By Emma Farge GENEVA, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Nigeria's Ngozi Oko
By Emma Farge
GENEVA, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee are via to the ultimate spherical of choice to change into the following director-general of the World Commerce Group, three sources mentioned on Wednesday.
The discount of the sector from 5 to 2 means, if confirmed, that the 25-year-old, Geneva-based commerce physique would be led by a lady for the primary time.
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, a former Nigerian finance and overseas minister Okonjo-Iweala, is an economist and improvement specialist now serving as board chair of worldwide vaccine alliance Gavi. She has mentioned the WTO ought to play a task in serving to poorer international locations entry COVID-19 medicine and vaccines.
Yoo, 53, South Korea’s commerce minister, is pitching herself as an skilled operator on commerce in difficult occasions after clinching offers with the US, China and others, whereas supporting world guidelines.
Each acquired backing from the 27 international locations of the European Union this week. The opposite international locations of the 164-member WTO have typically not revealed which names they put ahead within the second spherical that ran from Sept. 24 to Oct. 6.
Kenyan sports activities minister Amina Mohamed, Saudi royal courtroom adviser Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri and British ex-international commerce minister Liam Fox additionally competed within the second choice spherical. The primary spherical featured eight candidates.
The WTO is on the lookout for a brand new director-general to switch Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down a yr sooner than anticipated on the finish of August. It goals to discover a successor by early November.
The successful candidate will face formidable challenges with rising world tensions and protectionism throughout a COVID-induced slowdown, most clearly between China and President Donald Trump’s U.S. administration, in addition to stress to drive reforms.
(Reporting by Emma Farge, writing by Philip Blenkinsop, modifying by Mark Heinrich)
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