Dutch trade minister candidate to head WTO, broadcaster says

AMSTERDAM — Dutch trade minister Sigrid Kaag is among the candidates to become the next director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported, citing sources close to the matter.

Kaag, a former diplomat who spent more than 20 years working for the United Nations, was considered a serious candidate and had secured the support of international colleagues, the NOS said.

The 58-year old told the broadcaster that she had heard reports about her chances of landing the top job at the WTO but that it was unclear to her how the new chief would be picked.

“It is an honor to be mentioned for such an important job,” she said. “We have to see how it goes.”

Kaag has been the Netherlands’ minister for international trade since 2017.

During her time at the U.N. she headed the body’s joint mission with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. She also served as the U.N.’s top official in Lebanon.

The current WTO chief, Roberto Azevedo, earlier this month said he would step down a year earlier than planned in August, in a surprise move as the trade body struggles to rein in global tensions and coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer, editing by Larry King)