On Monday, February 12th, and Tuesday, February 13th, 2024, WITA hosted its sixth annual Washington International Trade Conference (WITC). This conference brought together leaders in international trade from across the U.S. and around the world to explore the trade landscape and look toward the future of trade.

DAY 2 OF THE WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL TRADE CONFERENCE 

To download the full program, click here.

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On Monday, February 8th, and Tuesday, February 9th, 2021, WITA hosted its third annual Washington International Trade Conference (WITC) for the first time virtually. This conference brought together leaders in both the public and private trade sectors to discuss pressing issues and trends surrounding trade policy. 

The event began with remarks from Kenneth I. Levinson, Executive Director of WITA, as he introduced the first group of panelists: Wendy Cutler, President and Managing Director at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Susan Shirk, Research Professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, Aaron L. Friedberg, Professor of Politics & International Affairs at Princeton University, and Ambassador Kurt Tong, Partner at The Asia Group, who shared their thoughts on how trade fits into the overall US-China relationship. 

The U.S. China panel was primarily focused around the overall US-China relationship and how trade fits into the larger picture. From joining the WTO to now, China has significantly increased its dominance in global trade, economic, and financial markets and has now become a credible threat to U.S. hegemony due to large economic pressure.

Looking forward to the Biden administration, the panelists discussed where we are now in our relationship with China, how the Biden review will be conducted, and how trade fits into this multi-faceted relationship. Over the past few months we have seen RCEP signed, the development of the China EU investment deal, and we have now heard talk about China reviving trilateral negotiations with Japan and Korea. The panelists explored the potential impact of the Biden review and present internal focus on China’s growing hegemonic status. 

The Trade & Environmental Sustainability Panel focused on the growing global concern of climate change and how this issue intersects with trade. As the United States has most recently rejoined the Paris Accords and a variety of new executive orders have underpinned the Biden administration’s focus on mitigating climate change, there has been a shift in the international system on the pertinence of this issue. It is important to recognize where the U.S. and its allies now stand on sustainable policies that influence trade and consider how realistic it would be for less developed countries to accommodate the necessary standard to fight climate change. 

The discussion focused on both the EU and New Zealand’s positions on climate change as they relate to trade and what we should center our negotiations on going forward. Although there is promise with the Biden administration on these issues, it is undetermined what the administration’s nationally determined contribution in the Paris agreement will be which will be an important indicator of the level of emissions and leadership role on climate change. The panelists were Amb. Robert Holleyman, Partner at Crowell & Morning LLP, C&M International, Amb. Vangelis Vitalis, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Madelaine Tuininga, DG Trade Head of Unit in the European Commission, and Himamauli Das, Senior Managing Director at K2 Integrity. 

The next panel centered around finding a way forward on digital trade and delved into the intersection between trade and technology. As more and more countries are considering how they may tax or regulate the space, this issue has become of increasing relevance. As digital tools are a crucial driver of U.S. economic growth, it is clear they present both an incredible opportunity for progress and new challenges. The panelists featured were Arrow Augerot, Director of America’s Public Policy at Amazon, Jason Oxman, President & CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council, Sahra English, Vice President of Public Policy at Mastercard, and Peter Swire, Senior Counsel at Alston & Bird LLP. 

The final panel of the day was the Ambassadors Trade Roundtable with panelists: Amb. Susan Schwab, Mayer Brown LLP, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, British Ambassador to the USA, Amb. Nestor Forster Brazil’s Ambassador to the USA, Amb. Stavros Lambrinidis EU Ambassador to the USA, and Amb. Arthur Sinodinos Australia’s Ambassador to the USA. The ambassadors shed light on the trade landscape from their perspectives and offered insight into what is important in their countries in dealing with the U.S. and other trading partners. The discussion later touched on the future of the WTO and what each ambassador saw as top priorities for the organization to address.

