The General Council special meeting on the appointment of the next Director-General scheduled for November 9 was postponed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) due to the reasons including "health situation and current events". "It has come to my attention that for reasons including the health situation and current events, delegations will not be in a position to take a formal decision on November 9," reads a written statement by the General Council Chair David Walker of New Zealand to the members on Friday. 

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"I am therefore postponing this meeting until further notice during which period I will continue to undertake consultations with delegations," adds the letter. Based on the consultations with all delegations, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria was announced as the candidate best balanced to attain harmony and can be the new Director-General by Walker on October 28. The speech was given at the Heads-of-Delegation meeting of WTO members.  

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It was challenged by the United States, as it announces the support to South Korea's Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee and could not back the candidacy of Okonjo-Iweala. Okonjo-Iweala and Yoo are in the final round of the race to become the new director-general of WTO. If selected, Okonjo-Iweala would become the first woman and African to head the global trade organization in its 25-year history. The post becomes vacant when its former chief Roberto Azevedo stepped down on August 31, while one year term is still left. 

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