a consultant to many developing countries. 
From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Van den Bossche was Counsellor and subsequently Acting Director of the 
WTO Appellate Body Secretariat.  From 1990 to  1992, he served as a Référendaire of 
Advocate-General W. van Gerven at the Eu ropean Court of Justice in Luxembourg. 
Mr. Van den Bossche holds a Doctorate in Law from the European University Institute, Florence, an 
LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School, and a Licentiaat in de Rechten magna cum laude  
from the University of Antwerp. 
END