The nomination process for the office of the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has finally closed, and all the candidates for the WTO top job are now known.
There are eight candidates in the race; three from Africa, two from Europe, one from the Middle-East, one from North America, and one from Asia.
In the race are three women — Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Amina Mohammed and Yoo Myung-hee — and four men. If any of the women win, she would become the first female WTO DG since the organisation was set up 25 years ago.
TheCable reviewed the biography of all seven candidates and here is how they stand:
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Jesús Seade Kuri
| Country | Mexico |
|---|---|
| Age | 73 |
| Occupation | Chemical Engineer, economist, diplomat, politician |
| Current job | Undersecretary for North America in Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Education | Chemical Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); master and PhD in economics from the University of Oxford |
| Previous international jobs | World Bank chief economist; founding deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization; senior advisor at the IMF; vice-president of Lingnan University in Hong Kong |
| Previous local jobs | North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiator for Mexico |
| Current international jobs | Professor of Economics at Lingnan University in Hong Kong |
| Awards | N/A |
| Selling point | Experience in the creation of WTO and at its highest level of governance |
| WTO experience | Worked at the WTO from inception till October 1998 |
| Quotable quote | “Digital trade is an opportunity to expand availability, choice and lower the price.” |
| Quick fact | Speaks all official languages of the WTO — English, Spanish and French |
Tudor Ulianovschi
| Country | Moldova |
|---|---|
| Age | 37 |
| Occupation | Politician, diplomat |
| Current job | Senior Vice President at Grasshopper Energy |
| Education | A Ph.D. candidate at the Free International University of Moldova |
| Previous international jobs | Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva; President of the Trade and Development Board at UNCTAD, Vice President of the General Assembly at WIPO, President of the Steering Committee on Trade at UNECE. |
| Previous local jobs | Foreign minister of Moldova; Moldovan Ambassador to Liechtenstein and Switzerland; |
| Current international jobs | None |
| Awards | Moldova distinguished personality of the year – 2018 by VIP Magazin; Man of the Year 2019 by Aquarelle media |
| Selling point | Experience at the highest level of the WTO |
| WTO experience | Chair of the Balance of Payments Committee of the WTO; Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization |
| Quotable quote | “No one should be left behind; this is not just a simple phrase, it is important to have an inclusive approach.” |
| Quick fact | The diplomat who speaks English, Russian, French, Arabic and Romanian has 15 years of experience in diplomacy and international trade |
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MOHAMMAD MAZIAD AL-TUWAIJRI
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|
| Age | 60 |
| Occupation | Pilot, banker, politician |
| Current job | Royal Court advisor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| Education | B.Sc Aeronautics at King Faisal Air Force Academy, MBA from King Saud University |
| Previous international jobs | Group managing director, deputy chairman and CEO at HSBC, UAE. |
| Previous local jobs | Former minister of economy and planning; managing director and CEO of JP Morgan, Saudi Arabia; head of risk management, Saudi British Bank. |
| Current international jobs | None |
| Awards | N/A |
| Selling point | Representing a large bloc — middle east and north africa |
| WTO experience | None |
| Quotable quote | N/A |
| Quick fact | If he wins, he would be the first WTO DG from an Arab nation |
Amina Mohamed Jibril
| Country | Kenya |
|---|---|
| Age | 58 |
| Occupation | Lawyer, diplomat, and politician |
| Current Job | Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage, and Culture in Kenya |
| Education | LLM in International law from the University of Kiev, Ukraine and Postgraduate diploma in International Relations from the University of Oxford, UK. |
| Previous International Jobs | Chair of the International Organization for Migration, chair of the World Trade Organization’s General Council, assistant secretary-General of the UN and deputy executive director at UNEP. |
| Previous local Jobs | Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs; Cabinet Secretary for Education |
| Awards | Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity (Cav.O.S.S.I.); Life Member of the Red Cross Society; Honorary Doctorate from KCA University; Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2017) |
| Selling point | Experience at the highest level of the WTO |
| WTO Experience | She ran for the office of the DG in 2013 but lost to Roberto Azevedo, the current DG |
| Controversy | Ran against the AU candidate for the WTO top job in 2013 — both lost |
| Quotable quote | “The best years of this organisation (WTO) are not in the past, they are in its future; there is always a golden past, but the best is never in the past” |
| Fun fact | She speaks Somali, English, Russian, Swahili and has a working knowledge of French |
Liam Fox
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Age | 58 |
| Occupation | Medical doctor, politician and diplomat |
| Current job | Member of the British Parliament since 1992 |
| Education | Studied Medicine at the University of Glasgow |
| Previous international jobs | None |
| Previous local jobs | Secretary of state for international trade; secretary of state for defence; general practitioner (Medical doctor); chair of the Conservative Party; parliamentary under-secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs; lord commissioner for treasury. |
