WTO Dispute Settlement and the Appellate Body Crisis
The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) resolves trade disputes through a two-tier system: panel proceedings and Appellate Body review. Since December 2019, the Appellate Body has been non-functional because the US has blocked the appointment of new members, reducing it below the three-member quorum required to hear appeals.
- WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU): established under the Marrakesh Agreement (1994); 600+ disputes filed since 1995.
- Appellate Body: seven members, serving four-year terms; requires three members for any appeal. Reduced to zero members since December 2019.
- Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration (MPIA): established by 52+ WTO members (not including the US or India) as an alternative appeal mechanism under DSU Article 25.
- Key India-related WTO disputes: India-US Solar Cells (DS456, 2016 — India lost), India-Agricultural Products (DS430, 2015 — India lost on poultry import ban), India-Sugar and Sugarcane (DS580, 2019 — Brazil challenge).
● Tracked since February 10, 2026 · last seen April 05, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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