Prescription for Azevedo and an Ailing WTO

Published in the Ottawa Citizen’s “Aid and Development” blog, May 23, 2013

The selection of Roberto Azevedo, Brazil’s Ambassador to the WTO and chief negotiator in the Doha Round, as the new WTO director-general is being hailed as recognition of the importance of the emerging economies in the world economy. Azevedo is viewed a champion of the global south. But will he be able to forge consensus among the multitude of different interests in the developing world and bridge the wide gap between the developed and developing countries in the WTO?

The WTO is at a crossroads.  It was born less than 20 years ago, yet it has a pedigree going back to the end of the Second World War.  For a new organization, it has already had its very brief “heyday” in the first few years of its existence.  It is currently fraught with the institutional frictions and challenges typical of much older organizations, such as the United Nations.  And, this is true despite the fact that the WTO is more egalitarian, consensus-based and member-driven than other international organizations.

The ultimate test will be whether Azevedo will use his goodwill with BRICS to encourage them to make the tough decisions (and, yes, concessions) necessary to achieve consensus and conclude negotiations on important issues….

Read the rest of this article on the Ottawa Citizen website.

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