Thank you, Chair.
The United Kingdom continues its support for this proposal to launch the selection process and we refer to our previous statements on this agenda item. We also support the statement made by Mexico on behalf of all co-sponsors.
We continue to be concerned that the WTO Membership has not been able to launch the selection processes for new Appellate Body members. The increasingly frequent impairment of rights arising from this situation cannot be in the interests of any Member, or the system more broadly.
We have listened carefully to the concerns raised and recognise the need for reform. We also recognise that there will be many challenges involved in agreeing reform. However, we continue to view two-stage dispute settlement with the support of all Members as a central pillar of the multilateral trading system.
We call on all Members to engage in a solutions-based discussion on permanent reform.
Thank-you.
