Lecture Abstract:

On the occasion of the WTO’s 20th anniversary its Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo, will discuss the evolution of organization’s work, its achievements and challenges, and its prospects for the future. The Director-General will reflect on the contribution that the WTO has made to growth, development and stability of the global economy over the last 20 years, and he will focus on the important role that Singapore has played during that period.  He will talk about the key role that the multilateral trading system continues to play today and how this relates to the multitude of bilateral and regional trade initiatives taking place around the world. He will also look at the progress that is currently being made in advancing the Doha Development Agenda, how the negotiations may advance in the months ahead leading up to the 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in December, and what this could mean for the future of the global trading system.

About the Speaker:

Ambassador Azevêdo holds degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Brasilia and in international relations from the “Instituto Rio Branco”, the graduate school of international relations and diplomacy run by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations. He joined the Brazilian Foreign Service in 1984.

His first diplomatic posting was to Washington in 1988. He subsequently served in the Brazilian embassy in Montevideo before being assigned to the Permanent Mission of Brazil in Geneva in 1997.

In 2001 Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo was named head of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry’s Dispute Settlement Unit where he remained until 2005. During his tenure he acted as chief litigator in many disputes at the WTO and served on WTO dispute settlement panels.

From 2006 to 2008 he was Vice-Minister for Economic and Technological Affairs at the Foreign Ministry in Brasilia. In that capacity he was Brazil’s chief trade negotiator for the Doha Round and represented Brazil in MERCOSUR negotiations.

In 2008 he was appointed Permanent Representative of Brazil to the WTO and other International Economic Organisations in Geneva.

Ambassador Azevêdo has been a frequent lecturer on topics related to international economics and has published numerous articles on these issues.

He is married to Ambassador Maria Azevêdo. They have two daughters and two granddaughters.

Dress Code: Long sleeved shirt and tie or office attire