On 7 September 2026, the Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG) organized a special fireside chat with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the WTO to mark the 10th anniversary of FMG. The meeting was held in a hybrid format, with 11 FMG members participating in person at the WTO and nearly 20 members joining online. Xiankun Lu, CEO of FMG, moderated the meeting.
The chat focused on three main issues: the biggest challenges facing the WTO and its reform, the next steps for WTO reform, and how FMG can best support the WTO and its Members in advancing reform. The Director-General shared her perspectives on these issues and engaged in an interactive Q&A session with the participants. The meeting was conducted under Chatham House rules.
Annex 1: Programme
14:00–14:05 Opening Remarks (Prof. Xiankun Lu & DG Ngozi OkonjoIweala)
14:05–14:13 Q1: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the WTO and its reform?
14:13–14:21 Q2: What are the next steps for WTO reform?
14:21–14:29 Q3: How can FMG best support the WTO and its Members in advancing reform?
14:29–14:50 Q&A Session
14:50–14:55 Closing Remarks (DG & Prof. Lu)
14:55–15:00 Group Photo with the DG
Annex 2: List of Participants
WTO:
1.DG Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
2.Jan Yves Remy, Senior Adviser to the Director-General, DG’s office
3.Noriaki Abe, Special Adviser to the Director-General, DG’s office
4.Aurélie Schmiedlin, Special Assistant to the DG, DG’s office
In-person:
1.Xiankun Lu, FMG Board Member and CEO, former senior trade diplomat of China
2.Stuart Harbinson, former FMG Board Member, former PR of HK China to the WTO
3.Patrick Low, former FMG Board Co-Chair, former Chief Economist of the WTO
4.Rajesh Aggarwal, FMG member, former Chief of Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation of ITC
5.Willy Alfaro, FMG member, former Director of Trade Policies Review Division of the WTO
6.Hilda Al-Hinai, FMG member, former DPR of Oman to the WTO
7.Gabrielle Marceau, FMG member, former legal adviser in the Economic Research and Statistics Division of the WTO
8.Marco Molina, FMG member, former DPR of Guatemala to the WTO
9.Cristian Rodriguez-Chiffelle, FMG member, former Executive Director, InvestChile
10.Andrea Spear, FMG member, former Australian Delegate to the WTO and former Regional Adviser for Trade and Investment Policy at UNESCAP
11.Hector R Torres, FMG member, former Executive Director at the IMF and former Counsellor of the WTO
Online:
1.Hamid Mamdouh, FMG Board Chair, former Director of the Trade in Services and Investment Division of the WTO
2.Jonathan Fried, FMG Board Member, former Ambassador of Canada to the WTO
3.Mario Matus, FMG Board Member, former DDG of the WIPO
4.Sherry Stephenson, FMG Board Member, Services Convenor for the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC)
5.Alejandro Jara, former Co-Chair of FMG Board, former DDG of the WTO
6.Mia Mikic, former Chair of FMG Board, former Director of Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of UNESCAP
7.Ignacio Garcia Bercero, FMG member, former Director at the Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission (DG TRADE)
8.Elizabeth Chelliah, FMG member, former Principal Trade Specialist (PTS) at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) of Singapore
9.Wenhua Ji, FMG member, Professor at the School of Law, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) of China
10.Masamichi Kono , FMG member, former Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD
11.Siqi Li, FMG member, Professor at China Institute for WTO Studies, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) of China
12.Maxim Medvedkov, former chief trade negotiator of Russia
13.Pradeep S Mehta, FMG member, founder Secretary General of Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS International)
14.Rosine Plank, FMG member, former Counsellor, GATT Secretariat
15.Keith Rockwell, FMG member, former Director of the Information and External Relations Division of the WTO
16.Weihuan Zhou, FMG member, Director of the China International Business and Economic Law (CIBEL) Centre, UNSW Sydney
Recent Comments