WTO DG Race: Coast Clear For Okonjo-Iweala As South Korean Candidate Withdraws
Thompson Nsisongabasi
Feb 05, 2021
South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee on Friday abandoned her bid to become head of the World Trade Organization, Seoul said, clearing the way for Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to become the global body's first woman and first African director-general.
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Yoo had consulted with the United States - her prime backer - and other major countries and "decided to renounce her candidacy", South Korea's trade ministry said in a statement.
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The process to name a successor to Roberto Azevedo had been deadlocked since October when key WTO ambassadors tapped Okonjo-Iweala as the best pick to lead the organisation but the Trump administration maintained its opposition to her appointment.
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The WTO head is normally chosen by consensus, leaving the process at a standstill.
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— Thompson Nsisongabasi