Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala becomes first woman and first African to lead WTO
15 February 2021
The World Trade Organization announced Monday that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist and former finance minister, has been selected as the global trade body's next director-general.
Why it matters: Okonjo-Iweala was named to the position by representatives from the WTO's 164 member countries, becoming the first woman and first African to take the helm.
- The Biden administration endorsed her candidacy after former President Trump had previously blocked the appointment.
- "But unblocking the appointment is only the start in dealing with trade disputes launched by Trump, and in resolving U.S. concerns about the WTO that date to the Obama administration," the AP writes.
What she's saying: The WTO “is facing so many challenges” and is in need of “deep and wide-ranging reforms," Okonjo-Iweala said in an online news conference.
- "A strong WTO is vital if we are able to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic," she said, adding that "vaccine nationalism" could slow pandemic recovery.
- “It will not be easy because we have the issue of lack of trust among members which has built up over time."
What to watch: Okonjo-Iweala will start in her new capacity on March 1, for a renewable term expiring on Aug. 31, 2025.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.