Vowing reform, Kenyan emerges as one of early WTO frontrunners

By Emma Farge
GENEVA, July 20 (Reuters) - Kenya's candidate to the World
Trade Organization's (WTO) top post said on Monday she is
seeking Washington's backing and expressed some sympathy with
its criticism of the global body as she emerges as one of two
reform-minded African female frontrunners.
Amina Mohamed told Reuters a closed-door vetting session
last week went "really well" as she outlined her platform to
steer the body out of crises from global trade tensions and
rising protectionism to a COVID-induced dive in business.
Delegates say Mohamed, a 58-year-old minister and former WTO
chair, is one of the favourites alongside Nigeria's Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala to replace Brazil's Roberto Azevedo as director
general, although weeks of campaigning lie ahead.
The WTO has never been led by a woman or an African.
"The rulebook needs to be upgraded because of the concerns
that are being expressed about the rules not being fit for
purpose," she said, adding that resuming the top appeals court
would be a priority and that she hoped this would be on the
agenda of the next major WTO meeting in 2021.
The United States has paralysed the Appellate Body by
blocking new judges.
In an apparent nod to Washington, she referred to concerns
about the body's "overreach".
Asked if that meant she sympathised with the U.S. position,
she said: "Those concerns that have been raised, they would not
have been raised if they did not have solid reason to raise
them."
The U.S. mission did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
Mohamed's supporters say she combines deep WTO knowledge
with a drive to overhaul its 25-year-old rules. "The difference
between me and them is I have worked this system," she said.
However, she must win over those African countries who have
expressed support for Okonjo-Iweala. Over the past week, countries have been hosting Geneva
cocktail parties to showcase candidates.
The WTO eliminates them in batches, starting with those
unlikely to win consensus from 164 members.
For a Factbox, see here: L8N2D7249