The second day of WITA’s virtual conference program opened with remarks from Kenneth I. Levinson, Executive Director of WITA and Amb. Alan Wm. Wolff, Deputy Director General of the WTO. Amb. Alan Wolff shared his thoughts on necessary reform and revitalization of the WTO and how its role should evolve. Terence Stewart, author of the blog Current Thoughts on Trade, joined the discussion and gauged Amb. Wolff’s perspective on the WTO’s interest in engaging in more sectoral and regional trade agreements. 

The following panel built off of the previous discussion into a more in-depth conversation about WTO Revitalization & Reform from a broader group of perspectives. Many of the panelists highlighted the importance of improving our relationship with China, getting our dispute settlement system back on track and addressing pertinent 21st century issues such as those involving digital trade and climate change. The panelists featured were Amb. Rufus Yerxa, National Foreign Trade Council, Jennifer Hillman, Council on Foreign Relations, Simon Evenett from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Hiddo Houben, EU Mission to the WTO.

The next panel centered around the question: “What would a Neo-Progressive Trade Agenda look like?” with panelists from around the world. The panel opened with an introductory discussion of how the WTO has lagged in recognizing the intersection of trade with other issues today and the importance of looking at things in a more wholistic way. Some of the speakers brought up issues related to the environment, gender and labor that requires a new model of trade in order to create shared prosperity and growth. The panelists featured were: Catherine Novelli, Listening For America, Beth Baltzan, American Phoenix Trade Advisory Service, Catherine Feingold AFL-CIO International Department, Katrin Kuhlmann, New Markets Lab, and Kimberley Botwright from the World Economic Forum. 

For the closing keynote and discussion of the conference, WITA was pleased to present Chairman Neal of the House Ways & Means Committee who offered his insight into the contours of trade policy in 2021 and Steve Lamar of the American Apparel & Footwear Association and WITA’s Board President. The Chairman stressed the importance of using trade tools to address many of the issues we face today and the promise of the Biden administration to tackle inequities and reassert U.S. leadership.  

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On Thursday, September 24th, WITA hosted its first Video Blog to discuss the WTO Director-General Race. Discussants talked about the candidates who didn’t make it through Round One, the candidates that did, and how they read those tea-leaves.

The event featured:

Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director of Washington DC Office, Asia Society Policy Institute and former Deputy USTR

Terence Stewart, former Managing Partner, Law Offices of Stewart and Stewart, and author of the blog, Current Thoughts on Trade

Ambassador Rufus Yerxa, President, National Foreign Trade Council, and former Deputy Director General of the WTO

Moderator: Kenneth I. Levinson, Executive Director, Washington International Trade Association

Over the Summer, WITA hosted all eight candidates to be Director General of the WTO. Those videos can be found on WITA’s YouTube Page.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Wendy Cutler joined the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) as vice president in November 2015. She also serves as the managing director of the Washington D.C. Office. In these roles, she focuses on building ASPI’s presence in Washington — strengthening its outreach as a think/do tank — and on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade and investment, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

Most recently she served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, working on a range of U.S. trade negotiations and initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. In that capacity, she was responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, including the bilateral negotiations with Japan. She also was the chief negotiator to the U.S.-Korea (Korus) Free Trade Agreement.

Cutler received her master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and her bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University.

Terence Stewart, now retired, was the managing partner of the Law Offices of Stewart and Stewart from 1986-August 2019. Mr. Stewart has a BA from the College of the Holy Cross, an MBA from Harvard University and an LLM from Georgetown University Law School. He was an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law from 1995-2012 teaching courses on the GATT and the WTO. Mr. Stewart’s practice focused on international trade, notably trade remedies, WTO and FTA negotiations and dispute settlement. Among his publications (editor and/or author) are The GATT Uruguay Round: A Negotiating History (1986-1992)(Vols. I-III); The End Game (Part I)(Vol. IV); Opportunities and Obligations: New Perspectives on Global and U.S. Trade Policy, dozens of articles and posts on various WTO, FTA and trade remedy issues. He has been a frequent speaker on WTO matters including on the future of the WTO dispute settlement system

Mr. Stewart is a former President of the Federal Circuit Bar Association. He has served as President of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, been a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s Advisory Council as well as a past Chairman of the U.S. Court of International Trade Rule Committee. He also received an honorary Doctorate from the Ukrainian Academy of Foreign Trade and an honorary Doctorate of political science from the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2009 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the 3 rd Degree by the government of Ukraine.

