The World Trade Organization’s chief has announced he is quitting more than a year before the end of his term, threatening moves to lift trade barriers and forge greater global cooperation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Roberto Azevêdo will leave in August. The 62-year-old Brazilian has served as director-general since September 2013 and his second four-year term had been due to end in August 2021.
Azevedo said he had taken a "personal decision" after talking with his family and that his move was not due to health reasons or specific political ambitions.
In a text of remarks to the WTO's members, Azevedo said he thought it was also in the best interests of the organisation.
"As members start to shape the WTO's agenda for the new post-COVID realities, they should do so with a new director-general," he told a virtual WTO meeting on Thursday afternoon.
(Source: Reuters)