WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo announced Thursday he will seek to exit his role leading the world trade body August 31 and called for action to replace him.
His departure is a year ahead of the scheduled end of his term leading the WTO.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the U.S. would participate in the process of finding a successor. “Despite the many shortcomings of the WTO, Roberto has led the institution with grace and a steady hand,” Lighthizer said in a statement. “In the coming months, the United States looks forward to participating in the process of selecting a new Director General."
The trade body and its predecessor the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) have not been led by someone from the U.S., Africa or the Middle East, while five of the nine leaders of the trade bodies have been European.