TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Oct20/05)
8 October 2020
Third World Network

Results of second round of DG race to be announced on 8 October
Published in SUNS #9206 dated 8 October 2020

Washington DC, 7 Oct (D. Ravi Kanth) – The chair of the WTO General Council, Ambassador David Walker from New Zealand, has informed members that he would announce on 8 October the results of his second round of consultations for choosing the new director-general, with two candidates from the slate of five to be declared as the finalists.

The five candidates battling it out for the WTO’s top job in the second round are Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria, Ms Yoo Myung-hee from South Korea, Ms Amina Mohamed from Kenya, Mr Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri from Saudi Arabia, and Mr Liam Fox from the United Kingdom.

Speculation is rife that Nigeria’s Ms Ngozi, and Korea’s Ms Myung-hee or the UK’s Mr Fox could reach the final round, said trade diplomats, who asked not to be identified.

In his email sent to members on 6 October, the General Council (GC) chair said that the two facilitators – the chair of the Dispute Settlement Body Ambassador Dacio Castillo (Honduras) and the chair of the Trade Policy Review Body Ambassador Harald Aspelund (Iceland) – and he have concluded the second round of consultations with members from 24 September to 6 October 2020.

The chair said that he will convene a Heads of Delegation (HoD) meeting on 8 October to announce the results of his second round of consultations with members.

Ambassador Walker informed members that he will “also announce the date of the start of the third round of consultations.”

The HoD meeting will be conducted “in-person and remote participation”, the GC chair said in his email.

Based on earlier reports issued by the former GC chair in 2013 (Job/GC/243) and Ambassador Walker on 18 September 2020 (Job/GC/244), three candidates will be asked to withdraw from the contest on grounds of least support garnered.

The chair said “with the assistance of the Facilitators,” he “shall consult all Members, including non-resident Members, in order to assess their preferences and the breadth of support for each candidate”.

In 2013, the former GC chair Ambassador Shahid Bashir from Pakistan had explained (Job/GC/243) that “as regards the breadth of support, we considered the distribution of preferences across geographic regions and among the categories of Members generally recognized in WTO provisions: that is, LDCs (least-developed countries), developing countries and developed countries.”

The chair further explained that “as reflected in past decisions and in experience, and based on common sense, “breadth of support” means the larger membership.”

As regards the pattern of choices highlighted by members during the second round of consultations, early indications are that the African countries largely preferred their two candidates – Ms Ngozi and Ms Mohamed – from the continent, said a trade envoy, who asked not to be quoted.

Korea’s Ms Myung-hee and the UK’s Mr Fox are also expected to garner some support in single digits in Africa, said another trade envoy, who asked not to be quoted.

Saudi Arabia’s Mr Al-Tuwaijri has lobbied hard with his leaders calling up countries in Africa and Asia to lend support to their candidate, said a South Asian trade envoy, who asked not to be quoted.

But it remains to be seen how much support the Saudi candidate will receive from countries in these two continents, the trade envoy said, suggesting that Korea’s Ms Myung-hee is expected to secure considerable support in Asia barring Japan, the trade envoy suggested.

In Europe, the two candidates – Ms Ngozi and Ms Myung-hee – are likely to secure considerable support with some stray choices going to Ms Mohamed from Kenya and Mr Fox from the UK, said several trade envoys, who asked not to be quoted.

Despite the support of the EU’s 27 members for candidates from Kenya and Korea, the UK’s Mr Fox cannot be written off, said a trade envoy, suggesting that in 2013, the EU had supported Mexico’s Herminio Blanco in the final round and yet Roberto Azevedo managed to win because of the geographical spread of support.

In the Americas, all the five candidates are expected to secure support, with the US likely to support the Saudi and the British candidate, said trade envoys, who asked not to be quoted.

Among the Caribbean countries, it is expected to be a triangular contest between the UK’s Mr Fox, Nigeria’s Ms Ngozi, and Kenya’s Ms Mohamed, said a trade official, who asked not to be quoted.

At the end of the first round of the DG selection process, Egypt had called for procedural reforms after its candidate Mr Abdulhameed Mamdouh was asked to withdraw from the race due to lack of geographical support.

Given the apparent opacity of the selection process, it remains to be seen whether fresh complaints will be lodged this time round.