Here’s a look at second round candidates led by Al-Tuwaijri for WTO’s Director-General post

Saudi Arabia's candidate, Mohammad bin Maziad Al-Tuwaijri, the advisor at the Royal Court, qualified for the second phase of selection process for the post of Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The second round of members’ voting to elect the new Director-General begins today, Sept. 24, and will run until October 6, 2020.

In the second phase, three of the five candidates will be disqualified and two will qualify for the third and final phase. The new director-general will be elected in early November 2020.

The WTO is seeking a replacement after Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo stepped down a year earlier than expected in August 2020 due to personal reasons.

Ambassador Azevedo took the helm of the WTO on Sept. 1, 2013, as the sixth director-general, for two terms, which was due to expire in August 2021.

The Geneva-based organization was established in 1995 to monitor the liberalization of international trade, regulate trade between member states, and oversee disputes’ settlement between members.

Since its establishment, WTO has been managed by three directors-generals from Europe (Ireland , Italy and France) and one each from Oceania (New Zealand), Asia (Thailand), and South America (Brazil).

WTO has faced great challenges since inception, as disputes have intensified after the trade war between China and the US, in addition to the US threat to withdraw from the global trade body and its demand for fair treatment and reclassification of China from being classified as a “developing country”.

The procedures for appointing the WTO Director-General are described in document WT/L/509. The nomination period for the 2020 selection process ended on July 8. The second phase of the process in which the candidates make themselves known to members ended on Sept. 7.

The five candidates, who qualified for the second round of the selection process, are:

-Mohammad bin Maziad Al-Tuwaijri (Saudi Arabia)

-Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria)

- Yoo Myung-hee (South Korea)

- Amina C. Mohamed (Kenya)

- Dr. Liam Fox (The UK)

Below is the introduction to each of the candidates:

-Mohammad bin Maziad Al-Tuwaijri (Saudi Arabia)

Al-Tuwaijri holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation science from King Faisal Air Academy in 1991, and a master’s degree with honors in Business Administration from King Saud University in 1998.

He has a long record of experience as he held many leadership positions, most notably the position of Minister of Economy and Planning, in addition to his membership in the cabinet and the Council of Economic and Development Affairs from 2017 to 2020.

Al-Tuwaijri also held the position of Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning, and Secretary-General of the Finance Committee at the Royal Court from 2016 to 2017, in addition to holding the position Vice-Chairman of the National Development Fund, and leading the National Transformation Program (NTP).

Al-Tuwaijri has worked to establish strategic partnerships in several countries.

- Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria)

Dr. Ngozi, 66, served twice as the Minister of Finance for Nigeria. She previously served as a managing director of the World Bank where she was responsible for the World Bank's operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia and Europe and Central Asia.

-Yoo Myung-hee (South Korea)

Myung-hee, 53, is the current Minister for Trade of South Korea and the first woman to hold the position in the country. She is widely considered as a veteran in trade circles who has worked in various government agencies for over 25years.

-Amina C. Mohamed (Kenya)

The 53-year-old currently is the Minister of Sports, Heritage and Culture. She is advocate and has held the positions of minister of foreign affairs and minister of trade. Amina also held the position of Assistant Director-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program between 2011 and 2013.

- Dr. Liam Fox (The UK)

The 59-year-old United Kingdom’s candidate is a member of the British Parliament and a special advisor. He served as Minister of International Trade from 2016 to 2019, where he oversaw the establishment of the first trade policy for the UK for nearly 40 years following Brexit. Fox was elected at the British House of Commons in 1992 and was appointed Minister of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2010, he was appointed as the Minister of Defense.