WTO Job: Okonjo-Iweala Thanks EU For Endorsement, Promises To Transform Organisation If Elected
Nigeria’s Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has appreciated the European Parliament for endorsing her candidacy for the position of the Director General of the World Trade Organisation.
The Parliament is the directly elected legislative body of the European Union(EU).
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The WTO DG will be announced before the end of 2020.
Okonjo-Iweala, in a reactionary tweet on Thursday, assured the world that if elected, she would transform the Organisation to directly make an impact on the common man.
“The benefits of @wto and of trade must be brought home and made real to the ordinary woman and man on the street.
“Great to engage with @svensimon and other members of @Europarl_EN. Grateful for your endorsement for @wtoDG,” she tweeted.
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THE WHISTLER earlier reported the EU had officially endorsed Okonjo-Iweala over South Korea’s Yoo Myung-Hee, in the final stage of the selection process for the DG of the World Trade Organisation.
The resolution passed by the European Parliament, reads in part:
“During the discussions, we appreciated in particular the vision that Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala presented for tackling the substantial challenges the organisation is facing.
“Her assessment of the existing problems of the organisation revealed a deep understanding of the fault lines dividing the WTO’s membership.
“The points she set out for her first steps after being appointed to the position reveal a clear-eyed agenda, tackling head-on key topics such as special and differential treatment, industrial subsidies and dispute settlement reform while recognising the need for positive momentum through the conclusion of agreements on issues such as fisheries, e-commerce, and health.”
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“Dr Okonjo-Iweala appears to be well-equiped for being the fair broker who could bring key players together and help them find the compromises that will be needed to resolve the WTO‘s complex set of challenges and the deep disagreements between its members.
“We therefore very much hope that the EU will be able to support Dr Okonjo-Iweala‘s candidacy during.”
Her candidacy has also been endorsed by the African Union and the Nigerian Government.
