Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo
Photo by: Reuters
The three facilitators of the process to select the next World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general have, at an informal meeting of the heads of the WTO delegation, recommended to its members that Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo, of Brazil, be appointed to the position.
The facilitators suggested that members approve Carvalho de Azevêdo as director-general at a WTO general council meeting on May 14.
If approved, the Brazilian diplomat would succeed outgoing WTO director-general Pascal Lamy, whose second four-year term of office expires on August 31.
The recommendation followed three rounds of consultations, which saw Carvalho de Azevêdo and Herminio Blanco, of Mexico, advancing to the final stage.
The facilitators – the chairperson of the dispute settlement body Ambassador Jonathan Fried, the chairperson of the trade policy review body Ambassador Joakim Reiter, and the chairperson of the general council Shahid Bashir – said that, following extensive consultations with members, they believed Carvalho de Azevêdo was the candidate most likely to attract consensus.
“Carvalho de Azevêdo carried the largest support from members in the final round and has consistently done so in each round. He further enjoys support from members from all levels of development and from all geographic regions, and has done so throughout the process,” Bashir commented.