Dear Director General

I recall the challenging conditions under which you were appointed four years ago. It was in the midst of the pandemic. Those of us who were around at the time remember the tireless energy with which you launched many different initiatives to improve the flow of medical goods and vaccines around the world. It was quite clear from the start that you would be a different kind of leader for the WTO.

We have been very pleased to see a woman from Africa behind the steering wheel of our WTO. You have been an absolute tribute to your continent. You have tried to inject, at every moment on every day including weekends, your talents into the complicated business of running a multilateral institution.  You’ve drawn on many qualities: a knowledge of economics, versatility and political savoir-faire, and often just an exceptional human capacity to persuade. Thank you for the agency with which you are leading the WTO.

It is for these reasons that the European Union fuly supports you for a second mandate. Some might say that you must be a “glutton for punishment”, as you have voluntarily chosen to take on another four years at the helm of an Organisation that is about to enter choppy waters and an uncertain future. You could have opted to go and rest on your laurels. But that would have been out of character. And this is exactly why the Membership has decided that we are in good hands if they belong to Dr Ngozi. Thank you for your service and we wish you a successful second mandate.