Mexico has nominated José Seade Kuri for the post of Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the multilateral organization announced on Monday (08.06.2020/XNUMX/XNUMX).
The WTO post will become vacant on 31 August 2020 after its current incumbent, Roberto Azevêdo, steps down, prompting the organisation to begin the process of searching for a successor today.
Seade Kuri has been Mexico's Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for North America since December 2018, XNUMX. He was the chief negotiator of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
He was Mexican Ambassador to the GATT and Chief Negotiator of the Uruguay Round of Negotiations that created the WTO; Deputy Director General of the GATT and founding Deputy Director General of the WTO.
He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Oxford and a degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Seade Kuri has extensive experience in interacting with authorities from the World Trade Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, academics and businessmen.
Mexico proposes the candidacy of Mr. Jesús Seade Kuri for the post of Director General of the WTO https://t.co/GjUOt2NA14 pic.twitter.com/fbXZFKdpox
— WTO in Spanish (@OMC_es) June 8, 2020
Process for electing WTO chief
Candidates can submit their applications from this Monday until July 8.
They will then be invited to meet with the 164 WTO members. This campaign period lasts about three months, but Azevedo's resignation changed the plan, as far as the time frame is concerned: countries now have just three months to nominate his successor, when the process usually takes nine months.
If he fails to do so, one of the agency's deputy directors will take over as interim general director.
The election procedure is a consensus mechanism that works by elimination. Voting is only possible as a last resort, if there is no agreement.
The selection process is overseen by a "troika" comprising the President of the General Council (the highest decision-making body bringing together WTO members), the President of the Dispute Settlement Body and the President of the Trade Policy Review Body.
The President of the General Council, in this case the New Zealand ambassador David Walker, will be in charge of receiving the representatives of the States to consult them on their preferences and try to determine which candidate has the best chance of reaching consensus.
There is no principle of geographical rotation, but the rules provide that if countries have to choose between similar merits in the final selection, they must take into account "the desirability of reflecting the diversity of WTO members in successive nominations for the post of Director-General."
After each consultation phase, the troika successively eliminates the candidates with the fewest votes. At the end of the consultation phase, it presents to the ambassadors the candidates with the greatest chances of achieving consensus and recommends their nomination.
The selection process for the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization begins today. WTO members can submit their candidacies from 8 June to 8 July. #WTODirectorGeneral pic.twitter.com/syH59O6z5X
— WTO in Spanish (@OMC_es) June 8, 2020
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
