Nigerian woman poised to lead WTO after rival withdraws, Washington offers support

By Hyonhee Shin, Emma Farge and Andrea Shalal

 

FILE PHOTO: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala poses outside a Nigerian diplomatic residence in Chambesy, near Geneva, Switzerland, September 29, 2020. REUTERS/Emma Farge/File Photo

 

SEOUL/GENEVA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was poised to become the first African and first woman to lead the embattled World Trade Organization, after a South Korean rival withdrew on Friday and the United States reversed its previous opposition.

 

The government of President Joe Biden expressed its strong support for Okonjo-Iweala in a statement late Friday, lauding her experience at the World Bank and leading Nigeria's finance ministry, and pledging to work with her on needed reforms.

 

The twin developments ended months of uncertainty over the leadership of the global trade body, and cleared the way for WTO members to conclude a consensus-based process and confirm Okonjo-Iweala as the next WTO director-general.

 

The U.S. administration of former President Donald Trump had blocked Okonjo-Iweala's candidacy after a WTO selection panel recommended her as chief in October. The decision required consensus.

 

Okonjo-Iweala said she was looking forward to the conclusion of the race and moving forward with needed reforms.

"There is vital work ahead to do together," the former World Bank executive said in a statement.

 

The U.S. Trade Representative's office said it was ready to get work with Okonjo-Iweala, noting she was "widely respected for her effective leadership and ... proven experience managing a large international organization with a diverse membership."

 

"The Biden Administration looks forward to working with a new WTO Director General to find paths forward to achieve necessary substantive and procedural reform of the WTO," it said. Last week it also pledged a commitment to "positive, constructive and active engagement" on reforms.

 

The Geneva-based watchdog has gone without a director-general since Brazil's Roberto Azevedo quit a year early in August and his replacement must contend with a COVID-induced recession, U.S.-China tensions and rising protectionism.

 

South Korea's trade minister Yoo Myung-hee, a finalist selected from among eight candidates, on Friday withdrew her name after months of diplomatic pressure to bow out.

 

"In order to promote the functions of WTO and in consideration of various factors, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy," Yoo said in a statement. She said her decision was made after consulting with allies including the United States.

 

WAITING FOR WASHINGTON

 

Observers say the leaderless WTO is facing the deepest crisis in its 25-year history. It has not clinched a major multilateral trade deal in years and failed to hit a 2020 deadline on ending subsidies for overfishing.

 

Many hope the change in U.S. administration will lead to meaningful reforms of the WTO. Some of its functions are paralyzed after the Trump administration blocked judge appointments to its top appeals body.

 

Okonjo-Iweala has previously stressed the need for the WTO to play a role in helping poorer countries with COVID-19 drugs and vaccines -- an issue on which members have failed to agree in ongoing negotiations.

 

The WTO could in theory call a meeting of its 164 members to confirm the next chief at short notice.

 

However, some delegates saw that as unlikely given that Biden's choice of trade representative, Katherine Tai, has not yet been sworn in. Nor has a Geneva-based deputy been selected.

 

The International Chamber of Commerce's John Denton urged WTO members to act quickly.

 

"With geopolitical tensions high, the global economy in recession and 'vaccine nationalism' threatening an equitable recovery, there is now no reason for further delay in filling this critical role with the well-qualified candidate at the ready," he said.

 

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Jack Kim in Seoul, Emma Farge in Geneva and Andrea Shalal and Tim Ahmann in Washington; Editing by Toby Chopra, Kim Coghill and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-06

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

China and Russia will hate a Woman of Colour being in that position, along with several other misogynistic regimes around the world

 

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

33 minutes ago, scammed said:

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

She graduated Harvard (economics) magna cum laude, she earned her Masters and PhD at MIT, has held three ministerial offices in Nigeria (Minister of Finance, Coordinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Foreign Affairs), she’s had a 25 career at the World Bank, Washington where she worked her way up to the post of Managing Director.

 

She seems more than qualified for the job.

 

45 minutes ago, scammed said:

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

What a sad and miserable person you come across with such a nasty and false comment. Because of bigots, she must have had to prove herself ten times over to be appointed to this post.

49 minutes ago, scammed said:

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

So ...that must be the reason they did not chose Fox .... the man who said Brexit was " the easyest thing in life "....to do .....????

 

Beaten by a subject of an  ex colony.....????

1 hour ago, scammed said:

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

Ouch rasist and masigonist all in 9 words what a mean spirited thing to say obviously this woman has had to overcome a lot of poison and it’s obvious she’s smart as all get out with her education and work experience I’ll bet she does a great job 

Oh dear now we'll get even more begging emails for Nigeria with WTO in the subject line

45 minutes ago, david555 said:

So ...that must be the reason they did not chose Fox .... the man who said Brexit was " the easyest thing in life "....to do .....????

