Since taking the helm in 2021, the WTO chief has raised the organization’s profile — meeting with world leaders, engaging with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and spearheading initiatives that some members say stray away from trade and towards development aid.
“They’ve always been strict on [budget], so it’s not new,” said one Geneva-based diplomat about the U.S. position, granted anonymity to speak freely. “I don’t want to read into if it’s more tough now than it was before. I’m not sure, but they’re asking questions.”
Washington has now called for a backward and forward-looking review of WTO staff activities — detailing time, cost, and resources. It is also pushing for stricter rules where staff need to seek member approval before undertaking any of the activities mentioned above.
The U.S.’s concerns about the Secretariat are shared by other members, including India, China, and Australia, said a second Geneva-based diplomat also granted anonymity. Meanwhile the EU and the U.K. share the vision of seeing an unleashed Secretariat that is more proactive and shares its insights to enable discussion, the diplomat said, others take a restrictive view of what the Secretariat is able to do — seeing the department’s role as strictly administrative.
According to the WTO, the organization’s chief economist convened a detailed briefing for members on the WTO’s research agenda and Secretariat activities, which “was well received, including by the United States.”