Key Points
- Okonjo-Iweala transmits declaration of interest to seek a second term as WTO Director General.
- They are as follows: the fisheries subsidies, agriculture negotiations, and trade’s decarbonisation.
- It cannot be ruled out that WTO consensus can give her another term if no one else puts his candidature forward.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman to head the WTO since its formation, has said she will be running for a second term as the head of the trading organisation.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Okonjo-Iweala said she wanted to pick up unfinished business and take forward several initiatives from her first term. Her current term is expected to end on August 31th 2025.
According to The Punch, The Nigerian economist who became the first woman and African to head WTO in 2021 has listed key areas of focus for her second term. Some of them include: concluding talks to outlaw destructive fishing subsidies, advancing international agriculture modernisation, strengthening the WTO’s Appellate Body, and promoting the first ever environmentally friendly trade package aimed at decarbonising trade.
These are the areas that Okonjo-Iweala promised to deliver in her second term “Our policy agenda will therefore focus on implementing these landmark reforms,” she said.
Another early bid for reappointment amidst global trade volatility
Okonjo-Iweala’s early announcement is with an aim to have support from members of WTO before the U. S. presidential election in 2024. According to WTO regulations she can only be reappointed and this has to be decided based on consultations with member countries in case no other candidate is in sight.
Even though her initial nomination was rejected by the previous U. S Administration under Donald Trump, she enjoyed the support of America’s once Biden became president in 2021.
Regardless of the not very clear outlook of the future American presidency, Okonjo-Iweala does not give attention to it. When asked about a possible second term for Trump, she said, “I don’t think about what I can’t control”.
She has been tasked with the responsibility of transforming the 30-year-old trade body and managing the world’s major issues such as AGRICULTURE, CLIMATE CHANGE and TRADE WARS.
In her pursuit of another term in the WTO, Okonjo Iweala wants to further strengthen the WTO’s capacity to promote global trade and enforce fair play among its members.
