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U.S. Backs Okonjo-Iweala, First Woman and African, to Head WTO

The Biden administration declared its "strong support" for former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Friday, Feb. 5 to serve as the World Trade Organization’s next director-general.

The decision breaks with the Trump administration's opposition to Okonjo-Iweala and brings the U.S. in line with much of the rest of the world. It will also allow the WTO to confirm its next leader after years of the organization's influence being diminished due to a lack of U.S. engagement.

The other candidate, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, withdrew her bid for the position on Friday. The Trump administration backed Yoo for director-general in October, but Okonjo-Iweala had support from almost all of the WTO’s 164 member countries.

Yoo’s withdrawal signaled the end of months of uncertainty over who will lead the WTO for at least the next four years. Yoo and Okonjo-Iweala were the last candidates from an initial field of eight and the first women to be seriously considered for the role. Roberto Azevêdo of Brazil stepped down as director-general in August, a year before his term

expired. "It is particularly important to underscore that two highly qualified women made it to the final round of consideration for the position of WTO Director General — the first time that any woman has made it to this stage in the history of the institution," according to a statement issued Friday by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Late last month, the administration signaled its support for quickly installing a new director-general. President Joe Biden spoke with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in on Wednesday, though neither country indicated that the WTO position was discussed.

Okonjo-Iweala, who became a U.S. citizen in 2019, would be the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO. A trained economist, she spent the bulk of her career at the World Bank, eventually holding its No. 2 post as managing director of operations. She twice served as Nigeria’s finance minister.

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Bahamas to Legalize Medicinal Marijuana

Bahamas Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis announced on Friday, Feb. 5, that the government is currently completing legislation to legalise medicinal marijuana, bringing the country another step closer to marijuana reform, according to The Tribune, one of The Bahamas’ leading newspapers. “The government is in the process of now completing legislation to bring to Parliament to legalize medicinal marijuana so that medical marijuana could be grown by Bahamians here –- utilized and exported – medicinal marijuana,” Dr. Minnis said at an event at Abaco.

This comes after Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana Co- Chair Quinn McCartney told The Tribune last week that the body hoped to submit its final report surrounding the use of marijuana to the government in the first quarter of this year.

In 2018, the commission was mandated by Cabinet to comprehensively examine issues surrounding the use of marijuana to chart the way forward on the substance.

After several extensions, the commission presented its preliminary marijuana report to Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis early last year, making recommendations for the legalization of medicinal marijuana and the decriminalization for possession of up to one ounce of the drug, among other things.

February 2021 Message from Department of Aging and Community Living

Message from Muriel Bowser Mayor, District of Columbia

Dear Seniors:

I want to start by saying how much I miss seeing you at events and gatherings across DC. I also want to thank you for the sacrifices you continue to make in order to protect yourselves and our community. While we must stay vigilant and continue to take measures to stop the spread of the virus – by wearing masks, social distancing, and practicing good hygiene – there is reason to have hope. We should have hope because, finally, we have a safe and effective vaccine that provides us a path out of this pandemic.

I know many of you are eager to get the COVID-19 vaccine. You are eager to see your families, hug your grandchildren, and be out and about with friends and neighbors. And we are working hard to make that possible. Our goal is to make sure the vaccine is available promptly as supply comes in from the federal government and to ensure an equitable distribution of the vaccine across all eight wards. By now, it is clear that demand for the vaccine far outpaces the supply we are receiving from the federal government; so I continue to advocate for DC to receive more doses so that we can meet the demand for it and protect the lives of our most vulnerable residents.

At the moment, appointments are being released every Thursday at 9 a.m. to eligible residents in priority zip codes. Priority zip codes include areas of our city where residents have been hit hardest by the virus. We also release additional appointments every Friday at 9 a.m. that are open to anyone who is eligible, regardless of zip code. The best way to secure one of these appointments is through the website vaccinate. dc.gov (where you can also find a step-by-step guide on how to make an appointment). If you do not have internet access, you can also call the District’s coronavirus hotline at 855-363-0333 at 9 a.m. on days when appointments open. In addition to these appointments, hospitals and health care centers across DC have limited doses of the vaccine and are working to vaccinate eligible patients.

If you are nervous to take the vaccine, I want to assure you that it is safe and effective. Scientists have been researching how to make vaccines like this one for years. Most of us weren’t talking about coronaviruses before 2020, but because of other coronaviruses like SARS and MERS, doctors and scientists had a head start on developing the COVID-19 vaccine. Furthermore, millions of Americans have already taken the vaccine – including myself, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, and members of our community like Mrs. Cora Masters Barry, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, former Mayor Sharon Pratt, former Councilmember Carol Schwartz, and current Councilmembers Anita Bonds, Mary Cheh, Vince Gray, and Chairman Phil Mendelson. We each got vaccinated because we know that this is the best way to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our city.

Once again, thank you for all you have done to keep our community safe during the pandemic. With this vaccine, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and a sense of hope that we will soon be able to come back together again.

Stay safe, and remember: we are in this together, and we will get through it together.

Mayor Muriel Bowser

SeniorSocialInfluencers, Councilmember Anita Bonds, Council Chairmain Phil Mendelson, and Former Attorney General Eric Holder take the COVID-19 vaccine for the first time.