The World Needs an Effective WTO More Than Ever
If allowed to do its job, the global trade-promotion agency would be a vital asset.
Don’t just stand there.
Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The director-general of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevedo, recently said he was stepping down early. Exasperation over the WTO’s diminished standing appears to have been a factor. That’s understandable. Step by step, governments have pushed an institution with an essential role in promoting global growth toward complete irrelevance.
Azevedo’s departure offers a moment to reflect. His replacement should certainly be a heavyweight, to affirm the WTO’s value. More crucial is that governments from now on allow and empower the body to do its job. The U.S., especially, should learn to see the WTO once again as a global asset and not a confounded nuisance.