WTO reaffirms confidence in Okonjo-Iweala, confirms second term

• The organisation formally began the process to appoint its next DG on October 8.
• WTO allowed members until November 8 to submit nominations.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has confirmed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the sole candidate for its director-general position.

Okonjo-Iweala, the current director-general, expressed her willingness to serve a second four-year term on September 16.

The WTO initiated the appointment process on October 8, and members had until November 8 to submit nominations.

Petter Olberg, chair of the WTO’s general council, announced that no additional nominations were received by the deadline.

“Under the procedures for the appointment of Directors-General (WT/L/509), I am required to communicate to Members a consolidated list of candidatures received for the post of Director-General immediately after the close of the nomination period, in this case 8 November 2024,” the statement reads.

“I would like to advise members that at the end of the nomination period the only candidacy received for this post is from Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the incumbent director-general.”

The WTO will communicate the next steps in the process soon.

Okonjo-Iweala’s current term ends on August 31, 2025.

She made history as the first woman and African to lead the WTO in 2021.

Okonjo-Iweala’s second-term bid was uncertain after Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory.

However, Joe Biden’s administration supported her nomination after Trump’s loss.