Tuesday, 7 May 2013

WTO names Roberto Azevedo as new head

Brazil's Roberto Azevedo gesturing during a press conference in Geneva


A Brazilian trade diplomat has been named as the next head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Roberto Azevedo will succeed France's Pascal Lamy in September, the Brazilian government says.

Azevedo, Brazil's ambassador to the WTO since 2008, was competing for the post with Mexico's former trade minister Herminio Blanco.

The WTO is expected to formally announce Azevedo as its new director-general on Wednesday.

He will be the first Latin American to head the WTO since its creation in 1995.

The process of choosing a new head has taken six months, with nine hopefuls putting their names forward for the post.

The Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, issued a statement congratulating the diplomat.

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