Not everyone was satisfied with final agreement, with many civil society groups saying that one of the main deals struck, a partial waiver on intellectual property for COVID-19 shots, was watered down significantly during the course of negotiations.
But some diplomats credited Okonjo-Iweala for there being deals at all. At several points, negotiations looked hopeless or were on the verge of collapse due to intransigence by India and protests over a fishing text that did not go as far as many coastal and island nations wanted.
“She deserves a lot of praise and she pushed us when we needed to be pushed”, US Ambassador to the WTO, Maria Pagán, told journalists.
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EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis agreed that her determination had been instrumental in a deal being reached.
“That’s her style, she was very engaged, very hands-on, one could even say pushing WTO members, pushing for outcomes. Certainly, she played a very significant role here,” Dombrovskis told reporters.
Her supporters say she has re-energised the office of the Director-General – a role that does not have many formal powers – although some members have criticised her for processes they say are opaque and exclusive.
The closing session of the conference proved to be an all-night affair where delegates danced and dosed on caffeine to stay awake. Credit:Pool AFP
Much of the legwork this week was done by delegates. Images shared with Reuters show a dozen negotiators clustering in huddles to draft language around a single laptop and tables strewn with mints and empty coffee cups late past midnight on Thursday.
The coffee was at times badly needed, with hours spent on a single footnote of an agreement on a COVID-19 IP waiver.
For diplomats the week has also been a marathon. US Ambassador Pagan said she and some colleagues kept themselves going by dancing to The Final Countdown and I Will Survive.
“We also at 2 or 3 in the morning danced a little bit in one of the rooms while we were waiting for something to happen, just to keep ourselves awake and entertained,” she said.
By dawn on Friday, Okonjo-Iweala’s voice had grown hoarse from hours and hours of talks and two sleepless nights. “Today, I think I can say you really are earning your salary,” she joked to Geneva trade ambassadors.
Reuters