H.E. Ms Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, told a large audience at the inaugural event of the WTO’s Presidential Lecture Series on 23 March at the WTO’s headquarters in Geneva. WTO ambassadors, Swiss authorities, heads of intergovernmental organizations, representatives of non-governmental organizations, business, and academia participated in the event, which was opened by Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The event was moderated by Ambassador Athaliah Lesiba Molokomme of Botswana.
In her question to Prime Minister Mottley, Ms. Wills noted the importance of women of color having a seat at the table in forums such as the WTO. Ms. Wills also asked P.M. Mottley about how as developing countries with different levels of development, we can move forward together on issues of importance in development at multilateral organizations such as the WTO. Prime Minister Mottley noted that “World leaders need to show true political will to transform the global order without “retreating behind national and regional lines of defense,”, stressing that “the WTO can be and must be in the vanguard of the change we need”.
A link to Prime Minister Mottley’s Full Speech can be found here: Prime Minister Barbados WTO Speech
