The decision on
the successor to departing Director-General Renato Ruggiero was agreed by 134 member
governments and comes after a year-long effort to appoint Mr. Ruggiero's successor.
Neither Mr. Moore nor Dr. Supachai will be eligible for reappointment as Director-General
and neither will have his period of office extended, the Council agreed.Member governments
stressed that the unprecedented term sharing arrangement did not constitute a precedent
for future appointments of the Director-General and agreed to work towards establishing
“a comprehensive set of rules and procedures for such appointments” by the end
of September 2000.
General
Council Chairman Ali Mchumo of Tanzania said he was sure all Member Governments were now
fully committed to supporting Mr. Moore and Dr. Supachai. He urged governments to work
together to achieve a successful outcome both at the Ministerial Conference, to be held in
Seattle from 30 November to 3 December, and during the trade negotiations that will start
shortly after the conference.
“We have
a lot of work ahead of us as we prepare for Seattle and the subsequent negotiations. It is
essential that all of us work together to insure that we have a multilateral trading
system which gives benefits to all of our citizens,” Mr. Mchumo said.
The General
Council agreed that the Director-General will appoint his Deputy Directors-General in
consultation with member governments. The General Council will meet in September to
consult on the number of deputies to be appointed..
Rt. Hon.
Mike Moore
New
Zealand
Mike Moore
was born in Whakatane, New Zealand, in 1949. After early experience as a printer, social
worker, trade union researcher, in 1972 he became the youngest member of Parliament ever
elected in New Zealand. Mr. Moore has served as New Zealand Minister of Overseas Trade and
Marketing (1984-1990), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1990), Deputy Minister of Finance
(1988-1990) and Prime Minister (1990). As Trade Minister, he was active in launching the
Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations. He is currently Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign
Affairs and Overseas Trade.
Mr. Moore is
the longest serving member of the New Zealand Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign
Affairs and Trade. He represented New Zealand at the first APEC Ministerial Meeting in
Canberra in 1989 and served as a board member of Asia 2000, a New Zealand body dedicated
to fostering closer ties with Asian countries.
Mr. Moore
holds a number of positions in various community groups. He was appointed Constitutional
Adviser to the Government of the Cook Islands in 1998. He is the author of eight books
including “A Pacific Parliament” and
“The Added Value Economy”.
H.E. Dr.
Supachai Panitchpakdi
Thailand
Dr. Supachai
Panitchpakdi was born in 1946 in Bangkok. He holds a Masters Degree in Econometrics and
Development Planning and a Ph. D. in Economic Planning and Development from Erasmus
University, Rotterdam. He was awarded an Honorary Degree (Ph.D.) in Economic Development
from the National Institute of Development Administration in 1995.
Dr. Supachai
has held a range of positions in former governments, including the position of Deputy
Finance Minister of Thailand (1986-1988) and Deputy Prime Minister (1992-1995). In this
capacity, he was directly in charge of Thailand's participation in the Uruguay Round of
multilateral trade negotiations including its subsequent ratification and implementation.
Since 1997,
Dr. Supachai has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand and
has been actively involved in international trade, playing an instrumental role in the
drafting of Thailand's major economic policies, including the national economic and social
development plans. Dr. Supachai has also acquired professional experience in the private
sector, holding the position of President of the Thai Military Bank (1988-1992) and
Chairman of Nava Finance and Securities. |
