World Trade Organisation, WTO, Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has confirmed her plans to pursue a second four-year term as the leader of the global trade body.
Okonjo-Iweala, on Monday, September 16, expressed her desire to continue her work, citing the need to address key issues left unresolved during her initial term.
Having made history in March 2021 as the WTO’s first female and African leader, Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister, is eager to build on her progress. Her current tenure is set to end on August 31, 2025.
She said, “I would like to be part of this chapter of the WTO story, and I stand ready to compete for the position,” Okonjo-Iweala said, citing a letter she plans to send to the trade body’s main decision-making body.
“For my second term, I intend to focus on delivering,” she added, mentioning that among her priorities is addressing unfinished business.
Okonjo-Iweala’s key objectives for a potential second term include wrapping up negotiations on ending harmful fisheries subsidies, pushing forward with global agricultural trade talks, overhauling the WTO’s struggling dispute resolution system, and advancing efforts to reduce carbon emissions in international trade.
While she has until the end of November to formally submit her candidacy for another term, the early momentum for her reappointment—especially from African nations—started in July. This move aimed to secure her second term before the US presidential elections in November after President Joe Biden opted not to enter the race.
According to WTO’s consensus rules, Okonjo-Iweala could be reappointed unopposed if no other contenders emerge and all member nations agree. It contrasts with 2020 when former US President Donald Trump blocked her initial appointment, a decision seen as a blow to the WTO, which he had previously criticized as terrible.
Okonjo-Iweala eventually secured US support after Biden took office in 2021.
Speaking on whether both she and the WTO could be successful if Trump were re-elected, she said: “I don’t focus on that because I have no control.” [The Street Journal]
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