The newly-appointed head of the WTO is promising fair treatment for Taiwan. Former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was officially appointed the new director-general of the global trade body on Sunday. She has become the first woman and the first African to lead the organization.
According to sources, Okonjo-Iweala had frequent exchanges with the Taiwanese government prior to her appointment and has Taiwan’s full support to head the WTO.
During her acceptance speech, Okonjo-Iweala said that her top priority is to come up with effective solutions to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of global health and the economy. She said new trade regulations are needed to overcome public health challenges and to revive the economy.
Okonjo-Iweala said that she will do all she can to avoid the risks of “vaccine nationalism”. She said that the WTO will make sure that coronavirus vaccines are distributed equally.
