US Breaks Silence Why Ngozi Okonjo Iweala Was Rejected As DG WTO

US has spoken on why Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was rejected as DG WTO.

OnyxNews Nigeria gathered that the United States’ government has made thorough explanation on why it rejected the selection of former Nigerian finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

This online news platform understands that the U.S. made its decision known on Wednesday night in a statement by the Office of the US trade representative on the WTO Director-General selection process.

Yoo Myung-hee and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The statement said the Korean Trade Minister, Yoo Myung-hee has all the skills necessary to be an effective leader of the World Trade Organization.

US breaks Silence Why Ngozi Okonjo Iweala Was Rejected As DG WTO

The United States said it supported the selection of Yoo Myung-hee as the next WTO Director-General because she is “a bona fide trade expert who has distinguished herself during a 25-year career as a successful trade negotiator and trade policy maker.”

“This is a very difficult time for the WTO and international trade,” the statement read.

“There have been no multilateral tariff negotiations in 25 years, the dispute settlement system has gotten out of control, and too few members fulfill basic transparency obligations,” the US statement added.

Although the U.S. did not mention Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, it however said in the statement that “The WTO is badly in need of major reform. It must be led by someone with real, hands-on experience in the field.”

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala’s ambition suffered a setback as the United States failed to endorse her for the top job.

The former Nigerian minister had moved a step closer to becoming the first woman and the first African to be director of the global trade watchdog as she secured the support of a key group of trade ambassadors in Geneva.

However, the U.S. raised last-minute objections to the process by which the new director general was being picked.

A spokesperson for the WTO on Wednesday said Mrs Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy would be put to a meeting of the body’s governing general council on 9th of November 2020.