Somtochukwu

A cross-section of former senior U.S. government officials, including a Nobel Laureate, along with academicians and civil society leaders, have written to President Biden in support of the election of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General of the World Trade Organization. Opposition from the Trump administration has stalled her selection which requires consensus according to WTO procedures. Here is the text of the letter that was delivered after Biden took office on January 20. 

Dear President Biden,

Congratulations on your resounding victory in the recent election. We are confident that as you assume the mantle of responsibility for America’s security, economy and overall well-being that promising days are ahead for our country and specifically for all Americans.

You assume the Presidency with challenges and opportunities of historic proportions. We are pleased, however, that you have long been tested, prepared and poised for this moment. We are further comforted that you have selected a very competent team to support your cherished vision for our nation.

Among the many critical matters before you and your cabinet is the leadership of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It was no surprise to us that a stellar Nigerian-American, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, emerged as the consensus candidate for the position of Director-General of the WTO having won the support of the overwhelming majority of member nations, including America’s leading trading partners in the European Union.

The arbitrary opposition to her candidacy from the outgoing Trump Administration in October 2020 continues to baffle trade leaders and experts around the world. In round after round of competition, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala won against her competitor for the post, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee.

The Trump Administration’s contentious practice of pitting America against multilateral alliances was in full display in this WTO race.

We write to respectfully encourage you to support the candidacy of the eminently qualified Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as she seeks to become the next Director-General of the WTO.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is a dynamic woman of vision who can guide the WTO through its era of reform. She possesses a very rare combination of leadership and experience that is deeply grounded in international trade, finance, economics and diplomacy. Her selection, as the first American and woman of color to serve as the WTO’s director-general will send a clear message of inclusion to the rest of the world.

Her specific qualifications:

As an economist with degrees from both Harvard University and MIT, she has been sure-footed throughout her career in articulating a compelling, nuanced vision for the future of global trade in goods and services and the institutions that support it.

She is a consummate diplomat seasoned in building coalitions. For example, she helped negotiate a politically delicate multilateral replenishment — on the order of $49 billion — for the International Development Association, the World Bank’s lending arm for the poorest nations.

As a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria, she has established herself as a highly respected authority in both nations, especially on issues related to global development. During her meteoric rise through the World Bank ranks to the position of Managing Director, she gained invaluable experience in managing the complex relationships between development issues, institutions, business interests and measurable outcomes.

This experience, together with her recently completed five-year tenure as board chair of GAVI— the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization— perfectly position her to help build pragmatic solutions for pandemic-related trade and intellectual property challenges across diverse global stakeholders.

She served two terms as finance and coordinating minister of the economy of Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy. In those roles, she was a reformer who led the effort to create a long-term macroeconomic stability fund from the nation’s oil revenues, and to ensure that bilateral debt restructuring was tied to internal economic reforms. Thus, she knows well how to take on entrenched interests.

We know Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and have found her to be a woman of integrity, an honest broker and a pragmatist who consistently delivers results. We believe strongly that she can be a transformative director-general, one who — with your support — will be embraced and effective within and beyond the WTO.

In sum, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a uniquely qualified leader poised to help the WTO evolve and succeed for future generations. She is a leader who can also be relied on to pay due attention to the concerns many Americans have about global trade. She has what it takes to lead WTO reforms and take the organization into the future.

We deeply appreciate any consideration you may provide to her candidacy which is critically important for our nation and the world.

