New team, new hopes?

The new WTO chief, Roberto Azevedo took over yesterday. 

The WTO announcement is here. And the welcome address concluded thus:

"Governments do have regional or bilateral trade negotiating options. But I have never heard a trade negotiator from any country say that these options were preferable to a global deal through the WTO. A global deal encompasses more countries and more segments of economic activity than any regional accord could possibly deliver. But if we are to help build a multilateral path forward, all 159 members must work together to deliver in Bali. 

I believe that a deal can be struck despite the short time we have between now and Bali. I shall do everything I can to see that agreement is reached. But there is no such thing as a sure thing, and a great deal of work and commitment are required in the coming weeks if we are to succeed. 

I look forward to your continued interest and engagement in the WTO."

Bali and post Bali developments awaited. 

Team Azevedo

Roberto Azevedo, the WTO DG designate has announced his new team of Deputy Director Generals to take over in October. 

They are:

 - Yi Xiaozhun of China (Mr. Yi is a senior trade official in China’s Ministry of Commerce who has worked on international trade issues since the 1980s. He has served as China’s Ambassador to the WTO since 2011.)

 - Karl-Ernst Brauner of Germany (Dr. Brauner is a senior officer in the Federal Department of Economics and Technology who has been Germany’s representative to the Trade Policy Committee in Brussels for the last 12 years.  He has been involved with the WTO since the start of the Doha Development Agenda.)

 - Yonov Frederick Agah of Nigeria (Mr. Agah has been involved with international trade issues in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment since the early 1990s, including as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the WTO since 2005.  He was Chair of the WTO General Council in 2011.)

 -  David Shark of the United States ( Mr. Shark has been serving as the US’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO since 2000 and has a long experience with GATT and WTO issues going back to the 1970s in the Office of the US Trade Representative)

The WTO website stated:

"The Deputies have been selected because of their outstanding commitment to the multilateral trading system and their extensive experience on WTO issues over many years.  They will be working directly with the Director-General to advance the interests of the Organization, including the preparations for the 9th Ministerial Conference in Bali.  “Their specific skills and experience of these deputies will be immensely valuable to advancing the effective and efficient functioning of the WTO,” Azevêdo said.  

DG-Elect Azevêdo consulted extensively with WTO members in the selection of the DDGs.  This has enabled him to make sure that the qualities each of the Deputies will bring to their new positions will benefit the WTO and its future work.  While they come from different regions that symbolize the geographical diversity of the WTO membership, from 1 October they will be serving the multilateral trading system working with the Director-General as a team along with all WTO members."

The new team takes over in October 2013.

The next DG officially announced

It is official. The likely selection of Roberto Azevedo as the next DG of the WTO was made yesterday by the Chairman of the Trade Negotiations Committee:

On the basis of all of the above, and in keeping with the Procedures, our assessment of the preferences provided to us by you during this third round of consultations is that the candidate from Brazil, Mr. Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo is the candidate most likely of the two to attract consensus, on the following basis:

• Mr. Azevêdo carried the largest support by Members in the final round and has consistently done so in each round; and,

• he enjoyed support from Members from all levels of development and from all geographic regions and has done so throughout the process.

The next step would be convening of a special meeting of the General Council on Tuesday 14 May 2013 where the sole item on the agenda will be the appointment of the next Director-General of the WTO. At that meeting, and in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 19 of the 2002 Procedures,the name of Mr. Azevêdo as the candidate shall be submitted as the most likely to attract consensus and recommend his appointment by the General Council as the next Director-General of the WTO for a period of 4 years starting 1 September 2013.

This brings to an end the selection process of the next chief of the multilateral trading institution.

The Winner is...

Though not officially announced on the WTO website, reports of the next WTO chief are coming in - It would be Roberto Azevedo from Brazil. Reuters confirmed it here. IELP reiterated it here.

Lot of hopes of reviving Doha, to tackling politically sensitive issues in international trade to a greater involvement of developing countries in the multilateral system are pinned on this new selection of the chief.

An interesting aspect in the Reuters report about the currency undervaluation issue that Brazil has raised at the WTO:

"Azevedo has led an effort to get the WTO to discuss the impact of exchange rates on global trade, which many members do not consider a relevant issue for the trade body and one that should be dealt with at the International Monetary Fund. 

The currency debate is unlikely to gain traction under Azevedo's tenure as head of the WTO because it would need member countries to take it forward."

Whether it will receive any traction at the multilateral trading body is anybody's guess.

Over to the next DG of the WTO in September.