New WTO Director-General Takes Over as Bali Negotiations Approach
The World Trade Organization (WTO) ushered in new Director-General Roberto Azevêdo of Brazil on Sept. 1 as the trade body’s 159 members prepare to convene in December in Bali, the WTO said in a statement (here). The statement focused solely on the significance of the Bali talks, a summit aimed at addressing trade facilitation and development targets stemming from the WTO’s 2001 “Doha Round” (here). “A successful meeting there will provide a much needed shot in the arm for the global economy and the WTO,” said Azevêdo. “I believe that a deal can be struck despite the short time we have between now and Bali.”
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Outgoing Director-General Pascal Lamy said in April sluggish progress in preparing for Bali threatened a successful round of negotiations (see 13041201). Lamy, who departed the WTO after 8 years as Director-General, said WTO members needed to rapidly accelerate efforts. “The stark reality is that the current pace of work is largely insufficient to deliver successfully in Bali,” Lamy said. The U.S. Representative to the WTO, Ambassador Michael Punke, said in July the WTO had averted existential crisis, expressing cautious optimism over potential success in Bali (see 13072306). Punke urged member states to implement binding trade rules and regulations and to minimize trade distortion caused by food security issues. The USTR did not respond for comment .