Former UK prime minister endorses Okonjo-Iweala for WTO job

Gordon Brown, former UK prime minister, has endorsed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the upcoming World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general election. 

The Times, a British newspaper, quotes Brown as saying Okonjo-Iweala has a record of delivering results in “the toughest of jobs”.

This endorsement means that the former prime minister has chosen Nigeria’s candidate over Liam Fox, former UK trade secretary and the British candidate in the WTO election.

Brown said Okonjo-Iweala is respected across the world and she would make an “outstanding success” of running WTO, which is facing an existential crisis while searching for its next director-general and grappling with the global economic disruption caused by COVID-19.

Okonjo-Iweala, who sits on the board of Twitter and chairs the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), is contending against seven other candidates from Mexico, Egypt, Moldova, Republic of Korea, Kenya, UK and Saudi Arabia.

She addressed WTO members in Geneva on July 15 and has been vocal about the reforms she would push for if elected.

“The WTO needs leadership and I’m someone with a strong managerial capability with the ability to forge consensus and reforms. These bundles of qualities in addition to my leadership quality are what I’m bringing to the WTO,” she said when she appeared before WTO members in Geneva on June 15.

Candidates are currently in the second stage of the process where they are expected to make themselves known to members.

This ends on September 7.