The meeting follows the announcement by the Chair on 9 November that no candidates for the position of Director-General had emerged by the 8 November nomination deadline other than the incumbent Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

In his communication to members, Ambassador Ølberg said that, based on his contacts with delegations over the past days, and as has been done in past instances where the incumbent Director-General was the only candidate, he intends to convene a special formal meeting of the General Council on 28 and 29 November.

The first day of the General Council meeting would allow members to hear a presentation from DG Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her vision for the WTO, followed by a question-and-answer session, the Chair said. The second day could then provide an opportunity for members to take a decision on the appointment of the next Director-General.

Ambassador Ølberg's communication to WTO members is available here.

On 8 October, the WTO formally commenced the process for appointing its next Director-General, with members given until 8 November to submit nominations.  DG Okonjo-Iweala's current term comes to an end on 31 August 2025.