Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to know WTO fate on Monday
The General Council of the World Trade Organization will have a virtual meeting on Monday, 15th of February to consider the appointment of the the global body’s next Director-General.
A statement on its website reads: “The WTO’s General Council will hold a special meeting on 15 February at 15:00 Geneva time to consider the appointment of the next Director-General. The meeting will take place in virtual format.”
Former Nigerian finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korea’s trade minister Yoo Myung-hee qualified as the two finalists to become the next director-general, before the latter decided to retreat from the race after “close consultation” with the United States, on Friday.
READ ALSO: Okonjo-Iweala on verge of winning WTO DG
Yoo Myung-hee’s decision leaves Okonjo-Iweala as the sole candidate for the position and with the chance to become the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organization.
The procedures for appointing the WTO Director-General are described in document WT/L/509.
The nomination period for the 2020 DG selection process ended on 8 July, with eight candidates nominated by their respective governments.
On 31 July, the General Council agreed that there would be three stages of consultations with WTO members commencing on 7 September to assess their preferences and to determine which candidate is best placed to attract consensus support.
The General Council Chair announced on 18 September the results of the first round of consultations and the five candidates advancing to the next stage.
On 8 October, he announced the results of the second round of consultations and the two candidates advancing to the third round. The results of the final round of consultations were announced on 28 October.
