First Woman and African WTO Chief Begins 1st Day on the Job

(AP) The new director-general of the World Trade Organization - the first African and first woman to hold the post - arrived at its Geneva headquarters on Monday for her first day on the job.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a 66-year-old Nigerian economist and former government minister, donned a mask as she made brief comments to reporters on way into the building on the shores of Lake Geneva.

''I feel ready to go,'' she said.

She was expected to meet staffers and speak briefly with non-governmental groups that support a key fisheries reform proposal being discussed at the WTO, before attending her first meeting of the General Council - made up of envoys from the international trade body’s 164 member states.

The WTO, which works to craft accords that can ensure smooth international trade, is facing headwinds such as rising protectionism.

Its dispute settlement system has been blocked because the United States has almost singlehandedly prevented appointments to its Appellate Body - a rough equivalent to an appeals court.

Okonjo-Iweala said last month that “wide-ranging reforms” are needed at the WTO, and that her first priority would be to address the economic and health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic - such as by working to lift export restrictions on supplies and vaccines to get them distributed to countries in need.

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