Addressing the World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council immediately after taking office on 01 March 2021, Director-General (DG) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called on members to “do things differently” to achieve reforms necessary to keep the WTO relevant, starting with swift action to curb harmful fisheries subsidies, and to help scale up Covid-19 vaccine production and distribution. The new head of the WTO noted that high expectations for her tenure could only be met if members were willing to compromise and reach agreements.
The DG suggested that prospects for a successful Twelfth Ministerial Conference would be enhanced if members targeted a manageable number of deliverables for this year and set up longer work programmes to address issues that could not realistically be resolved within that timeframe.
Story by: Riaan de Lange