IISD Welcomes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Next Head of the World Trade Organization

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) issued a statement welcoming the appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on February 15, 2021.

• Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's appointment as the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) marks a significant milestone as she is the first woman and the first African to hold this position, signaling a commitment to gender equality and the importance of African economies in the multilateral trading system.
• Okonjo-Iweala possesses a diverse professional background as a Ph.D.-level economist with experience in finance, public health, foreign affairs, development, and disaster risk management. Her previous leadership roles include serving as managing director at the World Bank, finance minister and foreign affairs minister for Nigeria, board chair of Gavi, and chairperson of the Governing Board of African Risk Capacity.
• Immediate challenges for the new WTO chief include the need for members to finalize a deal to discipline harmful fisheries subsidies and to exempt UN World Food Programme humanitarian food aid from export restrictions.
• The pandemic's impact on the timing of the next WTO Ministerial Conference provides Okonjo-Iweala an opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders and members in Geneva to reinvigorate WTO activities and transition the organization toward a post-COVID reality centered on sustainable development.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2021). IISD Welcomes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Next Head of the World Trade Organization. https://www.iisd.org/articles/statement/iisd-welcomes-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-next-head-world-trade-organization

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. IISD Welcomes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Next Head of the World Trade Organization. 2021. https://www.iisd.org/articles/statement/iisd-welcomes-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-next-head-world-trade-organization.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=IISD Welcomes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Next Head of the World Trade Organization |date=12 February 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/statement/iisd-welcomes-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-next-head-world-trade-organization |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2021iisd, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{IISD Welcomes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Next Head of the World Trade Organization}}, publisher = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/statement/iisd-welcomes-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-next-head-world-trade-organization}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }