The World Trade Organisation, WTO’s General Council will hold a special meeting next Monday, February 15, at 3p.m., to consider the appointment of the next Director-General.
The meeting will take place in a virtual format.
Recall that the final two candidates for the WTO top job, Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s Trade Minister, withdrew from the race, leaving Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s candidate, as the sole choice for the position.
Therefore, the General Council’s meeting of February 15 is just a formality to appoint Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as WTO’s D-G.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Council explained WTO’s Director-General’s selection process:
The procedures for appointing the WTO Director-General are described in document WT/L/509.
The nomination period for the 2020 D-G selection process ended on July 8, with eight candidates nominated by their respective governments.
On July 13, the General Council agreed that there would be three stages of consultations with WTO members commencing on September 7, to assess their preferences and to determine which candidate is best placed to attract consensus support.
The General Council Chair announced on September 18 the results of the first round of consultations and the five candidates advancing to the next stage.
On October 8, he announced the results of the second round of consultations and the two candidates advancing to the third round.
The results of the final round of consultations were announced on October 28.