HERMINIO BLANCO IN POLAND TO PROMOTE HIS CANDIDACY FOR THE POST OF WTO DIRECTOR-GENERAL


Herminio Blanco, Mexico’s candidate for the post of World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General, visited Poland to meet with senior government officials, explain his plans for the organization in the short, medium and long terms, and ask for support for this important Mexican nomination.

He met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Janusz Piechociński, to whom he said that electing a new Director-General was an opportunity for countries to take a more active role in promoting international trade, one of the key reasons for economic growth in recent decades.

Mr. Piechociński said the WTO needs renewed impetus and new people with fresh ideas who know how to leave the international crisis behind. He acknowledged that Mexico has nominated an excellent candidate to head the WTO, and he applauded Herminio Blanco’s courage in taking on this challenge given the current state of the international economy.

Dr. Blanco also met with the Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Global Political Economy, Development and Culture, Beata Stelmach, to whom he emphasized that there should be a renewed effort to ensure that the WTO is at the center of global governance. He stressed the need to strengthen coordination with the IMF, World Bank and other institutions. Mrs. Stelmach highlighted the need to go beyond the bilateral level, emphasizing the importance of multilateral agencies such as the WTO.

The Mexican government believes that, according to the practice of regional rotation of the leaders of international institutions, the next WTO Director-General should be a Latin American. It also believes that Dr. Blanco’s credentials make him an excellent candidate for strengthening and advancing the agenda of the WTO, the most important forum for international trade.