NEW DELHI: India has appointed Brajendra Navnit, a 1999 IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre as its Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge.
Navnit has succeeded JS Deepak, a 1982 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, whose tenure as India’s Ambassador to the global trade watchdog ended on May 31.
His appointment comes at a time when the world is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic and global trade is forecast to plummet to historic lows. WTO has projected the decline in world trade to exceed the trade slump brought by the global financial crisis of 2008-09 with merchandise trade expected to decline 13-32% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. WTO director general Roberto Azevêdo has decided to step down effective August 31, earlier than planned.
Besides, the multilateral trade watchdog’s key function of dispute settlement has been crippled with the US having blocked the appointment of judges.
The government also appointed Rajeev Topno as senior advisor to the ED, World Bank, Washington DC, USA. Topno is a 1996 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.
Source: indiatimes.com
