Candidates For Post Of WTO Director-General To Start Holding Presentations On Wednesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) Eight candidates running for the office of World Trade Organization (WTO) director-general will hold presentations before the WTO General Council and will also speak with the press during a three-day period starting on Wednesday.

In mid-May, incumbent WTO chief Roberto Azevedo announced his plans to step down in August, a year earlier than his second four-year term ends. He said that the WTO needs a more energetic leader, as it is basically "stuck" with internal problems. A process for nominating the next director-general formally started on June 8 and concluded last week.

Among the candidates to speak before the General Council are Liam Fox, a former UK international trade secretary, and Jesus Seade Kuri, Mexico's chief negotiator in the new trilateral trade deal with the US and Canada. Also on the list are a former Nigerian finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Amina C. Mohamed, a former Kenyan minister for foreign affairs and international trade.

The presentations will conclude on Friday. Then the WTO General Council has to select the most suited candidate and reach a consensus on the appointment.