The European Parliament, the legislative branch of the European Union, has endorsed Nigeria’s candidate for the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Sven Simon, member of the European Parliament, in a tweet announced the decision of the parliament after a discussion with Okonjo-Iweala and Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s candidate for WTO job.
So far, 79 out of the 164 states that comprise the WTO have endorsed Nigeria’s first female finance and foreign minister for the job.
They urged the European Union to express support for the candidacy of the former World Bank director.
He said, “On 19 October, the EP’s Steering Group of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation organised exchanges of views with the two remaining candidates for the role of Director-General of the WTO.
“On this occasion, both candidates gave us an extensive account of their plans for the future of the organisation and the approach they would choose in order to deal with the crises that are currently threatening the multilateral trading system.
“Both candidates are extremely experienced, well qualified and knowledgeable, and have their own clear visions for the WTO’s future and priorities, and the Director-General’s role in shaping it, as well concerning the important role for parliamentarians in that future.
“During the discussions, we appreciated, in particular, the vision that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala presented for tackling the substantial challenges the organisation is facing.
“Her assessment of the existing problems of the organisation revealed a deep understanding of the fault lines dividing the WTO’s membership.”
I am pleased to announce, that the @Europarl_EN is endorsing @NOIweala as the Director-General of the @WTO. After our joint hearing on Monday we are convinced by her vision for the future of multilateralism and advise WTO members to support her bid. pic.twitter.com/7MplMi3Szs
— Sven Simon MEP ðªðºð©ðª (@svensimon) October 21, 2020
