Geneva
Six candidates are vying to become the next head of the World Trade Organization — an institution which faced mammoth challenges even before the pandemic-driven global economic crisis struck.
The window to enter the race slams shut on Wednesday, in a speeded-up contest to replace the outgoing WTO director-general Roberto Azevedo — the Brazilian career diplomat who is stepping down one year early at the end of August. The six candidates in the running are from Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, Nigeria and S.Korea. The new chief must revive stalled trade talks, lay the ground for the 2021 ministerial conference — one of the WTO’s major events — and thaw relations with Washington. The US, which has threatened to leave the WTO, has blocked the organisation’s dispute settlement appeal system since Dec, and wants China moved up from the developing economies category.—AFP
