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Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed head of the World Trade Organization on Monday, becoming the first woman and the first African to assume the role amid growing protectionism and disagreement over how the he organization decides on cases involving billions in sales and thousands of jobs.
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, was appointed director general by representatives of the 164 countries that make up the World Trade Organization (WTO), which deals with the rules of trade between nations on the basis of negotiated agreements.
In an online press conference, she said she was taking over at a time when the WTO “faces so many challenges, and it is clear to me that far-reaching and far-reaching reforms are needed. … it cannot be as usual “.
For Okonjo-Iweala, his first priority will be to quickly tackle the economic and health consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, for example by lifting export restrictions on supplies and vaccines and encouraging the manufacture of vaccines. in more countries.
Other tasks are to reform the organization’s dispute resolution process and find ways for trade rules to cope with changes such as digitization and e-commerce.
Take control of a shaken organization
It is taking over after four turbulent years in which US President Donald Trump used new tariffs, or import taxes, against China and the European Union to promote his first US trade agenda.
“It will not be easy as we are also faced with the problem of the lack of trust among members that has developed over time, not only between the US and China and the US and the EU. … but also between developing and developed member countries, and we have to work through that, ”she said.
She said that as the first woman and the first African to hold this position, “I absolutely feel an extra burden, I can’t lie about it. Being the first woman and the first African means you really have to perform.
A woman of exceptional experience
The appointment, which takes effect March 1, came after US President Joe Biden approved his candidacy, which had been blocked by Trump. Biden’s move was a step towards his goal of supporting cooperative approaches to international issues after Trump’s stand-alone approach that launched multiple trade disputes.
Okonjo-Iweala served as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and, briefly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and had a 25-year career at the World Bank as an advocate for economic growth and development in the poorest countries.
She reached the second position of Managing Director, where she oversaw $ 81 billion in development finance in Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia.
In 2012, she made an unsuccessful offer for the first post with the support of African and other developing countries, challenging the tradition that the World Bank is still run by an American.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and a doctorate. in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee had withdrawn her candidacy, leaving Okonjo-Iweala as the only choice. His predecessor, Roberto Azevedo, resigned on August 31, a year before his term expired.
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