Selection of the WTO Director-General: A Detailed Account and Analysis of the Events and Implications

By Chakravarthi Raghavan, Chief Editor, South-North Development Monitor (SUNS)

The process of selecting the new director-general of the WTO has been very contentious and led to a split in the organisation. It has exposed the lack of transparency and democracy in the decision-making process within the WTO. The attempts of a major power to manipulate the process has led to widespread discontent and outrage by a large number of Members.

The following is a series of articles by Chakravarthi Raghavan, Chief Editor of the SUNS (South-North Development Monitor), providing an in-depth account and analysis of the recent developments in the selection process. The articles were published in the SUNS .

These articles are the copyright of the SUNS and are being distributed with the permission of the SUNS for non-commercial use and for the benefit of public interest groups. They are not to be published or placed on websites except with the permission of the author, who can be contacted at  suns@igc.apc.org.

• DG compromise package adopted at WTO (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• DG, DDG compromise at WTO this week? (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• DG selection compromise not in the bag yet (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• General Council to discuss "Bangladesh" compromise on DG (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• Key delegates discussing DG choice compromise (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• WTO compromise less than made out in the media? (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• Thais confirm term-sharing talks on WTO leadership(C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• DG selection by attrition or by back-room moves? (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• WTO no nearer solution on DG tangle (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• Membership remains deeply divided on WTO head (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• Continued impasse over DG choice (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• One more try for consensus around Moore? (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• WTO looking for a Houdini? (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• Stalemate on DG selection (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• Undemocratic decision-making could wreck WTO (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• WTO is headless, deeply divided by manipulative process (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• From rule-based to rule-less system? (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• Supachai "very much" in race, Chair can't rule him out (C.Raghavan/SUNS)

• More reflection, consultations on WTO DG choice (C.Raghavan/SUNS)