The WTO Struggles To Find New Leader; Gives Leadership To Four People

The WTO Struggles To Find New Leader; Gives Leadership To Four People

The WTO will hire a new director general next month. No one can agree who should lead. Photographer: ... [+] Seokyong Lee/Bloomberg News





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The World Trade Organization goes rudderless later this month when lifelong Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevedo retires early. Unable to find one, the WTO has decided to pick four.



A new leader needs to take the helm in September and while it looks like someone from Africa will take over the beleaguered one thing is certain and “” boy, is it a shocker: the 164 member organization cannot agree on what to do in the interim before Azevedo's replacement's been found.



The most recent General Council meeting was suspended because of two items related to the director-general selection process. WTO members then decided to just extend the terms of the four deputy director generals and make them all the interim leader.



General Council chair and New Zealand WTO Ambassador David Walker was reportedly "disappointed“ that members could not come to a consensus on how to proceed with an interim director general, WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told Inside U.S. Trade, a subscription based news service about international commerce and trade police.





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