On 18 March 2026, the Rio Course on Regional and International Dispute Settlement (Rio CRIDS) was honored to welcome Prof. Victor do Prado, Professor of Geoeconomics and Diplomacy at the Paris School of International Affairs – Sciences Po. The course is held by the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme and directed by Prof. Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida.

In his lecture, moderated by Prof. Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida, Prof. do Prado centered on the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement. It began with an examination of its purpose and geopolitical basis, focusing on the origins and evolution of the WTO system. The creation of the organization was an important step away from the fragmentation of dispute settlement that prevailed before: its key features included the compulsory jurisdiction, exclusive forum, binding rulings and reverse consensus decision-making. Prof. do Prado identified the key actors and institutions of the WTO and presented an overview of the stages of the dispute settlement process.

Prof. do Prado then analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the system. The WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism is predictable due to the legal rigor applied, there is an enforcement mechanism, and the cases have a high compliance rate. On the other hand, the procedures are lengthy, the remedies available are only prospective, the cases are often subject to political pressure, and the Appellate Body’s functioning is being blocked by the United States. In the face of these challenges, there is a risk of fragmentation as different mechanisms emerge, and there are calls for institutional reform. The conclusion of the lecture was that the dispute settlement body is a central pillar of the WTO system, which combines law and politics and is currently under strain, but it is still widely used and influential.

We warmly thank Prof. Victor do Prado for sharing his insights with us. We look forward to further collaboration.