LONDON — Donald Trump wants World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to play by his rules. She’s defying his wishes.
A week before Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, the United States began circulating a communication among World Trade Organization (WTO) members.
Obtained by POLITICO, the note accuses the WTO’s Secretariat — the staff body tasked with keeping the organization running — of overstepping its bounds and attempting to “reinvent itself into a resource to be provided to the public.”
But speaking at the London School of Economics this week, the WTO director-general made it clear she has no plans to retreat from the global stage.
“You’re not supposed to talk about climate change. Suddenly we are seeing even in multilateral organizations you’re supposed to keep quiet — well, I’m not,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
In her willingness to talk about different views on climate change, Okonjo-Iweala highlighted an area of global diplomacy where Trump’s White House has already clashed with other leaders, including U.S. attempts in April to shut down international talks on lowering carbon emissions from shipping.
Washington, which has already frozen its financial contributions to the WTO and is actively reassessing its role in international organizations, warned that the Secretariat’s public-facing role disregards “the impact such activities may be having on Members’ interests or budget contributions.”
In its communication, the U.S. outlines five areas of concern: the WTO organizing public events, publishing reports, and building data platforms without other member approval; staff speaking at public events without clarifying they don’t represent the WTO’s views; and most importantly, a lack of transparency about the costs tied to all of this work.
A WTO spokesperson said that the Secretariat “has taken note of the concerns raised by the United States,” while adding that the WTO is a member-driven organization.
“The Secretariat operates under the direction of Members and provides technical support, data, and analysis in service of their collective priorities — and the broader public they represent,” the spokesperson said.
The United States Trade Representative’s office declined to comment.
Despite the U.S. complaints, there was no disclaimer in Okonjo-Iweala’s panel on Tuesday that her remarks did not represent the WTO’s views.
She also challenged the notion that autocracies bear the brunt of responsibility for climate change, noting that “some democracies are not doing badly in also emitting themselves.” She added, with a pointed quip, that “maybe the definition of democracy is changing.”
Past gripes haunt Ngozi
Criticism of the Secretariat and WTO leadership isn’t new.
The U.S., particularly under the first Trump administration, opposed the appointment of Okonjo-Iweala.
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.”
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