Former Senior U.S. Government Officials & Leaders in Academia, Civil Society and The Private Sector 

The Hon. Mimi Alemayehou 
Former Executive Vice President, U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
Former U.S. Executive Director of the African Development Bank

Ambassador Johnnie Carson 
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Affairs
Former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda

Teresa Clarke 
Chairman and CEO, Africa.com

Ambassador Herman J. “Hank” Cohen 
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
President & CEO, Cohen and Woods International

Akunna Cook 
Former U.S. Foreign Service Officer
Founder and Principal, Drake Road Strategies

John G. Coumantaros 
Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria
Chairman CEO of Southern Star Shipping Co Inc (New York)
Founding Member of US Nigeria Council

Ambassador Ruth Davis 
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Benin
Former Director, U.S. Foreign Service Institute
Former Director General, U.S. Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources

The Hon. Vivian Lowery Derryck 
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary (EEO and Civil Rights), U.S. Department of State
Founder of the Bridges Institute
Former Assistant Administrator for Africa, USAID

The Hon. Lauri Fitz-Pegado 
Former Assistant Secretary
Director General, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service

Melvin Foote 
President & CEO, Constituency for Africa

The Hon. Tony Fratto 
Former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Treasury
Former White House Deputy Press Secretary
Managing Partner Hamilton Place Strategies

Ambassador Jendayi Frazer 
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African Affairs
Former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa
Former Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council
President & CEO, 50 Ventures LLC

Ambassador Michelle D. Gavin 
Former U.S. Ambassador to Botswana
Former Senior Director for Africa, National Security Council

Dr. Gloria Herndon 
Former Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
Chair Corporate Board, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO)
CEO, GB Group

Cameron Hudson 
Former Director, African Affairs, National Security Council
Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Africa Center

Ambassador Makila James (ret.) 
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, East Africa and The Sudans, U.S. Department of State
Former U.S. Ambassador to The Kingdom of Swaziland

Ambassador (ret.) Howard F. Jeter 
Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and Botswana
Former Special Presidential Envoy to Liberia

Jeffrey Krilla 
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Florie Liser 
Former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa
President and CEO of Corporate Council on Africa (CCA)

Clay Lowery 
Former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Treasury
Former Director, International Finance, National Security Council

Ambassador (ret.) Terence P. McCulley 
Former U.S. Ambassador to Mali, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire
Chairman, US-Nigeria Council for Food Security, Trade and Investment

Mora McLean 
President Emerita, Historian, and Program Strategist, The Africa-America Institute
Former Chair, USTR Trade Advisory Committee on Africa

Cheryl Mills 
Former Counselor and Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of State
Former Deputy Counsel to the President, The White House

Todd Moss, PhD 
Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Ambassador John Negroponte 
First Director, National Intelligence
Former Ambassador to the United Nations
Former Deputy Secretary of State

The Hon. Constance Berry Newman 
Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Chair of the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network

Thomas R. Nides 
Former Chief of Staff, Office of the United States Trade Representative
Former Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, U.S. Department of State
Vice Chairman, Morgan Stanley

Bernadette Paolo 
Former Staff Director, U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa
Co-founder & Former CEO, The Africa Society

Bobby J. Pittman 
Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Finance and Debt, U.S. 
Department of Treasury
Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for African 
Affairs, National Security Council, White House

Pearl Robinson 
Associate Professor, Tufts University
Past President, The African Studies Association

Ambassador Robin Renee Sanders 
Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria
Former U.S. Ambassador to ECOWAS
Former U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Congo
Former Africa Director, National Security Council
CEO-FEEEDS

Jeannine B. Scott 
Chairman, Constituency for Africa (CFA)
Principal, America to Africa Consulting (A2A)
Former Alternate & Advisor to the U.S. ED at the African Development Bank

Timothy Shortley 
Former Director, African Affairs, National Security Council
Chief Operating Officer, 50 Ventures, LLC

Ambassador John Simon 
Former Senior Director, National Security Council
Former U.S. Ambassador to the African Union
Managing Partner, Total Impact Capital
Member, USTR Trade Advisory Committee for Africa

The Hon. Gayle Smith 
Former Administrator, USAID
Former Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council

Joseph E. Stiglitz 
Former member and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
University Professor, Columbia University
Chief Economist, Roosevelt Institute
Former Chief Economist of the World Bank
Recipient of Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, 2001

Rosa Whitaker 
Former Assistant United States Trade Representative for Africa
President, The Whitaker Group

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