Saudi Arabia's candidate to be the next director general of the World Trade Organization, Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri, said on Friday that the organization was in a state of stagnation and that reform was necessary.
The former Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning, one of eight candidates to succeed incumbent Robert Azevedo, called for focusing on successes instead of disagreements.
Al-Tuwaijri told a news conference at the WTO headquarters in Geneva that the world was going through a lot of changes that have affected trade. Reform is not a choice but necessary, he said.
"The biggest issue facing the WTO is around process,” he said in response to a question.
The director general in his mandate for the next few years should focus on delivery, process enhancement and building key performance indicators, success factors and design them so that members can see and measure progress.
The future of the world post-coronavirus will be difficult and uncertain for trade and for any business, the Saudi official told reporters.
He said he looked forward to heading the organization and enacting changes which fit all members, adding that in his role he would aim to empower women by giving them leadership positions.
Al-Tuwaijri also told reporters that he had a clear vision on the work of the WTO, and called for reforms through consensus within the organization.
He said he wanted to bring in staff "that can tackle small issues" and help members and less developed countries.
If trust in the role of the WTO's director general is regained, "the technical challenges will not be as severe," he added.
“The director-general should come in as a facilitator, as a compass, if the organization is drifting away from its true north … We need to dig deep to find what the root causes are of this drift and how can the members be aware of these root causes, and how can we in the future, which is my key point, have key performance indicators to ensure the organization doesn’t drift again,” Al-Tuwaijri concluded.
