Mexico Proposes Jesús Seade as Head of the WTO
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Mexico Proposes Jesús Seade as Head of the WTO

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Alessa Flores By Alessa Flores | Senior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Mon, 06/08/2020 - 11:58

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations, seeking to ensure that trade flows run as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. Notably, Mexico has been a member of the WTO since 1995 and was a member of the GATT since 1986. Roberto Azevêdo announced that at the end of August he will leave the position as head of the WTO, just one year before his term ends. This situation has left the door open to propose new candidates to take his place. Therefore, Mexico has proposed Jesús Seade as a candidate to head the WTO, according to a Reuters note. 

Currently, Jesús Seade is the Deputy Minister for North America of the Ministry of Foreign Relations and is recognized for having stood out in the negotiations of the new USMCA agreement, as well as for being Mexico’s Ambassador to the General Agreement on Tariffs Customs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Seade has also been recognized, according to Excelsior, for having been Chief Negotiator and Deputy Director General of the Uruguay Round, which has been considered the largest effort to regulate world trade in human history.

As of today, Jesus Seade is the only candidate presented to fill the position of Director General. However, the Chairman of the WTO General Council, David Walker, announced the deadline for nominations will end on July 8, 2020. Shortly after, candidates will be invited to meet with the WTO General Council in an extraordinary session to share their views and answer questions from members.

In case of being elected, Seade would occupy the position of director-general for four years and would be responsible for overseeing the administrative functions of the WTO. As of today, there have only been six WTO general directors and no Mexican has ever held the position before. However, that is not the most important challenge. Whoever takes office will face leading tensions between the economic powers of the United States and China in a context of growing protectionism stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reuters.

The most recent WTO Annual Report 2020, published on June 2, revealed that the current year has created unpredictable and highly uncertain challenges for world trade. Consequently, the current Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said the state of the economy is at its worst state since the Great Depression in 1929 and estimates that “the volume of global merchandise trade will tumble by between 13 and 32 percent compared to the previous year.” Azevêdo also stressed that the global economic recovery will depend on two factors: the speed and capacity with which the pandemic can be controlled and the public policies that the governments implement in national and international matters to mitigate the impacts to the economy. “It is essential that governments and international organizations work together,” Azevêdo wrote in the report.

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