JOB/GC/233  
 
24 July 2020  
(20-5134) Page: 1/4 
General Council  Original: English/French/Spanish  
 
 
GENERAL COUNCIL - 15, 16 AND 17 JULY 202 0 
APPOINTMENT OF THE N EXT DIRECTOR -GENERAL  - MEETING WITH THE CANDIDATES  
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PRESENTATION TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF T HE WORLD TRADE ORGAN IZATION BY  
DR JES US SEADE KURI  
15 JULY 2020  
Mr Chairman,  
 
I would like to thank you and all the delegations for this opportunity to share my vision and 
commitment with the Word Trade Organization and present the reasons for my candidature for the 
position of WTO Director -General.  
 
With your permissi on, I shall use the Organization's three official languages.  
 
Presenting my candidature to you is not only a huge honour, but also an especially emotional 
moment for me. I had the privilege of participating extensively in the complex and ambitious creation  
of the WTO,  
 
− as a negotiator for my country;  
− as a member of the successful facilitating  team that, with Peter Sutherland, managed 
to salvage negotiations that were at a complete standstill; and finally  
− as Deputy Director -General of the fledgling WTO.  
These were the founding moments of this noble institution – moments of firm belief and of shared 
vision and keen determination as to how the WTO would contribute to both world governance and 
the development of many of the world's regions.  
 
Much has certain ly been achieved. The GATT, and subsequently the WTO, have played a central role 
in trade liberalization and in the establishment of rules, disciplines and understandings that have, 
over the course of three quarters of a century, enabled us to make signifi cant progress in terms of 
global trade and the economic development of our peoples.  
 
Looking to more recent times, the 2008 financial crisis, and now the economic scourge of COVID -19, 
have shown the multilateral trading framework to be a valuable stabilizi ng force. And even in the 
negotiations, the value of the results achieved in the areas of agricultural export subsidies and trade 
facilitation must be recognized.  
 
Nevertheless, as Deputy Director -General, I experienced first -hand the high expectations tha t 
existed for the WTO, and it cannot be denied that the Organization's performance has fallen 
somewhat short.  
 
To say that the Organization is going through a crisis is a big understatement . Its credibility has 
been undermined by limited results in the neg otiating pillar, which has always been at the heart of 
the system. And this lack of results has been compounded by the paralysis of the Appellate Body.  JOB/GC/233  
 
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To add to this double internal crisis at the WTO, and on top of the very sad loss of human life we 
have recently experienced, the whole world is now having to address the severely negative impact 
of COVID -19 on trade, which, according to the WTO, may fall by a third this year . And we should 
not forget that even before the pandemic, international trade contr acted for the first time in 
11 years , reflecting to a large extent the serious trade frictions between its leading players.  
 
For all of these reasons, extraordinary efforts are urgently required from all Members to restore and 
maintain the relevance of the  WTO as the central pillar of a strong and inclusive system that is able 
to meet the needs of our populations, businesses and consumers, including in terms of development.  
 
The WTO has been compared to a bicycle that toppled over because it stopped moving forward – a 
bicycle that fell over and broke. It now needs to be properly repaired, and this requires the 
leadership of a senior mechanic, a director who, as a chief negotiator and later Deputy 
Director -General, played a key role in designing and ensuring the functioning of the 
apparatus in question.  
 
If we are to repair the bicycle, negotiations must properly resume as a matter of urgency, and must 
cover not only issues already under negotiation, but also a balanced agenda of both 21st century 
issues and o utstanding traditional issues, with all Members participating in this effort. It is also vital 
that the strength and certainty of the dispute settlement mechanism be restored. And lastly, 
discussions must begin to make the WTO more effective, transparent a nd inclusive.  
 
In view of these challenges, if I have the honour of being appointed Director -General, I would, from 
the outset, embark upon the following plan of action:  
 
1. In the first one  hundred days: I would work closely with Members to  
i. reach an agreement on fisheries subsidies;  
ii. reinstate the dispute settlement system's body of second instance; and  
iii. take proper steps to meet with political, business and opinion leaders, so as to 
rapidly put an end to the indifference and pessimism that reign regard ing our 
great institution;  
and naturally,  
iv. I would immediately begin working with Members to address the COVID crisis; 
the WTO must redouble its efforts to ensure Members know about measures that 
have been introduced in response to the pandemic and about th e lifting of such 
measures. We must also find mechanisms that will help the countries most 
affected by the crisis to reintegrate themselves into international trade.  
 
