Washington D.C. – National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Rufus Yerxa today issued the following statement following the announcement by World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Roberto Azevêdo that he will be stepping down before the end of his term:
“I think Roberto Azevêdo has done an outstanding job of leading the WTO through a difficult transition from a failed DOHA Round to the beginning of a much-needed reform agenda which was making real progress before the coronavirus crisis.
“What we need now in a transition to new leadership is someone who will be committed to moving that reform agenda forward and maintaining a robust WTO to fight the inevitable wave of protectionism that will emerge in a post-pandemic world.
“The biggest danger now is that critics of this organization will use a leadership vacuum as an excuse to undermine the entire system. But the WTO will survive, it will play a critical role in stabilizing the world during the economic recovery, and U.S leadership will be critical to ensuring that goal.”
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About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914– The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves its member companies through its office in Washington D.C.
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