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TWN
Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Sept23/08) Geneva, 18 Sep (D. Ravi Kanth) — The World Trade Organization, at the just concluded Public Forum last week, showcased its achievements and upbeat expectations for its upcoming 13th ministerial conference (MC13), to be held in Abu Dhabi in February 2024. The WTO Director-General, Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, told participants at the Public Forum that she is “excited” about MC13, while acknowledging that the road to the conference is “full of potholes.” However, the participants at the Public Forum may not have known about the seemingly ongoing turmoil in the organization where the Secretariat’s much-respected staff seem to be highly frustrated over the direction of the institution and the growing culture of alleged “bullying”of staff, who believe that they would be targeted if they spoke their minds, said people familiar with the development. Officials with excellent track records of more than 20 years in their specific jobs/fields are apparently being overlooked for the top posts within their respective divisions, provoking anguish and anger among the staff, said people, who preferred not to be quoted. In the selection of the Director’s position for the Trade Policies Review Division, which provides an assessment every two years of how developed countries are conducting their economic and trade policies (four years for developing countries), a female official, who hails from a developing country, working in the division for the past 20 years, was apparently denied the post on some rather questionable grounds, said people, who asked not to be quoted. Instead, the person that was selected for the Director’s post is a male candidate from Germany, who apparently did not have any prior experience in the Division. “The staff were of the view that it was wrong to have the top economic Divisions be headed by the nationals of the same country – Germany,” said several people, who asked not to be quoted. “The staff is also of the view that given the imbalance between male and female Directors, the DG should have appointed the female Indian national who is widely respected in the house for her competency,” said the same people on a background basis. Further, the Director-General, Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, apparently recently appointed a male candidate over another competent female candidate as the Director of the Legal Affairs Division. “The DG was appointed not because she was the best candidate, but because the major powers wanted a female from Africa to break with past tradition,” said one member, who preferred not to be quoted. At a time when the WTO is promoting the issue of trade and gender and gender balance, the developments in the manner in which female staff are apparently being overlooked does not cast the organization in a good light, said a member, who asked not to be quoted. RESPONSE FROM SECRETARIAT Responding to the above developments, the Director of the Information and External Relations Division and WTO spokesperson, Mr Ismaila Dieng, suggested that decisions were taken on the basis of the recommendations made by a diverse panel “ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation.” “The candidate selected was the best performer in this highly competitive process,” Mr Dieng told the SUNS. He offered two other reasons, namely, that “at the WTO, we prioritize upholding the highest standards of transparency and integrity in our recruitment processes. The selection process involves a rigorous evaluation of candidates’ qualifications, including participation in an assessment center administered by an external entity. Our recruitment process adheres to all applicable rules.” In addition, “the WTO places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion. The DG has made a clear commitment that, when a woman’s performance is as good or better than her male competitors, she will be given preference in the selection process. However, this commitment is contingent upon maintaining a merit-based process that ensures the organization continues to attract and retain the best talent.” WTO INSIDERS & MEMBERS DISAGREE But WTO insiders and members disagreed with the WTO spokesperson’s reasons, saying that ever since March 2021, the WTO’s top management has been adopting a “patronage” system under the alleged pretext of choosing people on the basis of merit, transparency, and integrity. The findings of the panel of reviewing members are invariably kept under wraps and nobody knows the rankings of the people who were interviewed in terms of their performance during the interview, said people, who asked not to be quoted. For the sake of transparency, the DG must make the recommendations of the interviewing panel available to those who were interviewed, said a WTO insider, who preferred not to be identified. +
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