* Receives EU endorsement
Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has made a commitment to end the trade war between the United States of America and China if elected Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Okonjo-Iweala said she is the best candidate to end the US-China trade war, based on reforms she had implemented in some of the positions she previously held.
Okonjo-Iweala is the current chair of the board at GAVI, the vaccine alliance.
She said: “WTO reform will be tough – but I’ve delivered hard reform before, including reform of countries’ trade regimes. In addition to this, I’m the only candidate working at the intersection of trade and public health.
“Would you be more scared if your mother was kidnapped and held to ransom with a demand that you resign your job publicly on television – or else you would not see her alive – or if you said to the US and China, you have to bridge your differences?
“It’s going to be a tough task but you can’t compare it with what I’ve had to go through.”
In a monitored tweet on Monday, she said it would be tough reforming the WTO.
On her chances over Amina Mohamed, the Kenyan Culture Secretary, Okonjo-Iweala said she is the only candidate currently in public health and trade.
“The WTO has to be part of the solution to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WTO has rules on how, in a public health emergency, you can invoke the possibility for countries to license products and produce them to make them more affordable and accessible,” she added.
The selection process will be completed on November 7 with the last candidate standing who will be the replacement for Roberto Azevedo, the ex- DG of the trade bloc.
Meanwhile, European Union governments have voiced their support for Okonjo-Iweala and South Korean candidates to lead the World Trade Organization as the race enters its final month.
EU member-country envoys agreed on Monday in Brussels to endorse Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s trade chief, a Bloomberg report referenced an unnamed official familiar with the matter.
Hungary swung behind the planned recommendation after being the only EU country to withhold support at a lower-level meeting last Friday of officials representing the 27-nation bloc, the person said on the condition of anonymity because the deliberations were confidential.
Five candidates are still in the running to the lead the WTO. It plans to announce two finalists after today and name a winner by November 7.
Brazilian Roberto Azevedo stepped down from the job at the end of August – a year before his term ended. The Geneva-based trade body faces headwinds from the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S.-China trade battle, a hobbled arbitration system and a lack of tools to tackle growing challenges such as industrial subsidies