2. Second phase – Working towards MC12: While we are aware that no date has yet 
been set for  MC12, it is important that we seek concrete outcomes between now and 
June 2021, both within the framework of joint initiatives and regarding issues that aim to 
ensure a more transparent and effective WTO. And, very importantly, we should at the 
very least  establish a work programme at MC12 and resume discussions  on issues in 
respect of which negotiations have been suspended.  
 
3. Lastly, in the medium and long term , mechanisms must be introduced to modernize 
the Organization so as to prevent it from becoming o bsolete and outmoded. I would seek 
to establish an informal dialogue on the Organization's weaknesses and the challenges it 
currently faces, through yearly forums or specialized meetings.  
 
When I think about long -term expectations, however, I am convinced that they have 
been affected by the lack of meaningful results in the negotiations since the WTO was 
founded. Therefore, while we need to achieve results regarding 21st century issues, it is 
also very important to ensure that renewed energy is put into add ressing traditional 
priority issues that form part of the sustainable development agenda.  
 
4. I am also well aware of the efficiency and professionalism of the Secretariat staff. 
However, in all the seniors positions I have held, at both the WTO and the IMF, and as 
Vice-President of a large university in Hong Kong, China, I was always responsible for 
human resources. As Director -General, I would actively seek a balance between obtaining 
the greatest added value in the face of budgetary contributions from Membe rs, and JOB/GC/233  
 
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  guaranteeing the presence of a highly qualified team committed to the success of the 
Organization and at the service of its Members.  
 
5. Lastly , society demands that certain issues be included in our agenda – 
environment -related concerns, for instance; I will be in close contact with Members to 
ensure that these issues are incorporated into our work, as has already occurred with the 
trade and gender  initiative.  
 
Then, why me?  
 
It has been said, and I concur, that the WTO requires a Director General with vision, leadership and 
political capacity. I could not agree more. Nonetheless, I am also fully convinced that, with the WTO 
in crisis mode, and for a DG more involved  as some Me mbers may wish to have at this point in 
time, it is of the essence  that the DG has a solid command of the arcane  world of the WTO and 
trade negotiations; that he or she be aware and be sensitive to the reasons behind certain balances 
in the texts, and in c ommand of the alternatives that may have been formulated or could be 
explored. In the absence of this fundamental sure -footedness on the WTO's inner workings, at the 
first serious discussion among senior trade negotiators, the new DG will quickly be margin alized and 
sidelined.  
 
In this connection, please allow me to highlight the triple and perhaps unique participation  I had in 
the creation of the WTO, as its:  
 
(i) Influential GATT Ambassador for Mexico and Chief Negotiator for the Uruguay Round;  
(ii) GATT  Deputy Director General in the team called in to rescue the negotiations that were 
all but collapsed; and finally,  
(iii) Founding  Deputy Director General of the WTO.  
 
And I should mention two other central stages in my career that I had very much in prepar ation for 
this DG position, as:  
 
 (iv) Senior Advisor at the International Monetary Fund where,  
  (a) I led and negotiated the write -offs of some 80% of the external debt of fifteen 
African countries ; and  
 
  (b) also leading the work in support of three major countries in serious financial crises 
– Argentina, Brazil and Turkey, as well as extensive technical assistance to all 
developing regions.  
 
These massive debt write -offs and giant financial support exercises were very challenging 
training exerc ises in top -level negotiations. Likewise, I more recently played the role of  
 
Chief Negotiator of the Mexico -U.S.-Canada trade agreement  that replaced the old NAFTA 
two weeks ago today, where under very difficult circumstances we achieved a magnificent 
agreement for my country and for the region.  
 
This new North -American Treaty, together with the Agreement creating the WTO, must 
be the two most complex and ambitious trade instruments in force today. To have 
negotiated both of them  gives me a unique experien ce that I will unequivocally put at the service 
of the WTO and its Members, to lead the reform this Organization needs as it moves forward.  
 
All of these experiences, as well as my life as an academic in the UK and in France, in Mexico, in 
Hong Kong, China  and in the PRC, makes me the international man that I am, fully multilingual, with 
a career spanning the four corners of the globe and a profound multilateral consciousness. Having 
contributed fundamentally to the creation of our WTO, my professional and personal commitment 
with this House is deep. This is why I am a candidate.  
 
All along my career I have worked with Ministers and legislators, often Heads of State. I present 
myself to you with my fullest energy, passion and experience, at a difficult time for the WTO. My 
commitment is to achieve with you the reform and restoration  of a WTO back at the centre of global 
governance for the benefit of world economic growth. My solemn commitment to you is to be JOB/GC/233  
 
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  an effective DG and interlocutor, close to all Members north and south, east and west, and 
indeed fully equidistant  from you al l. 
 
Thank you very much.  
 
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