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WTO's New DG Delivers First Remarks As Body's Top Official

GLOBAL

The new Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Nigerian former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered her first remarks in office earlier today to the WTO's General Council.

  • "I have said it. It cannot be business as usual. We have to change our approach from debate and rounds of questions to delivering results [...] we are not delivering results at the pace required by our fast-changing environment. [...] We have to be more accountable to the people we came here to serve — the ordinary women and men"
  • "Several Trade Ministers said to me that if things don't change, they will no longer attend the Ministerial [meeting] because it is a waste of their time. I have noticed that more and more of the work and decision making that should be undertaken at the WTO is being done elsewhere because there is an increasing loss of confidence in the ability of the WTO to produce results. But there is hope. If we all accept that we can no longer do business as usual, that will help us create the parameters for success."
  • Full remarks can be found here: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spno_e/spno1_e....

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