Historic WTO appointment of first woman and African as director general

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  Historic WTO appointment of first woman and African as director general

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1. A new WTO boss: The appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was confirmed as the trade body’s director general on Monday 15-02-2021. She is the first woman and first African to hold the position. The WTO’s General Council agreed by consensus to select Okonjo-Iweala, 66, of Nigeria as its seventh director general, effective March 1 – an appointment that was termed historic. Her renewable term will expire on August 31, 2025. China said it had “full confidence” in the new boss! The WTO decision follows months of uncertainty after reversal of US objections to her appointment. 
2. US reverses stance: The Chinese commerce ministry said it expected the WTO to restore its normal functions “as soon as possible and promote the WTO to play a greater role in anti-epidemic cooperation and economic recovery”. WTO regulates trade between nations, but was in a logjam since the US began openly frustrating its processes under former president Donald Trump. That included objections to Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment, which went ahead after they were withdrawn by the Biden administration.
3. Her statement: “In the 73 years of GATT and WTO, honoured to be first woman and first African to lead. But now the real work begins. Ready to tackle the challenges of WTO. Forget business as usual,” Okonjo-Iweala said. She added that one of her priorities would be to work with members to quickly address the economic and health consequences brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Okonjo-Iweala, an economist who served as Nigeria’s finance minister and a World Bank managing director, will have plenty more on her plate – not least the US-China conflict playing out at the WTO.
4. Why opposed earlier: The US has opposed China’s designation as a developing country, which affords it special provisions in respect of WTO agreements, while a WTO panel ruled in September that US tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods were illegal. The panel decision led to the US blocking the appointment of judges to the organisation’s top court – the Appellate Body that rules on trade disputes – and other retaliatory measures.
5. China's hope: China said it hoped the new WTO head would promote necessary reforms of the global trade body and enhance the authority and effectiveness of the multilateral trading system, which was facing “major challenges” as the pandemic continued to ravage economies. China said it would also take “concrete actions to support the director general in her work, so the WTO will make greater contributions to improving the global governance system and enhancing the well-being of the people of the world. 
6. Her first appeal: She urged member countries to lift export restrictions that were slowing trade in key medicines and supplies to help heal economies after the devastating impact of the pandemic. “In the short term I want to look at countries that have import restrictions of medical products, and how they can be lifted. That will be my priority,” she said, adding that “vaccine nationalism” would not work. Okonjo-Iweala said she looked to work towards expediting fisheries subsidies negotiations, e-commerce and promoting agricultural trade. She expected the WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) – scheduled for June – to be a platform for decision-making. 
7. Azevedo left suddenly: The process for selecting a new director general was triggered on May 14, when Roberto Azevedo announced he would be stepping down from the post one year before his mandate expired. He left office on August 31, 2020.  Nations now need to restore the WTO as a forum for meaningful trade negotiations and the settlement of commercial disputes. The African Union Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said Okonjo-Iweala’s confirmation, as the first woman and first African to head the WTO, was “a double historical precedent in recognition of her inspirational global leadership”.

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