World Trade Organization to name its first female chief soon as shortlist narrows to two

The World Trade Organization is set to have its first female leader soon as Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and South Korea's Yoo Myung hee have made it to the final run-off, a WTO spokesman announced.

Britain's Liam Fox, Kenya's Amina Mohamed and Saudi Arabia's Mohammad al-Tuwaijri competed in the second round of the fight to become the next director-general of the WTO.

Ngozi Okonjo Iweala of Nigeria and Korean minister Yoo Myung hee have advanced to the third and final stage of consultations which will run from October 19 to October 27 and a winner to be announced by November 7.

The five candidates were selected in the first stage in September, to replace Brazilian career diplomat Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down as WTO chief in August, a year ahead of schedule.

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About the candidates

The WTO picks its leadership candidates through a process of consensus and preferences. Okonjo-Iweala and Yoo's candidacies received a boost this week when EU member states officially extended their support to them.

Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, 66, served as Nigeria's first female finance and foreign minister and has a career spanning over 25 years as a development economist at the World Bank. She is also on Twitter's board of directors and is a special representative for the World Health Organization's Covid-19 fight. If Okonjo-Iweala wins the final elimination round, she would not only be the first woman but also the first African to lead the global trade body.

Meanwhile, Yoo Myung hee, 53, is currently serving as South Korea's first female trade minister, following a career in trade diplomacy and foreign affairs.

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Bumpy ride for WTO

The next chief of World Trade Organisation will be heading an organisation which is caught up in multiple crises and is struggling to help members navigate a severe global economic slump triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Already before the Covid-19 crisis hit, the organisation was grappling with stalled trade talks and struggling to curb tensions between the United States and China.

The global trade body has also faced relentless attacks from Washington, which has crippled the WTO dispute settlement appeal system and threatened to leave the organisation altogether.

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