Mr. Ujal Singh Bhatia was appointed to the Appellate Body of the WTO in November 2011 and served on it till March 2020. He was Chairman of the Appellate Body for two years (2017 and 2018). Prior to his term with the Appellate Body, he was India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO between 2004-2010.

Mr. Bhatia joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1974 and served in various capacities in the state of Odisha as well as in the central government in Delhi. He spent two decades in Odisha in various positions, but remembers his 6 years as District Magistrate of 3 districts in succession, most fondly. He retains a great affection for the forests of Odisha, and for those who live in them.

In the Central Government in Delhi, Mr. Bhatia served as Joint Secretary in the Commerce Ministry for 5 years, and briefly in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry before moving to Geneva as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the WTO. During his term in the Commerce Ministry, he was involved in several trade negotiations at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. He was the Chief Negotiator for the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISLFTA) and the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

He has wide experience of trade policy issues at various levels and writes and speaks on trade and development issues frequently. He has published numerous papers and articles in Indian and foreign journals on a range of trade and economic issues.

He is deeply interested in the issues of sustainability and public health. He is married, with two children, and lives in Delhi.