U.S. Pushing WTO Reform and Election of Okonjo-Iweala

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are preparing to select their next Director-General (DG) to replace Roberto Azevêdo who stepped down from the post last year. The WTO currently sports 164 members representing 98 percent of world trade but has been mired in frustration as a group led by the United States pushes for major reform. WTO trade rules have been crafted by those members in an effort to level the playing field in the area of trade while attempting to end trade-distorting practices by member-nations. The U.S. has also been stonewalling the organization’s attempts to fill vacancies in their seven-member Dispute Settlement’s Appellate Body that has been inactive for a year. Negotiations to improve the dispute settlement procedures have been ongoing but heretofore have yielded no changes. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria has received the backing of the United States and is expected to be elected the new Director-General on Monday (February 15, 2021).
(SOURCE: All Ag News)