There is no doubt that the continued trade interaction between States is bound to give rise to disputes. In this respect the provisions of Article 3.2 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing Settlement of Disputes provides that the dispute settlement system of the [World Trade Organization] is a central element in providing security and predictability of the multilateral trading system as presented in the Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral trade Negotiations in 1999. This study is a probe into the functionality of the Dispute Settlement System. The paper describes the WTO dispute settlement system highlighting its objectives and its effectiveness. The study further looks into the bodies involved during the processes identifying their procedural roles. The implementation process and the Surveillance Stage is further examined to establish the System’s effectiveness. The author deems this paper relevant as it gives insight of how the Dispute Settlement System works.
Keywords: Complainant, Dispute Settlement, Violation, World Trade Organization
