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| Roberto Azevêdo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Director-General of the World Trade Organization | |
| Assuming office 1 September, 2013 | |
| Succeeding | Pascal Lamy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (1957-10-03) October 3, 1957 (age 67) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Occupation | ambassador |
| Profession | electrical engineer |
Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo (born 3 October 1957) is a Brazilian diplomat and the representative of Brazil at the World Trade Organization since 2008. In May 2013, he was elected Director-General of the World Trade Organization, to succeed Pascal Lamy after September 1, 2013.
Early life and education
Fluent in English, French and Spanish as well as his native Portuguese, Azevêdo graduated in Electrical Engineering at University of Brasília and International Relations at Rio Branco Institute. He also gained a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago.
Career
Azevêdo joined the Brazilian Foreign Service in 1984 and has served in the Brazilian embassies in Washington D.C (1988—1991). and Montevideo (1992—1994) as well as part of the Brazilian permanent mission in Geneva (1997—2001).
He has held the following positions:
- 1995—1996: Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Affairs to the Foreign Minister
- 2001—2005: Head of the Dispute Settlement Unit
- 2005—2006: Director of the Department of Economic Affairs
- 2006—2008: Vice Minister for Economic and Technological Affairs.
Since 2008 Azevêdo has represented Brazil in Geneva before various economic organizations, including the WTO.
He was one of the key Brazilian negotiator in the Brazil–United States cotton dispute and other trade disputes. He also was Brazil's chief negotiator at Doha Round.
Election as Director General of the World Trade Organisation
In May 2013 Azevêdo was announced to succeed Pascal Lamy as the WTO's Director General, with a term beginning September 1, 2013. There were nine nominated candidates for the role, Azevêdo being considered the "insider's candidate" preferred by developing economies. including Mexican Herminio Blanco, considered to have been the preferred candidate of many richer nations. The Brazilian government pre-empted the official announcement of the WTO and stated that Azevêdo had won by a wide margin.
The official announcement from the WTO's three-person committee for selecting the Director-General was published on 8 May 2013, declaring Azevêdo as the emergent consensus candidate from several rounds of consultation. The formal election will occur at the General Council meeting on 14 May.
Personal life
Azevêdo is married with Ambassador Maria Nazareth Farani Azevêdo, head of the permanent mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva, and has two daughters.
References
- ^ "Biography Roberto Azevedo" (PDF). WTO. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
- "WTO names Roberto Azevedo as new head". BBC News Online. 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
- ^ McClanahan, Paige (2013-05-08). "Roberto Azevêdo to be named new World Trade Organisation chief". Guardian. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- ^ McClanahan, Paige (2013-01-08). "Ghana gets its claim in early as candidates vie to head WTO". Guardian. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- "Brazil's Azevedo wins race to head WTO". Al Jazeera. 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- "Troika recommends Carvalho de Azevêdo to be the next WTO Director-General". WTO. 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-08.