Ambassador Rufus Yerxa became President of the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) in May 2016. As president, he oversees NFTC’s efforts in favor of a more open, rules-based world economy, focusing on key issues to U.S. competitiveness such as international trade and tax policy, economic sanctions and export finance.

He has more than four decades of experience as a lawyer, diplomat, U.S. trade negotiator and international official. He has been in key policymaking and management roles in Congress, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), and also spent several years in private law practice and the corporate world. As Deputy Director General of the WTO from 2002 to 2013 he helped to broaden its membership and strengthen its role as the principal rules-based institution governing world trade.

Prior to this, from 1989 to 1995, he served as Deputy USTR under both a Republican and a Democratic President, first as the Geneva-based Ambassador to the GATT (the predecessor organization to the WTO) and subsequently as the Washington Deputy. Earlier in his government career (1981 to 1989) he was with the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Trade. He began his government career as a legal advisor with the U.S. International Trade Commission. After leaving government service in 1995 and prior to joining the WTO he spent five years in the private sector, including as the Brussels-based partner with the U.S. law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Rufus is a native of Washington State.

He holds a BA in political science from the University of Washington (1973), a JD from Seattle University School of Law (1976) and an LLB in international Law from the University of Cambridge in England (1977). He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, and is also a Visiting Professor with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS).

Kenneth Levinson is the Executive Director of the Washington International Trade Association (WITA). WITA is Washington’s largest non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum in the U.S. capital for the open and robust discussion of international trade policy and economic issues. WITA has over 3,500 members, and more than 170 corporate sponsors and group memberships.

Previously, Ken served as Senior Director for Global Government Affairs for AstraZeneca. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Ken served as Senior Vice President and COO at the Washington, DC consulting firm of Fontheim International. Ken joined Fontheim after spending six years on the staff of U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, where he served as the Senator’s chief advisor for international trade, tax, foreign policy, and national security.

Ken received a Master’s degree in European History from New York University after doing his undergraduate work at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst. Ken also spent a year studying at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ken and his wife, the Reverend Donna Marsh, live in Bethesda, MD, with their two daughters.

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On Tuesday, August 11th, WITA hosted a conversation with WTO Director General Candidate H.E. Yoo Myung-hee. Yoo Myung-hee is Korea’s candidate to be Director General. She is currently Korea’s minister for trade. Previously she served as Korea’s Director General for Bureau of Trade Policy, Director General for FTA  Negotiations and East Asia FTA, and Spokesperson for Foreign Media. She has degrees from Seoul National University and Vanderbilt University.

WITA Webinar Featuring:

H.E. Yoo Myung-hee, Trade Minister, Republic of Korea and Candidate for the post of Director General of the WTO

Ambassador Rufus Yerxa, President, National Foreign Trade Council, and former Deputy Director General of the WTO

Wendy Cutler, Vice President, and Managing Director, Washington D.C. office of the Asia Society Policy Institute

H.E. Yoo Myung-hee is the first female Trade Minister for the Republic of Korea, and has been an innovator, negotiator, strategist and pioneer in her 25 year career in trade. She has devoted her career to progress in the multilateral trade arena from the early days in 1995 when she took charge of WTO affairs in the Korean Ministry of Trade Industry and Energy, through her role as Korea’s key FTA strategist to, more recently, negotiator of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Korea-China FTA and the critical Korea-U.S. (KORUS) FTA renegotiation, among other trade initiatives.

Minister Yoo’s belief in the importance of the multilateral system and its constant renewal derives from Korea’s position as a major beneficiary of the open trading system represented by the GATT and WTO. Her life in Korea has been defined by Korea’s increasing prosperity and growth in the multilateral trading world. She personally knows that development can happen in this framework and has first-hand experience in how to effectuate mutually beneficial change and development.