| Current international jobs | None |
| Awards | N/A |
| Selling point | Experience in international trade |
| WTO experience | None |
| Quotable quote | “Above all, trade has been the greatest liberator of the world’s poor, harnessing the forces of globalisation to spread prosperity and lift millions from poverty.” |
| Quick fact | Fox supported Brexit, and may not get EU votes |
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Yoo Myung-hee
| Country | Korea |
|---|---|
| Age | 53 |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
| Current job | Minister of trade |
| Education | Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School, and masters in public policy from Seoul National University |
| Previous international jobs | None |
| Previous local jobs | Presidential spokesperson; deputy minister for FTA negotiation; First Secretary (2007-2008) and then Counsellor (2009-2010), Korean Embassy in China; Director-General for Bureau of Trade Policy |
| Current international jobs | None |
| Awards | N/A |
| Selling point | Experience negotiating trade at the highest level of governance in and out of the WTO |
| WTO experience | None |
| Quotable quote | “South Korea can become a bridge, connecting developing countries and advanced countries” |
| Quick fact | She is regarded as the “devil’s advocate” in Korea, due to her aggressive trade negotiations, and she is the first woman to become minister of trade in Korea — after 70 years of male domination. |
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Abdulhameed Mamdouh
| Country | Egypt |
|---|---|
| Age | 68 |
| Occupation | Lawyer, diplomat |
| Current job | Senior Counsel at King & Spalding LLP |
| Education | Juris Doctor degree at Cairo University |
| Previous international jobs | Director of the Trade in Services and Investment Division of the WTO; secretary of the WTO Council for Trade in Services since the establishment of the WTO in 1995. |
| Previous local jobs | Trade negotiator with the diplomatic service of Egypt |
| Current international jobs | Visiting Professor at Queen Mary London University |
| Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award by The Coalition of Service Industries |
| Selling point | Experience at the highest level of the WTO |
| WTO experience | Worked at the WTO from inception in 1995 till October 2017 |
| Quotable quote | “Successful relationships don’t only depend on the extent to which we agree, but mostly on how we deal with our differences.” |
| Quick fact | Speaks Arabic, English and French |
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
| Country | Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Age | 65 |
| Occupation | Development economist, diplomat |
| Current job | Chair, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance |
| Education | Bachelor’s in economics from Harvard University and PhD in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Honourary degrees from over a dozen universities worldwide. |
| Previous international jobs | MD of the World Bank; co-chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation; UN Secretary General’s high-level panel on the post-2015 development agenda |
| Previous local Jobs | Two-time minister of finance in Nigeria; minister of foreign affairs. The first female to take up both jobs. |
| Current International Jobs | Board member at Twitter, Standard Chartered Bank, and African Risk Capacity; co-Chair of the Global Commission for the Economy and Climate; member Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) international advisory board; IMF external advisory board; AU special envoy. |
| Awards | Global Finance Minister of the Year 2005 by Euromoney; Top 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2014 by TIME Magazine, 2014; Top 100 Global Thinkers 2011, 2012 by Foreign Policy; the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World by Forbes Magazine 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; National honours from Nigeria, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire. |
| Selling point | Experience at the highest level of the World Bank, and easily one of Africa’s most trusted technocrats |
| WTO Experience | None |
| Quotable quote | “The best way to help Africans today is to help them to stand on their own feet. And the best way to do that is by helping create jobs.” |
| Quick fact | Kidnapper who held her mother captive requested her resignation as minister of finance for her role in seeking transparency with fuel subsidy payment in Nigeria. She refused. |
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6 comments
These are all great minds but I think it’s time for the world to put more trust on women like these.
WTO should look no further than settle for any of these women, mostly from their involvement in international politics, trades and commerce. As for me without being byass I will give it to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala because of her world bank blend into WTO. And this will be the first and a good blend of experience for the world economy.
Miller. I agree with you. She would make a good impact at WTO considering Her Experience As a Technocrat and Finance and Development Expert and An Excellent Negotiator At International level.
I agree with Miller. I believe Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will be a total blend for the job giving her experiences and capabilities as demonstrated in every stage of her life.
I think NOI should be given a chance to lead the WTO.
Favouritism apart,Ngozi Okonjo Iweala stands out among other cv. Expeience is the best teacher. Her expertise experience will go a long way to aid the WTO in alleviating the world economic stress.
Ngozi Iwela was a Minister of Finance in Nigeria during the most corrupt regimes. She agreed to release $2billion dollars from Central Bank of Nigeria knowing fully well that the money would be shared by the then political party members, PDP. Some ppl suspected her to be among the beneficiaries.