Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to Deliver Wenger Lecture
At a pivotal moment for the global economy — marked by shifting geopolitical alliances, supply chain disruptions, and intensifying debate over the future of multilateralism — American University Washington College of Law will welcome one of the world's foremost voices on international trade.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, will deliver the annual Wenger Endowed Lecture in International Trade Law on April 15. The seventh person to lead the WTO, she is the first woman and the first African to hold the position. Her remarks will focus on the future of the global trading system. A reception will follow.
The lecture will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Ceremonial Classroom at AUWCL's Tenley Campus, 4300 Nebraska Ave., NW. AU President Jonathan R. Alger and AUWCL Interim Dean Heather Hughes will offer opening remarks. Professor Padideh Ala'i, director of international and comparative legal studies, will provide an introduction. Angela Paolini Ellard of the Center for Strategic and International Studies will moderate.
A global finance expert and economist with more than 40 years of experience across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has built her career around a firm belief in the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and drive sustainable economic growth. She has been recognized among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World and has received honors including the Lord Byron International Prize, the Global Economy Prize from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, and Global Leadership Awards from both the American Academy of Achievement and the United Nations Foundation.
The World Trade Organization is the only international body dealing with the rules of trade between nations. Its foundational agreements — negotiated, signed, and ratified by the bulk of the world's trading nations — are aimed at improving living standards, creating better jobs, and promoting sustainable development.