World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is considering a second term tenure at the apex international trade body amid an outpouring of support from the WTO membership in broad terms, specifically from the African Group.
According to Bloomberg, fifty-eight member countries of the WTO—a broad coalition of several groups of countries—have formally declared their support for the African Group’s proposal to have Okonjo-Iweala vie for another four-year term.
This would be an expression of appreciation for her sterling leadership since assuming office in March 2021, when she became the first woman and African to head the WTO.
Responding to the groundswell of support, Okonjo-Iweala said she is taking the members’ call seriously and “favourably inclined” towards running for a second term.
The DG said she would announce her decision imminently, underlining continuity and the need to further the mandate of the WTO in uncertain global economic times.
The timing of this declaration seems imperative, as it could have been triggered by expected political changes in the coming months, such as the November US presidential elections.
Analysts noted that the decision to start the process early might be related to the uncertainty due to the possibilities of change in the US government.
In the election year 2020, Okonjo-Iweala became the frontrunner after the Biden administration and all of the 27 European Union countries supported her candidacy, effectively clearing her path to the office of WTO Director-General.
The withdrawal of South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee from contention further cleared the way for Okonjo-Iweala.
Looking ahead, Okonjo-Iweala’s potential re-election bid will be wracked with global attention on the WTO’s role in engaging challenging trade dynamics globally amid post-pandemic economic recovery efforts.
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