Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’ and South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee are vying to be the first female leader in the WTO’s 25-year history.
Former
Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s ambition to head the World
Trade Organization got a big boost today, with the declaration of support by
the European Union.
An EU
official made this known on Monday, sending a signal of trust in Africa. Okonjo-Iweala already has Africa’s backing.
Either Okonjo-Iweala
or Yoo will replace Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who quit a year earlier than
expected at the end of August.
The EU’s
support for Okonjo-Iweala is considered a strong signal to reinforce the
multilateral order and a sign of mutual trust between the bloc and Africa, the
official said.
The AFP
reported that the EU will publicly announce its support for the 66-year-old
Nigerian economist on Tuesday.
A first
meeting on Monday failed to find consensus around the choice, but member state
representatives reconvened and agreed to back Okonjo-Iweala.
One European
source told AFP that seven member states had asked that their preference for
Yoo be recorded in the statement, but another said backing Okonjo-Iweala was “a
clear signal to Africa and a sign of mutual trust.”
With the EU
backing, Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as the favourite to replace Brazil’s Roberto
Azevedo at the WTO, and to become the first director general from Africa and
the first woman to lead the institution.
The WTO’s
consultation process ends on Tuesday and the new leader is expected to be named
in November.
The WTO faces
dual challenges: criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration
which froze its appeals body by blocking its appointment of judges, and
worsening U.S.-China trade relations.
Okonjo-Iweala,
66, a previous Nigerian foreign minister, is an economist and development
specialist serving as board chair of global vaccine alliance Gavi. She wants the WTO to help poorer countries
access COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.
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