The head of the World Trade Organization said Thursday he will leave his post a year before his term expires, an unprecedented mid-term resignation at the WTO that he called a personal decision.
Roberto Azevedo, a former diplomat from Brazil, said he will step down on August 31, cutting short a seven-year tenure marked in recent years by intense pressure from US President Donald Trump, who accused the Geneva-based trade body of an anti-US bias and other complaints.
This is a decision that I do not take lightly, Azevedo told a special meeting of WTO delegations.
It is a personal decision - a family decision and I am convinced that this decision serves the best interests of this organization.
The 25-year-old trade body has never had to fill a vacancy for the director-general post before that term expired, and under WTO rules, a selection process for a successor is to begin as soon as possible.
Azevedo's WTO often found itself in the firing line of the Trump administration, which accused the trade body of a bias against the United States and of letting China get away with what it called unfair trade practices.
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US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer thanked Azevedo for his exemplary service.
Despite the many shortcomings of the WTO, Roberto has led the institution with grace and a steady hand, Lighthizer said in a statement. He will be difficult to replace.
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