Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has reacted to the postponement of her appointment as the new Director-General of the WTO following the US’s decision to oppose her.
Okonjo-Iweala was slated to become the new WTO Director-General – the first woman to hold that position – after a panel recommended her. She had also won support from the majority of the member states, including the EU, Japan and China.
However, the United States’ representative at the World Trade Organization had taken to the floor to insist that South Korea’s candidate Yoo Myung-hee remained a contender, stating also that Washington will not recognise Okonjo-Iweala as the consensus candidate for appointment as director-general.
In response to this, the General Counsel has postponed its announcement of Okonjo-Iweala as the new Director-General until a further meeting, which is scheduled for November 9 – after the US presidential elections.
In reaction to the new development, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala tweeted:
“Happy for the success and continued progress of our @wto DG bid. Very humbled to be declared the candidate with the largest, broadest support among members & most likely to attract consensus. We move on to the next step on Nov 9, despite hiccups. We’re keeping the positivity going!”
