WTO: Washington does not support Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's candidacy
(Illustration) Who will succeed Roberto Azevedo at the head of the World Trade Organization?
Answer maybe on November 9th.
Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was proposed on Wednesday to lead the World Trade Organization by the chairs of the three main bodies overseeing the appointment of the institution's next head.
A proposal resulting from consultations with WTO members which led to the conclusion that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the candidate with the most chance of reaching a consensus.
But Washington has voiced its disagreement;
he prefers the South Korean Yoo Myung-hee.
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Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance of Nigeria, but also former number two of the World Bank,
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
, 66, could become the first woman and the first African to head the World Trade Organization.
She almost was, this Wednesday, October 28, but lack of consensus, the Nigerian candidate must still be patient.
A new meeting is to take place on November 9, after the date of the US presidential election, to make a final decision.
According to the WTO spokesperson, 27 delegations took the floor during the informal meeting and "all expressed very strong support for the process and the result, except one": in addition to the European Commission and all the countries of the European Union, 79 member countries had supported Nigeria's candidacy.
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See also
: the European Union supports the candidacy of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO
But the United States have given their support to South Korean Yoo Myung-hee.
From Washington, the services of the US Trade Representative (USTR) stressed that the South Korean candidate
has "all the skills required to effectively lead the organization."
The candidate who will win will succeed the Brazilian
Roberto Azevedo
, who left the WTO prematurely at the end of August, a departure explained by family reasons.
He had left the institution in crisis in the midst of the global economic slump.
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To read also
: Today the economy - An African to lead the WTO?
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