The World Trade Organization swore in David Unterhalter from South Africa as a member of the Appellate Body by the Body's Chairman, A.V. Ganesan, at a ceremony in Geneva on Thursday.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy congratulated Unterhalter on his new role, and Lamy took the opportunity to note the important role the Appellate Body has in assisting WTO operations to run smoothly. The Appellate Body, formed in 1995, is a body of seven members which discuss dispute reports issued by WTO members.

The other Members of the Appellate Body include Mr. Georges Abi-Saab (Egypt), Mr. Luiz Olavo Baptista (Brazil), Ms. Merit Janow (United States) Mr. Giorgio Sacerdoti (Italy), and Mr. Yasuhei Taniguchi (Japan).

Appellate Body representatives are appointed by the Member States of the WTO. The body has issued a total of 78 reports since it was first established.

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