There is no question that the world trading system faces great challenges at this time of pandemic and crisis of confidence in multilateral systems. In her capacity as Trade Minister, she has always been passionate in voicing her support for the multilateral trade system which must be based on international cooperation and consensus in the WTO,  while recognizing the need for WTO reforms to update the rules including in emerging issues and an early restoration of the dispute settlement system. The difficulties are real and they must be addressed openly by the WTO as an institution and by its Members.

She is a skillful negotiator with deep knowledge and insights into the details of various areas of trade agreements, but more importantly, she has flourished in her role as a catalyst who brings together diverse views of the parties involved to derive win-win solutions. In doing so throughout her career, she has worked with countries spanning all levels of development, in various WTO and FTA negotiation settings as well as through her work experience in the APEC Secretariat (2010 to 2014) and the Korean Embassy in China (2007 to 2010). The multilateral system must work for everyone.

Minister Yoo’s ability to reach across divides and help achieve consensus has been crucial in developing critical support for trade initiatives within Korea. She has worked constructively and successfully with domestic stakeholders with a diversity of views, including those who benefit directly from open trade as well as those who are vulnerable to trade. She always focuses on bridging gaps to reach agreements that maximize the overall welfare of the parties involved. She is familiar with the domestic political pressures and needs that all Members face.

Minister Yoo is a strategist, laying out long-term visions to be followed, and at the same time when faced with unexpected hurdles, able to proactively develop and pursue practical doables and deliverables that are meaningful under the circumstances. She has also proven her outstanding skills in leading and managing large, complex organizations as Trade Minister during a period of high ambitions and efforts in Korean trade policy. These skills are needed now. The WTO is at a critical juncture. Minister Yoo will bring her experience and skills to the Membership and help drive reforms in the institution including in the approaches and extent of negotiations as well as optimizing and focusing Secretariat resources on the important tasks at hand.

She received her M.A. in Public Policy from Seoul National University in Korea and her Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School in the US, and was admitted to the New York State Bar in May 2003. She is married with two children.

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On Wednesday, August 5th, WITA hosted a conversation with WTO Director General Candidate HE Mohammed Al Tuwaijri. Mohammed Al Tuwaijri is Saudi Arabia’s candidate to be Director General. He is currently an advisor to the Saudi Royal Court in a Minister Rank. Formerly he served as Minister of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia, Vice Chairman and CEO of HSBC’s Global Banking & Markets, Middle East & North Africa (MENA), and as Managing Director of JP Morgan Chase Bank, Saudi Arabia. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the King Faisal Air Academy, and an MBA from King Saud University.

Webinar Featuring:

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On Thursday, July 23rd, WITA hosted a webinar with panelists who explored ways to address the concerns raised by the U.S. and others about the WTO’s Appellate Body, and to restore a functioning and binding dispute settlement system. Longstanding systemic concerns of the United States about the Appellate Body’s operation and adherence to the Dispute Settlement Understanding (“DSU”) has led to the United States blocking appointments of Appellate Body (“AB”) members until the system is corrected consistent with original text of the DSU. With only one of seven AB members still in place as of December 11, 2019, the AB is unable to hear appeals (as all appeals must be heard by three AB members).

WITA Webinar Featuring:

Stacy Ettinger, Partner, K&L Gates

Ignacio Bercero, European Union Visiting Fellow, Oxford University, and author of the paper What Do We Need a World Trade Organization For? The Crisis of the Rule-Based Trading System and WTO Reform

Bruce Hirsh, Tailwind Global Strategies, and author of the paper Resolving the Appellate Body Crisis: Proposals on Precedent, Appellate Body Secretariat and the Role of Adjudicators

Rufus Yerxa, President, National Foreign Trade Council, and former Deputy Director General of the WTO

With Special Guests:

