{"id":29389,"date":"2024-05-17T11:38:18","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T15:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-meghan-markle-and-wto-director-general-dr-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-bonded-during-the-pandemic-exclusive\/17\/05\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-05-17T11:38:18","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T15:38:18","slug":"how-meghan-markle-and-wto-director-general-dr-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-bonded-during-the-pandemic-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-meghan-markle-and-wto-director-general-dr-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-bonded-during-the-pandemic-exclusive\/17\/05\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"How Meghan Markle and WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Bonded During the Pandemic (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <span class=\"caas-xray-inline-tooltip\"><span class=\"caas-xray-inline caas-xray-entity caas-xray-pill rapid-nonanchor-lt\" data-entity-id=\"Meghan,_Duchess_of_Sussex\" data-ylk=\"cid:Meghan,_Duchess_of_Sussex;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Royalty;\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><a href=\"https:\/\/search.yahoo.com\/search?p=Meghan,%20Duchess%20of%20Sussex\" data-i13n=\"cid:Meghan,_Duchess_of_Sussex;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Royalty;\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-ylk=\"slk:Duchess of Sussex;cid:Meghan,_Duchess_of_Sussex;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Royalty;\" class=\"link \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Duchess of Sussex<\/a><\/span><\/span> and Dr. <span class=\"caas-xray-inline-tooltip\"><span class=\"caas-xray-inline caas-xray-entity caas-xray-pill rapid-nonanchor-lt\" data-entity-id=\"Ngozi_Okonjo-Iweala\" data-ylk=\"cid:Ngozi_Okonjo-Iweala;pos:2;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:OfficeHolder;\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><a href=\"https:\/\/search.yahoo.com\/search?p=Ngozi%20Okonjo-Iweala\" data-i13n=\"cid:Ngozi_Okonjo-Iweala;pos:2;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:OfficeHolder;\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-ylk=\"slk:Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala;cid:Ngozi_Okonjo-Iweala;pos:2;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:OfficeHolder;\" class=\"link \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala<\/a><\/span><\/span>, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, took part in a candid panel discussion in Nigeria<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 640px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/1S59AOGvO6dsR9Ha.vXDtQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/763936d343f8e096bd765a880383d47d\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;AP Photo\/Sunday Alamba&lt;\/p&gt; Meghan Markle and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/qYDyM3jrKsfmdamsl4t9pw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/763936d343f8e096bd765a880383d47d\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\"><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">\n<p>AP Photo\/Sunday Alamba<\/p>\n<p> Meghan Markle and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, is opening up about her friendship with <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/meghan-markle\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Meghan Markle;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Meghan Markle<\/a> following their joint appearance in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>On May 11, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, 69, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/meghan-markle-co-hosts-women-s-empowerment-event-in-nigeria-8647082\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:co-hosted a women's leadership panel;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">co-hosted a women&#8217;s leadership panel<\/a> alongside the Duchess of Sussex, 42, in Abuja. Approximately 50 leading women from various sectors of Nigerian society including politics, business, media, and culture, attended the session, which was moderated by Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu, who heads Africa\u2019s first global black entertainment lifestyle network.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to PEOPLE at the event, Okonjo-Iweala says: &#8220;I said to the Duchess when she was coming that we must have fun. The conversation was wonderful. I think the impression that people had of her is of a very warm, loving person. And you can see the way that the room reacted to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on Meghan\u2019s participation, she adds, \u201cAlmost everybody in this room had one or two [educational] degrees to their name. You could see how she fit into the room very well. [Meghan\u2019s] an intelligent, thoughtful person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the pandemic, she, Meghan, and Harry forged a friendship. The couple&#8217;s interest in vaccine distribution to underserved countries and ensuring children&#8217;s access fostered several Zoom meetings dedicated to this cause.