The World Trade Organization (WTO) will have a «very fast» selection process for its new Director General, said Jesús Seade, Mexico’s candidate for that position.
Seade said this process is likely to conclude as early as July 2020.
The WTO is the most important trade forum worldwide, being the only institution that deals with the rules that govern international trade between countries, through a multilateral framework of disciplines that establish the principles of liberalization, as well as the permitted flexibilities .
On June 8, 2020, the first day the registration process was opened, Mexico presented that candidacy, in succession of the current Director General, Roberto Azevêdo, who has announced that he will leave office on August 31, 2020.
According to the calendar announced by the President of the General Council of the WTO, David Walker, the deadline for submitting applications will end on July 8, 2020. With this, the registration will last 1 month and one day.
Walker will report the nominations to Members as soon as they are received. After July 8, it will distribute a consolidated list of all nominations to Members.
Shortly after the nomination deadline has passed, candidates will be invited to meet with Members at an extraordinary session of the General Council, where candidates will present their vision and Members will ask them questions.
WTO, the recent election
The appointment is made by consensus decision of the General Council, which is made up of all WTO members.
The President of the General Council informed WTO members on November 3 that Azevêdo had sent a letter expressing his desire to seek re-election for a new term, and that if members wanted to nominate other candidates they would have until December 31 2016 to do it.
At the end of the deadline for submission of nominations, the President of the General Council, Ambassador Harald Neple (Norway), informed WTO Members that until 31 December 2016, the date on which the deadline for submission of nominations, no other nominations had been received for the post of Director-General and that Azevêdo was therefore the sole candidate for the post.
