World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala formally won a second term Friday, setting the stage for a possible clash next year with President-elect Donald Trump over the future of the rules-based trading system.
The 70-year-old Nigerian economist was the only candidate for the high-profile post, but her approval still required the support — or at least the acquiescence — of all 166 WTO members, including the United States.
“The decision reflects widespread recognition of her exceptional leadership and strategic vision for the future of the WTO,” Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, the chair of the global trade body’s General Council who led the selection process, told a press conference in Geneva.
Ølberg dismissed suggestions that Okonjo-Iweala’s reappointment had been rushed through to preempt Trump’s inauguration. It was conducted transparently and inclusively, with WTO members consulted throughout the process, he said: “There is no reason to say that it has not been a legitimate process.”
