The European Union is supporting the candidacy of Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala against who is standing against Korean Yoo Myung-hee in the race to succeed Roberto Azevêdo as head of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
These discussions, which are held at the level of Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper), have gradually helped to mature an initiative that has been championed from the outset by France and Germany.
“The Nigerian candidate is supported by the Union”, explained a European source on Monday 26 October, pointing out the tangible involvement of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the last European summit. She is regarded as “a strong signal to reinforce the multilateral order”, and “a sign of mutual trust” between the EU and Africa.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a former Minister of Finance in his country and has extensive experience at the World Bank. She sits on the Management Board of the Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
Supported by the United States, her rival, Yoo Myung-hee, is the current trade minister of South Korea.
It will be the first time that a woman will head the WTO. A decision is expected to be reached on 7 November. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)