As trade representative, Robert Lighthizer has said the WTO needs “someone with real experience in the trade, not someone from the World Bank or a development person.”
Lighthizer spoke in an interview with BBC on Wednesday.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian minister of finance and former managing director (MD) of the World Bank, had got the support of 110 out of 164 member countries but the US opposed her candidacy.
The trade organisation operates based on consensus, that is, if one country opposes, a final decision cannot be made.
Iweala and Yoo Myung Hee, South Korea’s trade minister, are the final candidates for the top job at the WTO following the resignation of Roberto Azevêdo in May.
Following the lack of a consensus, the WTO had postponed the general council meeting to consider the appointment of a new DG till further notice.
