WTO Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration (MPIA): Shrinking The Void?

The World Trade Organization ("WTO") has long served as the cornerstone of the multilateral trading system, providing not only a framework for negotiating trade agreements but also a structured mechanism for resolving disputes. Central to the latter function was the WTO's two-tier dispute settlement system, comprised of panels and the Appellate Body. However, the paralysis of the Appellate Body since 2020 has cast a long shadow over the credibility and enforceability of WTO dispute resolution.

This note examines the collapse of the Appellate Body, the institutional void it has created, and the responses by WTO members seeking to preserve legal certainty and multilateralism in trade governance. In particular, it focuses on how arbitration in the form of the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement ("MPIA") has emerged as a novel solution to circumventing appeals to the inoperative Appellate Body, particularly within the context of the recent release of