Jennifer A. Hillman, Council on Foreign Relations and former Member of the WTO’s Appellate Body

Ron Lorentzen, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce

Warren H. Maruyama, Hogan Lovells, and former USTR General Counsel

Terry Stewart, Author, Current Thoughts on Trade, and former Managing Partner, Law Offices of Stewart and Stewart

Event Summary

This webinar began with Rufus Yerxa asking the panel how the WTO’s lack of ability to enforce rules upon its members impacted its credibility and asked the panel to overview what is causing the dissatisfaction with the WTO from some of its key members. Stacy Ettinger stated that the dissatisfaction with the dispute body settlement has led WTO to a crossroads. She also noted that the Trump administration’s clear mentality of unilateralism and decoupling has fueled mistrust amongst trading partners. Ignacio Garcia Bercero gave some insight on the European Union’s opinions of the WTO. He noted that the WTO needs to be working towards solving some of the systemic issues raised by the United States such as what are the proper roles of panels and the appellate body. He also suggested that the WTO needs to better enforce term limits on body members. Bruce Hirsh then responded saying that despite these problems raised by Bercero and Ettinger, the Dispute Settlement system has solved problems and is a useful tool as it can solve trade disagreements without trade wars. He emphasized that we should be focused on fixing the flaws in the Dispute settlement system and not focused on destroying it. Bercero also noted that the WTO needs to clarify the standard of review in the appellate body and in the dispute settlement body. Ettinger pointed out that the WTO at times puts too much emphasis on precedent and made the claim that if the Supreme court can change its mind on issues, so can the WTO. The webinar then shifted to a Q & A session where the panelists answered questions ranging from should appellate body reform take priority over China issues to whether the WTO should have clerks that serve on both the appellate body and dispute settlement body. After the Q & A session the panel was joined by special guests Terry Stewart, Warren Maruyama, Ron Lorentzen, and Jennifer Hillman who offered their perspectives on where the WTO should go from here.

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On Tuesday July 21st, WITA hosted a conversation with WTO Director General Candidate Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala  is a global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Currently, Dr Okonjo-Iweala is Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.

WITA Webinar Featuring: 

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,  Former Managing Director, World Bank and Former Finance Minister of Nigeria, WTO Director General Candidate

Ambassador Rufus Yerxa, President, National Foreign Trade Council, and former Deputy Director General of the WTO

Wendy Cutler, Vice President, and Managing Director, Washington D.C. office of the Asia Society Policy Institute

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Currently, Dr Okonjo-Iweala is Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. Since its creation in 2000, Gavi has immunized 680 million children globally and saved ten million lives. She is also a Senior Adviser at Lazard and sits on the Boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc.

Previously, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala served twice as Nigeria’s Finance Minister, from 2003-2006, 2011-2015, and briefly Foreign Minister in 2006, the first woman to hold both positions. She spent a 25-year career at the World Bank as a development economist, rising to the No. 2 position of Managing Director, Operations.

She is renowned as the first female and black candidate to contest for the presidency of the World Bank Group in 2012, backed by Africa and major developing countries in the first truly contestable race for the world’s highest development finance post. As Managing Director of the World Bank, she had oversight responsibility for the World Bank’s $81 billion operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia. Dr Okonjo-Iweala spearheaded several World Bank initiatives to assist low-income countries during the 2008-2009 food crisis and later during the financial crisis. In 2010, she was Chair of the World Bank’s successful drive to raise $49.3 billion in grants and low interest credit for the poorest countries in the world.

As Minister of Finance in Nigeria, she spearheaded negotiations with the Paris Club of Creditors that led to the wiping out of $30 billion of Nigeria’s debt, including the outright cancellation of $18 billion. In her second term as Finance Minister, Dr Okonjo-Iweala was responsible for leading reform that enhanced transparency of government accounts and strengthened institutions against corruption, including the implementation of the GIFMS (Government Integrated Financial Management System), the IPPMS (Integrated Personnel and Payroll Management System), and the TSA (Treasury Single Accounts).

