Okonjo-Iweala sets up civil society, business advisory groups

Director-General  of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala  Wednesday announced the establishment of two advisory groups, one comprising leaders from the business community and the other bringing together prominent civil society representatives.

The establishment of these groups aims to strengthen the Director-General’s engagement with businesses and civil society. They will provide an informal platform for the exchange of views and discussions with key stakeholders.

The primary purpose of the business and civil society advisory groups is to allow business and civil society to share their perspectives and insights on relevant international trade issues with the Director-General. She will chair both groups. It is expected that these groups will meet several times a year. 

DG Okonjo-Iweala has set up the groups in recognition of the importance of engaging with the business community and civil society.

She said: “During my engagements with these  groups, I have observed a strong desire to share perspectives on the impact of trade and trade rules on their constituents. By establishing the advisory groups, I aim to facilitate such exchanges on a more regular basis.” The formation of these groups builds on past practice and the WTO’s experience with bringing diverse stakeholder perspectives to the trade debate.

The composition of these advisory groups takes into account geographical and sectoral diversity, as well as gender balance. The groups are composed as follows:

Civil Society Advisory Group

Jason Braganza, Executive-Director, Afrodad

Helena Leurent, Director-General, Consumers International

Gladys Martínez, Executive-Director, Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense

Pradeep Mehta, Secretary-General, CUTS International

Kristen Schuijt, Director-General, WWF International

Gayle Smith, CEO, ONE Campaign

Shereen Talaat, Executive-Director, Arab Watch Coalition

Tania Te Wehnua, Board Member, Te Taumata

Shannon Weekes, National Coordinator, Caribbean Youth Environment Network

Akiko Gono, President, International Trade Union Confederation

Business Advisory Group

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Founder and Chairman, Coronation Capital Limited

Thomas Cueni, Director General, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations

John Denton, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce

Prasoon Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO, BillionBricks

Josie Morris, Managing Director, WoolCool

Paul Polman, Business leader, campaigner, co-author of “Net Positive”

Tarek Sultan, Vice Chairman, Agility

José Viñals, Group Chairman, Standard Chartered

Diane Wang, Founder, Chairperson, CEO of DHgate Group

Rosa Whitaker, President and CEO, The Whitaker Group

The first meeting of the Civil Society Advisory Group was held today (21 June). The Business Advisory Group will meet on 4 July.