 

Beaten by a subject of an  ex colony.....????

Trying to link the new head of the WTO to Liam Fox and Brexit is pretty weak even by your very low standards!!!! ????

1 hour ago, scammed said:

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

Please do some research next time before making racist asinine comments like this.

 

She is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University with a degree in economics and has a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngozi_Okonjo-Iweala.

 

2 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

China and Russia will hate a Woman of Colour being in that position, along with several other misogynistic regimes around the world

 

 

They didn't seem too upset with the current one.

3 hours ago, scammed said:

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

Yes she did. 

3 hours ago, scammed said:

im sure she got the post on merit alone...

Why you say that? Because she is old African lady? 

1 hour ago, Morch said:

 

They didn't seem too upset with the current one.

There is no current one.  The previous director quit last August.

I think you're confusing the WTO with the WHO.

I sure don't care about her gender or skin color, I'd just like to know if she has an ideological bias in favor of China.

2 hours ago, Morch said:

 

They didn't seem too upset with the current one.

There isnt one

14 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

There isnt one

 

You are correct and I was mistaken. Somehow confused this with WHO.

The crux of my post remains, though, with regard to these countries having issues with people of color in such positions.

3 hours ago, sungod said:

Trying to link the new head of the WTO to Liam Fox and Brexit is pretty weak even by your very low standards!!!! ????

So .... was he not in the line up for competition ...? 

 

But i  can understand you like to forget his most famous quote ....????  

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

She graduated Harvard (economics) magna cum laude, she earned her Masters and PhD at MIT, has held three ministerial offices in Nigeria (Minister of Finance, Coordinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Foreign Affairs), she’s had a 25 career at the World Bank, Washington where she worked her way up to the post of Managing Director.

 

She seems more than qualified for the job.

 

Indeed, a very clever woman.

 

BTW, shouldn't that be "Harvard graduated her"?

1 hour ago, Enzian said:

I sure don't care about her gender or skin color, I'd just like to know if she has an ideological bias in favor of China.

Why do you need to know that?

7 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Indeed, a very clever woman.

 

BTW, shouldn't that be "Harvard graduated her"?

You are getting picky in your old age.

 

It doesn't really matter how it was posted. she still qualified and that is what matters.

1 minute ago, billd766 said:

You are getting picky in your old age.

 

It doesn't really matter how it was posted. she still qualified and that is what matters.

Actually, I work as an editor and would really like to know why many people say "graduated college", when it is obviously "graduate FROM college".

6 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Actually, I work as an editor and would really like to know why many people say "graduated college", when it is obviously "graduate FROM college".

Then you need to take it up with SEOUL/GENEVA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) and also Hyonhee Shin, Emma Farge and Andrea Shalal who were the writers and authors of the article and possibly the editor (s) who haven't got your language skills.

 

It was probably written and edited by people who speak, read and write US English, and not UK English

20 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Indeed, a very clever woman.

 

BTW, shouldn't that be "Harvard graduated her"?

It's an Americanism.

3 hours ago, Enzian said:

I sure don't care about her gender or skin color, I'd just like to know if she has an ideological bias in favor of China.

 

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

Why do you need to know that?

 

Yeah....now, can she cook?!

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Indeed, a very clever woman.

 

BTW, shouldn't that be "Harvard graduated her"?

Saying "graduated Harvard" is grammatically acceptable. The intransitive verb definition of graduate is "to receive an academic degree or diploma." While "graduated from Harvard" which includes the preposition "from" would be more complete, omitting "from" is also acceptable, especially in informal language.

 

"I graduated from college" is the most accepted use of graduate in this context. You can also say "I graduated college" or "I was graduated from college." Both are frequently used, but to some people they are considered incorrect.

Is it 'Graduated' or 'Graduated From'? | Merriam-Webster

www.merriam-webster.com › words-at-play › graduated-...

 

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

She graduated Harvard (economics) magna cum laude, she earned her Masters and PhD at MIT, has held three ministerial offices in Nigeria (Minister of Finance, Coordinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Foreign Affairs), she’s had a 25 career at the World Bank, Washington where she worked her way up to the post of Managing Director.

 

She seems more than qualified for the job.

 

I know her brother well. He is warm and generous and in constant e-mail contact with me offering to share his good fortune.

18 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

"Graduated Harvard" is acceptable grammatically.

Really? 

54 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Really? 

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/graduated-or-was-graduated

9 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

along with several other misogynistic regimes around the world

Well, there are a lot of those, for sure...