Three Women Candidates for New World Trade Organization Leader

Three women, two of them from Africa, advanced to the second round of selection to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization as the field was cut from eight to five, the Geneva-based body said on Friday, Reuters reports.

The WTO is looking for a new director-general to replace Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down a year earlier than expected at the end of August.

The 25-year-old trade body has never had a leader who is female or from Africa. The five to go through to the next round are Kenyan minister Amina Mohamed, former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri and British ex-minister Liam Fox.

Azevedo’s successor will face a considerable challenge with rising global tensions and protectionism during a COVID-induced slowdown, the British agency writes.

Round two, in which the WTO’s 164 members will give their preferences from September 24 to October 6, will whittle the candidates down to two. The WTO has said it wants to select the winner by early November.

World Trade Organization

WTO

Roberto Azevedo

Amina Mohamed

Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

Yoo Myung hee

Mohammad Al Tuwaijri

Liam Fox

female WTO leader

new director general of WTO

African female WTO leader