Notícias
Re-election of Ambassador Roberto Azevedo to the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization
Today, February 28th, the WTO General Council approved the reappointment of Ambassador Roberto Azevêdo, current Director-General of the organization, to a second four year term, to begin on September 1st, 2017.
Roberto Azevêdo was the sole candidate for DG. This shows the broad recognition by WTO Members of the contribution of the Director-General to organization's achievements during his first term (2013-2017).
At the Bali Ministerial Conference, in 2013, the negotiations of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) were concluded, the first multilateral agreement celebrated by the WTO since its creation, on January 1st, 1995. As announced, the TFA came into force last February 22nd. At the Nairobi Ministerial Conference, in December 2015, a historical understanding was reached about the end of export subsidies for agricultural products. Last January 23rd, the Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreement (Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) entered into force, which facilitates the access of developing countries to essential drugs.
Brazil has strongly supported the reappointment of DG-WTO, driven by the recognition of his contributions during the first term, and by the conviction that he will continue to contribute, in increasingly challenging international circumstances, to the strengthening of the Multilateral Trading System.
The Brazilian Government warmly congratulates Ambassador Roberto Azevedo on his election and wishes our compatriot further success in his second term.