The first women to lead the OMC --- The appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iwala to the head of the WTO had to go through some obstacles during the Trump administration, who opposed her appointment in Geneva and blocked the process, supporting then the South Korean Minister of Commerce, Yoo Myung-hee. However, in February 2021, the Biden administration reiterated it strong support to the candidacy of Ngozi Okonjo-Iwala, who would become the first woman to lead the institution. Okonjo-Iweala is credited with her vast knowledge in economics and diplomacy for her 25 experience at the World Bank and two terms as Nigerian Finance Minister. Okonjo assumed the general direction of the WTO, facing a serious economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a climate of distrust in multilateral institutions and a trade war between China and the United States as a backdrop.

Source author: Cecilia Treemonisha Barros Ruiz cbarros@sre.gob.mx