July 20, 2020
The eight candidates nominated for the post of Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) met with members on July 15-17 at a meeting of the General Council.
The eight candidates were nominated by their respective governments to succeed the current Director-General, Roberto Azevdo, who announced in May that he would step down on August 31.
Each candidate was invited to make a brief opening presentation. This was followed by a question-and-answer period of no more than one hour and fifteen minutes.
After their presentations at the General Council, each candidate held a press conference at the WTO. These press conferences were webcast live on the WTO website.
More information on the candidates, including biographical notes, opening statements to the General Council, archived video of the press conferences, and photo galleries are available here on the WTO website.
The current phase of the selection process in which the candidates "make themselves known to members" will end on September 7. On that date, the third phase will begin. There will be consultations with all WTO members to assess their preferences and seek to determine which candidate is best placed to attract consensus support. This phase may involve more than one stage of consultations as members seek to narrow the field of candidates. The third phase will last no more than two months.