Saudi Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri has withdrawn from the race for the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), while the two finalists for the post are Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria and Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea.
The second stage of consultations between members of the WTO to select two of the five candidates, who qualified for the race for the position of Director General, ended on Tuesday.
The five candidates included, in addition to Al-Tuwaijri, Kenyan minister Amina Mohamed, former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee and British ex-minister Liam Fox.
“I would like to thank all member states of the World Trade Organization for their tireless efforts to reach a consensus on the last two candidates for the next Director General position,” Al-Tuwaijri said in remarks on Thursday.
He continued: “Regardless of the final result, I am completely confident that Mrs. Yoo Myung-hee or Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will steer the WTO in the right direction for the benefit of all, and I am still ready to play a role if necessary in future developments. I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to Dr. Liam Fox and Dr. Amina Mohamed for their participation in the race.”
“It was an honor to compete with them for this decisive position, and I wish them all success in their future endeavors,” said Al-Tuwaijri, the former Saudi economy minister.
He also emphasized the importance of the organization as the world prepares for a “period of post-pandemic economic recovery.”
“It is very important for the World Trade Organization to play its role in reviving trade, especially with regard to expanding vaccination efforts, reducing trade tensions, and bringing countries together,” he added.
Al-Tuwaijri finally thanked the Kingdom, its leadership and people over “their steadfast support” for his candidacy.
