Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been appointed as the new head of the World Trade Organization (WTO). She is the first woman to hold this top position since the founding of the WTO in 1995.
At a digital meeting, all 164 member states agreed to the nomination of Okonjo-Iweala. Recently, the last major hurdle has already been cleared, when the United States formally expressed its support for the African.
Under former President Donald Trump, the US still posed problems in the search for a new boss for the international arbitrator for trade disputes. While Okonjo-Iweala enjoyed widespread support from WTO members, the White House blocked her nomination because it favored the other remaining candidate, South Korean Yoo Myung-hee.
Under Trump’s leadership, the US became less and less interested in the WTO. The US government’s refusal to appoint new members to the organization’s main disputes committee effectively paralyzed the body.
Minister of Finance
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, was previously a Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs in her native Nigeria. She also made a career as a development economist and executive for the World Bank.
The top position at the WTO was unexpectedly released in August when Brazilian Roberto Azevêdo stepped down a year before his term was due to expire. Initially, the name of the Dutch minister Sigrid Kaag (Foreign Trade) was also circulating as successor, but she announced that she was not available.
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