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They really cared, so we had a number of Zoom meetings to discuss that subject. And then they <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/100-most-influential-people-2021\/6096026\/ngozi-okonjo-iweala\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:wrote the piece about me in TIME;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">wrote the piece about me in TIME<\/a>, which was a surprise. It was lovely of them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 427px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/RnhcoNPd5mKUyEMtROxjhA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyODA7aD04NTQ-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/55f6780d405bb1e05aa804c96b8456c4\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;\u00a0Andrew Esiebo\/Getty&lt;\/p&gt; Meghan Markle speaks at a Women in Leadership event co-hosted with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/WD7KfplUk4k6dIJ1L194TA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/55f6780d405bb1e05aa804c96b8456c4\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;\u00a0Andrew Esiebo\/Getty&lt;\/p&gt; Meghan Markle speaks at a Women in Leadership event co-hosted with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/WD7KfplUk4k6dIJ1L194TA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/55f6780d405bb1e05aa804c96b8456c4\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\"><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">\n<p> Andrew Esiebo\/Getty<\/p>\n<p> Meghan Markle speaks at a Women in Leadership event co-hosted with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/meghan-markle-will-share-special-thing-archie-lilibet-africa-exclusive-8649017\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The 'Special Thing' Meghan Markle Will Share with Archie and Lilibet After Africa Trip (Exclusive);elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">The &#8216;Special Thing&#8217; Meghan Markle Will Share with Archie and Lilibet After Africa Trip (Exclusive)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Okonjo-Iweala recognizes the pressure Meghan is under in the public eye: \u201cShe\u2019s a role model for young women. She\u2019s a woman who is not in an easy position, and people are looking to see how is she managing and navigating this. That\u2019s one of the things she brings: inspiration. You can see in spite of that, she\u2019s a cheerful, warm personality, and everybody in the room took to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For her part, the Duchess of Sussex shared during the panel that she felt like she was visiting &#8220;my country&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/meghan-markle-thanks-nigeria-for-welcoming-me-home-after-discovering-heritage-8646546\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:after discovering she is 43% Nigerian;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">after discovering she is 43% Nigerian<\/a> through a genealogy test.<\/p>\n<p>She revealed that the first thing she did after finding out about her heritage was &#8220;call my mom because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Being African-American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage or background, where you come from specifically,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And it was exciting for both of us to discover more and understand what that really means.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 427px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/qTQxQM4_iXs5HQPvCN9NDA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyODA7aD04NTQ-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/570cd4ecb13fc3b8eee104ce276ad826\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;Andrew Esiebo\/Getty&lt;\/p&gt; Meghan Markle speaks at a Women in Leadership event co-hosted with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Nj6Oc98BalDdjf9a6GVDJQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/570cd4ecb13fc3b8eee104ce276ad826\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;Andrew Esiebo\/Getty&lt;\/p&gt; Meghan Markle speaks at a Women in Leadership event co-hosted with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Nj6Oc98BalDdjf9a6GVDJQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/570cd4ecb13fc3b8eee104ce276ad826\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\"><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">\n<p>Andrew Esiebo\/Getty<\/p>\n<p> Meghan Markle speaks at a Women in Leadership event co-hosted with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on May 11, 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/meghan-markle-prince-harry-nigeria-tour-people-magazine-diary-8649480\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:On Tour with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Nigeria: Read PEOPLE's Diary!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">On Tour with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Nigeria: Read PEOPLE&#8217;s Diary!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Can&#8217;t get enough of PEOPLE&#8217;s Royals coverage? <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-royals\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Sign up for our free Royals newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Sign up for our free Royals newsletter<\/a> to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meghan added, &#8220;Never in a million years would I have understood it as much as I do now. It&#8217;s been really eye-opening and humbling to be able to know more about my heritage and to be able to know this is just the beginning of that discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more People news, make sure to <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-apple-news-opt-in\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:sign up for our newsletter!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">sign up for our newsletter!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/meghan-markle-brings-inspiration-wto-director-general-exclusive-8648476\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/meghan-markle-wto-director-general-152052705.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Duchess of Sussex and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, took part in a candid panel discussion in<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-meghan-markle-and-wto-director-general-dr-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-bonded-during-the-pandemic-exclusive\/17\/05\/2024\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}