Dr Okonjo-Iweala has been listed as one of Transparency International’s 8 Female Anti-Corruption Fighters Who Inspire (2019), one the 50 Greatest World Leaders (Fortune, 2015), the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World (TIME, 2014), the Top 100 Global Thinkers (Foreign Policy, 2011 and 2012), the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (Forbes, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014), the Top 3 Most Powerful Women in Africa (Forbes, 2012), the Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa (Forbes, 2011), the Top 100 Women in the World (The UK Guardian, 2011), the Top 150 Women in the World (Newsweek, 2011), and the Top 100 most inspiring people in the World Delivering for Girls and Women (Women Deliver, 2011). She has also been listed among 73 “brilliant” business influencers in the world by Condé Nast International.

In 2019, Dr Okonjo-Iweala was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2017, she received the Madeleine K. Albright Global Development Award from the Aspen Institute, the Women’s Economic Empowerment Award from WEConnect International, and the Vanguard Award from Howard University. In 2016, she received the Power with Purpose Award from the Devex Development Communications Network and the Global Fairness Award from the Global Fairness Initiative in recognition of her contribution to sustainable development. She was also conferred High National Honours from the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and the Republic of Liberia. She is also the recipient of Nigeria’s third highest National Honors Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). In addition, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has been awarded the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2014), the President of the Italian Republic Gold Medal by the Pia Manzu Centre (2011), the Global Leadership Award by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2011) the Global Leadership Award by the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (2010), and the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award (2010). She is also the recipient of the TIME Magazine’s European Heroes Award in 2004, named Finance Minister of the Year (Africa Investor Magazine, 2014), Finance Minister of the Year for Africa and the Middle East (THE BANKER, 2004), Global Finance Minister of the Year (EUROMONEY, 2005), Finance Minister of the Year for Africa and the Middle East (Emerging Markets Magazine, 2005), and Minister of the Year (THISDAY, Newspaper2004 and 2005).

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is currently also Chair of the Board of the African Union’s African Risk Capacity (ARC), an innovative weather-based insurance mechanism for African countries; and co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate with Lord Nicholas Stern and Mr Paul Polman. She is also Chair of the Board of the Nelson Mandela Institution, an umbrella body for the African Institutes of Science and Technology, and Chair of the Board of the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja. Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She presently serves on the following advisory boards or groups – the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Harvard University International Advisory Board, the Oxford University Martin School Advisory Council, Mercy Corps International Advisory Board, Women’s World Banking Africa Advisory Board, the International Commission on Financing Global Education (Chaired by Gordon Brown), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Advisory Board, Tsinghua University Beijing – School of Public Policy and Management Global Advisory Board, the CARICOM (Caribbean) Commission on the Economy, the Bloomberg Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health, and Tax Inspectors Without Borders of the OECD among others. She is a member of the B Team of Business and Civic Leaders cofounded by Sir Richard Branson, a board member of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Foundation, and also a board member of Lumos, an Africa focused renewable energy company.

Previously, she served as the co-Chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation with UK Secretary Justine Greening, and Chair of the World Bank’s Development Committee (2004). She was also a member of the International Monetary and Finance Committee of the IMF (2003-2006 and 2011-2015), the United Nations’ Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Danish-Government-led Commission on Africa, the World Economic Forum Global Leadership Council on Transparency and Corruption, and the Commission on World Growth (led by Nobel Prize winner Professor Michael Spence). She served for a decade on the Rockefeller Foundation Board, the One Campaign, and the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders. Dr Okonjo-Iweala has also served on the advisory board of the Clinton Global Initiative, the ONE Foundation, the Global Development Network, and the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the founder of Nigeria’s first ever indigenous opinion-research organization, NOI-Polls. She also founded the Center for the Study of Economies of Africa (C-SEA), a development research think tank based in Abuja, Nigeria. Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development, and also at the Brookings Institution, premier Washington D.C. think tanks.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala graduated magna cum laude with an A.B. in Economics from Harvard University (1976), and earned a Ph.D. in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, 1981). She has received honorary degrees from 15 universities worldwide, including some from the most prestigious colleges: Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Trinity College (University of Dublin), Amherst College, Colby College, Tel Aviv University, and Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica. She also has honorary doctorate degrees from a host of Nigerian universities including Abia State University, Delta State University, Oduduwa University, Babcock University, and the Universities of Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Ife (Obafemi Awolowo).

