WTO director-general to end term early

04:09

The head of the World Trade Organization will step down, a year before his term is due to expire. The Geneva-based body confirmed Roberto Azevedo would resign at the end of August. He told ambassadors during a video conference that the move would allow them to choose a successor to confront what he described as a "new post-Covid reality". The WTO has struggled to remain relevant under Azevedo's tenure, with international trade tensions and protectionism on the rise.