On April 30 2020, 19 Members1 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced a temporary arrangement on the settlement of trade disputes between them referred to as the Multiparty Interim Appeal-Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA).2 The MPIA puts in place a contingency mechanism utilizing Article 25 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) on account of the current inability of the WTO Appellate Body (AB) to hear appeals due to the blocking of appointment of AB Members by the United States (US).
The interim appeal arbitration procedure seeks to preserve the essential principles and features of the WTO dispute settlement system which include its binding character and two levels of adjudication through an independent and impartial appellate review of panel reports.3