She is the author of numerous articles and several books, including Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines (MIT Press, 2018), Reforming the UnReformable: Lessons from Nigeria, (MIT Press, 2012), Mobilizing Finance for Education in the Commonwealth (Commonwealth Education Report 2019), Shine a Light on the Gaps – an essay on financial inclusion for African Small Holder Farmers (Foreign Affairs, 2015), Funding the SDGs: Licit and Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries (Horizons Magazine, 2016), and The Debt Trap in Nigeria: Towards a Sustainable Debt Strategy (Africa World Press, 2003). She also co-authored with Tijan Sallah the book Chinua Achebe: Teacher of Light (Africa World Press, 2003).

She is married to Dr. Ikemba Iweala, a neurosurgeon. They have four children and three grandchildren.

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On Thursday, July 16th, WITA hosted a webinar with three former USTRs to discuss the WTO in a time of change. This discussion brings forward some of the main issues that the World Trade Organization is undergoing and how they can resolve it. Each former USTR shared their analysis of the future of the WTO.

 WITA Webinar Featuring: 

• Ambassador Michael Froman, U.S. Trade Representative, 2013-2017
• Ambassador Susan Schwab, U.S. Trade Representative, 2006-2009
• Ambassador Carla Hills, U.S. Trade Representative, 1989-1993
• Moderator: Wendy Cutler, Vice President, and Managing Director, Washington D.C. office of the Asia Society Policy Institute

Webinar Summary:

Moderator Wendy Cutler began the webinar with a question about which qualities the panelists would like to see in the next Director General of the WTO. Ambassador Carla Hills expressed her desire for a DG with experience in trade and economic policy, a deep understanding of the WTO as an institution, and management skills that “pack a punch.” Ambassador Susan Schwab echoed these sentiments, adding that someone who acts as more of a facilitator than an expert might be beneficial for bringing the members together to discuss pressing issues. Ambassador Michael Froman emphasized the need for somebody who can listen to and bring the members together, since the organization is, at its core, a membership organization, and the institutional aspect has been suffering due to the lack of global consensus about trade policy. Therefore, Amb. Froman believes that diplomatic and political skills are more important during this time period than technical expertise, which is learnable. 

Wendy asked the panelists about which approach the new DG should take with regards to negotiations: go for the low hanging fruit items, i.e. smaller wins over the course of their leadership, or go for a “big win” negotiation right away. Amb. Schwab suggested the former, arguing that there probably will not be a large scale negotiation anytime soon. She believes that building momentum within the WTO through smaller victories, such as traction in the e-commerce talks, should be the focus of the new DG as a facilitator. Amb. Froman emphasized getting done what is doable before taking on more, such as an e-commerce agreement and the dispute settlement issues. However, he does not think the conversation about reforms should be put on the back burner, because while the members remain dissatisfied the institution will suffer. 

The conversation turned towards U.S.-China relations, and if the WTO can be updated to deal with disputes over industrial subsidies and state owned enterprises. Wendy asked if the solution should be bilateral agreements between individual parties, or rather a multilateral system of rules within the WTO. Amb. Hills brought up how it is a shame that we dropped out of the TPP, as it had a great handle on subsidies and SOEs. Amb. Froman discussed the complicated nature of these topics during the current pandemic, since many governments are using these tools to help their economies recover. He expressed his support for a plurilateral solution rather than individual agreements between different nations. 

The conversation wrapped up with discussions about rising tariffs, the USMCA agreement, and a Q&A session in which the panelists answered questions about the possibility of Congress pulling out of the WTO, among others. 

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