Daily Multilateralism

Thursday, October 29, 2020

• The process of selecting a new director general for the beleaguered World Trade Organization appears to be at a temporary stalemate. The WTO committee shepherding the selection process reported earlier this week that Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had the most support. But the United States indicated that it still supported the other final candidate, South Korean minister Yoo Myung-hee. The BBC reports that selection process will now pause until after the presidential election in the United States:

  The WTO has called a meeting for 9 November - after the US presidential election - to discuss the issue. US opposition does not mean the Nigerian cannot be appointed, but Washington could nevertheless wield considerable influence over the final decision.

• The World Bank prohibited a Chinese state-owned company and its subsidiary from participating in Bank projects for eighteen months after allegations of corruption related to a Bank project in Zambia. As part of its anticorruption effort, the Bank maintains an extensive list of individuals and companies that may not participate in projects it is funding.

• In June, the International Monetary Fund approved a $5 billion standby loan to Ukraine to help it cope the pandemic’s economic shock. But it appears that the IMF has delayed the next tranche of the loan because of concerns about recent Ukrainian court rulings on corruption. In comments to journalists yesterday, Ukraine’s prime minster suggested that the pause will only be temporary, insisting that “[w]e are quickly moving our positions closer to the IMF.”

• The Asia Times reports that a former Singaporean senior official, Bilahari Kausikan, has caused a stir by suggesting that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) might be better off without Cambodia as a member:

  Asia Times understands that officials in Phnom Penh were incensed over the weekend after reading Bilahari’s remarks, which add to a growing chorus of accusations from certain foreign governments that Cambodia’s close ties with Beijing are becoming a new source of regional instability.

  Friction has erupted at several points in recent years between Cambodia and the bulk of ASEAN’s membership regarding what stance the bloc should take toward China.

• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has reportedly drafted a plan for the gradual consolidation and drawdown of UN forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The peacekeeping force in that country remains one of the organization’s largest, comprising more than 18,000 personnel. Earlier this month, the lead UN official for the DRC reported to the Security Council on the fragile progress that has been made in the country.

• Briefly noted:

  • The United Nations Security Council welcomed a ceasefire agreement in Libya.

  • The Swiss government has nominated a candidate to lead the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

  • A United States special envoy has accused the United Nations of a “lack of curiosity” regarding Chinese treatment of its Muslim citizens.

  • The European Union is promoting its lemons.