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| WTO director general: who is left in the running to succeed Pascal Lamy? | WTO director general: who is left in the running to succeed Pascal Lamy? |
| (6 months later) | |
| Who will be the next head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)? We won't know until the end of May, but the field of candidates narrowed last week. Of the nine original nominees, four – the candidates from Ghana (pdf), Kenya (pdf), Costa Rica (pdf) and Jordan (pdf) – have been knocked out of the running, the WTO announced on Friday. A second culling this month will eliminate three candidates, leaving a final two to compete for the top post. | Who will be the next head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)? We won't know until the end of May, but the field of candidates narrowed last week. Of the nine original nominees, four – the candidates from Ghana (pdf), Kenya (pdf), Costa Rica (pdf) and Jordan (pdf) – have been knocked out of the running, the WTO announced on Friday. A second culling this month will eliminate three candidates, leaving a final two to compete for the top post. |
| With Africa and the Middle East out of the race, the next WTO director general will come from either Latin America or Asia-Pacific. But though geography is certainly a factor in this race, for many trade observers the key question is which candidate is most likely to deliver some sort of positive outcome for the struggling Doha round trade talks. Here's a rundown, in alphabetical order, of the nominees still in contention. | With Africa and the Middle East out of the race, the next WTO director general will come from either Latin America or Asia-Pacific. But though geography is certainly a factor in this race, for many trade observers the key question is which candidate is most likely to deliver some sort of positive outcome for the struggling Doha round trade talks. Here's a rundown, in alphabetical order, of the nominees still in contention. |
| Roberto Azevêdo (pdf), Brazil | Roberto Azevêdo (pdf), Brazil |
| Azevêdo, who has served as Brazil's ambassador to the WTO since 2008, is a popular and charismatic figure in the Geneva headquarters, but he's less well known in wider diplomatic circles. Azevêdo is the only candidate still in the running who has never held the post of trade minister. That has led some observers to wonder whether he has the kind of high-level political pull that might be needed to finalise a Doha agreement. But Brazil has a powerful presence at the WTO and Latin America has never been represented in the director general's office. | Azevêdo, who has served as Brazil's ambassador to the WTO since 2008, is a popular and charismatic figure in the Geneva headquarters, but he's less well known in wider diplomatic circles. Azevêdo is the only candidate still in the running who has never held the post of trade minister. That has led some observers to wonder whether he has the kind of high-level political pull that might be needed to finalise a Doha agreement. But Brazil has a powerful presence at the WTO and Latin America has never been represented in the director general's office. |
| Taeho Bark (pdf), South Korea | Taeho Bark (pdf), South Korea |
| Bark, South Korea's trade minister, is a long shot, given his lack of experience at WTO headquarters. But Bark's trade credentials are sound: he was Korea's lead negotiator on the country's free trade agreement with the US and holds a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Two factors count against him, however. The first is geography: South Korea, as a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is no longer considered a developing country, and one of Bark's fellow Koreans, Ban Ki-moon, is already the head of the UN. Secondly, Bark's strong stance in favour of regional and bilateral trade agreements could cause concern among Geneva's firmly multilateralist trade delegates. | Bark, South Korea's trade minister, is a long shot, given his lack of experience at WTO headquarters. But Bark's trade credentials are sound: he was Korea's lead negotiator on the country's free trade agreement with the US and holds a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Two factors count against him, however. The first is geography: South Korea, as a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is no longer considered a developing country, and one of Bark's fellow Koreans, Ban Ki-moon, is already the head of the UN. Secondly, Bark's strong stance in favour of regional and bilateral trade agreements could cause concern among Geneva's firmly multilateralist trade delegates. |
| Herminio Blanco (pdf), Mexico | Herminio Blanco (pdf), Mexico |
| Blanco, who served as Mexico's trade minister from 1994 to 2000, brings an outsider's experience to the race. He was Mexico's lead negotiator on both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Uruguay round, the negotiations that led to the creation of the WTO in January 1995. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago, but has spent most of the decade working in the private sector. This has led some observers to wonder whether he has enough technical knowledge of the negotiations to be able to help bring the Doha round talks to a close. Plus, he will have to vie with Azevêdo of Brazil to win the votes of the WTO's Latin American delegates. That could prove to be his undoing. | Blanco, who served as Mexico's trade minister from 1994 to 2000, brings an outsider's experience to the race. He was Mexico's lead negotiator on both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Uruguay round, the negotiations that led to the creation of the WTO in January 1995. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago, but has spent most of the decade working in the private sector. This has led some observers to wonder whether he has enough technical knowledge of the negotiations to be able to help bring the Doha round talks to a close. Plus, he will have to vie with Azevêdo of Brazil to win the votes of the WTO's Latin American delegates. That could prove to be his undoing. |
| Tim Groser (pdf), New Zealand | Tim Groser (pdf), New Zealand |
| Groser, New Zealand's trade minister, is a solid contender, even though he hails from a rich country that has already supplied a WTO director general (Mike Moore, who held the post from 1999 to 2002). Groser earned the respect of many trade delegates when, as New Zealand's ambassador to the WTO, he chaired the Doha round negotiations on rules (2002-03) and agriculture (2004-05), which are notoriously complex and politically loaded. Groser's knowledge of the intricacies of the Doha talks may be unsurpassed by the other candidates; geography is his greatest challenge. | Groser, New Zealand's trade minister, is a solid contender, even though he hails from a rich country that has already supplied a WTO director general (Mike Moore, who held the post from 1999 to 2002). Groser earned the respect of many trade delegates when, as New Zealand's ambassador to the WTO, he chaired the Doha round negotiations on rules (2002-03) and agriculture (2004-05), which are notoriously complex and politically loaded. Groser's knowledge of the intricacies of the Doha talks may be unsurpassed by the other candidates; geography is his greatest challenge. |
| Mari Pangestu (pdf), Indonesia | Mari Pangestu (pdf), Indonesia |
| The only woman left in the contest, Pangestu served as Indonesia's trade minister from 2004 to 2011. A formidable contender, she has been campaigning hard for the post, making stops in capitals the world over. With a PhD in economics from the University of California, Davis, she is certainly no slouch when it comes to technical trade issues. But for Pangestu, the geography card cuts both ways: she hails from one of the world's biggest developing countries, but her region, south-east Asia, has already supplied one WTO director general – Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand, who held the post from 2002 to 2005. If the contest comes down to geography alone, this could count against her. | The only woman left in the contest, Pangestu served as Indonesia's trade minister from 2004 to 2011. A formidable contender, she has been campaigning hard for the post, making stops in capitals the world over. With a PhD in economics from the University of California, Davis, she is certainly no slouch when it comes to technical trade issues. But for Pangestu, the geography card cuts both ways: she hails from one of the world's biggest developing countries, but her region, south-east Asia, has already supplied one WTO director general – Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand, who held the post from 2002 to 2005. If the contest comes down to geography alone, this could count against her. |
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