China News Agency, Beijing, August 1st. Comprehensive news: The General Council of the World Trade Organization will hold a meeting on July 31. It is determined that starting from September 7th, three rounds of consultations will be held on the selection of a new director-general to gradually narrow the scope of candidates. Finally, the new director-general candidate was determined through the principle of consensus.
The Chairman of the General Council David Walker confirmed on the same day that he will form a three-person team with the Chairman of the Dispute Settlement Body Dasio Castillo and the Chairman of the Trade Policy Review Body Harald Asperond, and will join the WTO. The members met separately and started three rounds of consultations.
According to the official website of the WTO, the first round of consultations will take place from September 7 to 16. During this period, the candidates will gradually be reduced from eight to five, and to two in the final round, and it will be decided who is ultimately elected.
According to the World Trade Organization spokesperson Keith Rockwell, at the meeting that day, WTO members did not reach an agreement on the candidate for acting director-general. According to WTO regulations, during the transition period, the General Council shall designate an incumbent Deputy Director-General as acting Director-General.
Rockwell also stated that WTO members agreed to extend the term of the current Deputy Director-General, allowing them to continue to assume the corresponding management responsibilities in the Secretariat until the new Director-General takes office. He emphasized that the absence of the acting director-general is not a major problem for the overall operation of the WTO, and "it will not affect the selection process of the new director-general."
The current WTO Director-General Azevedo announced on May 14 that he will officially leave his post on August 31, ending his term one year early. The selection process for the new director-general was launched on June 8. Currently, the eight nominated candidates are from Mexico, Nigeria, Egypt, Moldova, South Korea, Kenya, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. (Finish)