U.S. wants World Trade Organization dispute system fixed by 2024

Maria Pagan, U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), poses after an interview with Reuters in Geneva, Switzerland January 26, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

GENEVA (Reuters) -The United States is entering a third phase of talks with countries to reform the World Trade Organization's (WTO) hobbled trade dispute arbitration system and aims for it to be "fully functioning" by the end of 2024, the U.S. ambassador to the WTO told Reuters on Thursday.

The WTO's appeals bench, which rules on top disputes, has been mothballed for over two years due to Trump-era blockages of adjudicator appointments. Under President Joe Biden, Washington has resisted calls by WTO members to approve appointments and has instead been leading negotiations on how to reboot the WTO's dispute system.