The First Trade, Industry, and Investment Working Group (TIIWG) Meeting of the G20 will seek to invite member countries, including the United States, to restore the appellate body of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
During a virtual media briefing on Friday, the Ministry of Trade's International Trade Negotiation Director General, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, said that WTO reformation is one of the issues that will be discussed at the G20 TIIWG.
The issue has been discussed for the last four years by the G20.
It has remained a topic of discussion because currently, there is one function or role of the WTO that is not being discharged, namely of the appellate body, which is a part of WTO's dispute settlement mechanism.
"This is because the entirety of the judges or panels have finished their terms," he explained.
Moreover, there has been no selection process because the US has not chosen to undertake it, he added.
However, the appellate body is a part of the dispute settlement process, known as the crown of WTO, Witjaksono noted.
This is because the appellate body is deemed capable of doing a better job in the settlement of disputes between WTO member countries compared to processes outside WTO.
To this end, G20 TIWWG will try to build consensus among G20 member countries to push for WTO reformation.
"At the very least, the similarities between these 20 members because this represents the percentage from the world's total economy and trade," he explained.
At the end of the meeting, it is expected that there will be a consensus, which can become an input for the WTO reformation process in Geneva, Switzerland.
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