WTO DG Contest: An All-Female Shortlist Has Been Released
For the first time in the World Trade Organization’s 25-year history, it is about to appoint a female director-general.
The shortlist was announced on Thursday by the trade body;
“From 24 September to 6 October, WTO members expressed preferences on five remaining candidates during consultations with Amb. Walker, Amb. Dacio Castillo of Honduras and Amb. Harald Aspelund of Iceland,
Based on the depth and breadth of preferences articulated to the facilitators, Amb. Walker told a Heads of Delegation meeting on 8 October that the two candidates who secured the broadest and deepest support from the membership and who should subsequently advance to the final round are Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria and Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea.”
It contained the names of two women – South Korea’s Yoo Myung Hee and Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The beginning of the second phase of the contest found five people gunning for the Director-General title. Recently, the former international trade secretary of Britain, Liam Fox, was unfortunately removed from the race despite having the backing of the United States.
Both Myung Hee and Okonjo-Iweala are two very seasoned professionals in their fields. These are their brief profiles;
Credit: NgoziOkonjo-Iweala
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian-American Developmental Economist with a PH. d in Economics and Development from MIT. She has held top positions like being the Managing Director of the World Bank and also the first female Minister of Finance in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She also has to her credit thirty years of experience working in global finance and economics. She also holds the record for being the first black female to run for some top positions and eventually winning them.
Aside from serving as Nigeria’s first female Minister of Finance for two terms (2003-2006 and 2011-2015), she was also the first female and the first black candidate to contest for the presidency of the World Bank Group in 2012 and she was backed by Africa (of course!) and other major developing countries.
If she wins this contest for WTO’s DG, she would yet be marking her name in history as one of the ‘firsts.’
Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Korea
South Korea’s Yoo Myung Hee is also one of the firsts. She is the first female Trade Minister in the Republic of Korea. She has a 25-year strong career in the multilateral trade arena. She is also a certified lawyer, called to the New York State Bar in May 2003. She has to her credit many years of handling trade between two superpowers- the United States and China. She is a master negotiator, strategist, and innovator, skills which have earned her the well-deserved nickname – The Devil’s Advocate.
The third and final phase of this selection process will continue from the 19th of October and will run until the 27th of October, after which a winner would be announced.
Like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (popularly known as NOI) rightly said,
“Choosing the DG of WTO should be on merit. If she happens to be a woman, great. If she happens to be Africa, great. But choose who deserves to lead.”
By all indications, the new DG will be a woman and we love to see it!
May the best sister win!
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