Women Pioneers at the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ pays tribute to women who have played a pioneering role in the activities of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ and the multilateral trading system over the last 25 years.
Their stories are inspiring to us all and will hopefully encourage future generations of young women to follow in their footsteps.
Curator: IERD
Illustrator: Marion Mazer
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
For girls and women who may be interested in a career in trade, this is a wonderful objective. Remember one thing: trade is not an end in itself. Trade is a means to development.
Biography
Amina Mohamed
A career in multilateral negotiations can be exciting and fulfilling. In return, it demands commitment, hard work, focus and enduring passion. Multilateral trade is transformational. It is a force for good and has immense socio-economic relevance to billions of people across the world, but it needs our political goodwill and our total commitment.
Biography
Anabel González
For young women and girls, I say: We need you! The world needs you to fight for global cooperation, to tackle global challenges. Learn about international trade and the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ, get engaged, work hard and become tomorrow's champions of multilateral cooperation.
Biography
Arancha González Laya
Bust discriminations when you see them. Fight them with a smile; but fight them because we need to make sure that international trade and the global economy leave no one behind.
Biography
Cecilia Malmström
Trade is very male-dominated and there is also a growing awareness that women do not benefit from trade to the same extent as men. That has to change. It is changing, but not fast enough. And that's why I want to encourage every woman, every young girl who is interested in trade policy or trade-related matters to engage.
Biography
Elin Østebø Johansen
Given the huge challenges facing multilateral cooperation these days, young, smart, ambitious, multitasking women may exactly be what is needed in order to sustain this system for another 25 years.
Biography
Frances Lisson
My message to women who were thinking of starting a career in the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ and trade policy is: Think big. You don't know where the road will take you.
Biography
Roslyn Jackson
Looking forward beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, I am confident that the organization will continue to work towards strengthening and improving the world trading system for the benefit of all. At the end of the day, it is the quality of the work that you do that counts regardless of gender, so work hard and work well, but when necessary, stand up for yourselves and don't back down.
Biography
Sunanta Kangvalkulkij
To be a good trade negotiator you have to be a good listener, not a good speaker. The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ is comprised of 164 members and it is not easy to reach an agreement. So, you have to listen to all views of members, and you have to make sure that no one is left behind.
Biography
Susan Schwab
Let's get our act together. This institution is very important to all of us. The membership is responsible for the organization and is the membership who needs to fix the organization.
Biography
Valentine Rugwabiza
Being the first female °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Deputy Director-General, I had both the privilege and responsibility of making everyone understand that a more inclusive °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ is a more resilient one. The inclusion of women in trade must be intentional and should come from an understanding that both are interdependent.
Biography
Yuejiao Zhang
I call on young colleagues, particular women, to continue to study and work hard to pursue the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ reform.
Biography
Women Directors, 2020
Xioalin Chai
Perseverance is very important, like a bamboo that we bend, but we will never break. So, we may fail from time to time and we may fall, but don't lose heart. Get right up and continue to move on.
Biography
Bridget Chilala
Be driven. Be insistent. Be consistent. Be focused and be ambitious and an achiever, you will get where you want to be in the end.
Biography
Clarisse Morgan
Can you have it all? I'd say yes. But maybe not all at the same time. So, make your career in something that you care about and take the long view. Keep your eyes on the prize. Be ambitious but try not to get too impatient. And, finally, persist.
Biography
Maika Oshikawa
I would like to see this institution strive equally, if not more, for the next 25 years.
Biography
Nthisana Phillips
I'd like to say to young people who are looking to follow a similar career path: focus is everything, self-belief even more, and hard work is indispensable.
Biography
Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis
We saw the GATT transform to the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ. The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ is going to transform into something else. We need to have an organisation which is robust, forward looking, and, which can absorb risks.