India and South Africa have opposed it as it neither has the WTO mandate or its members’ consensus and cannot be brought to the formal process in the WTO. Civil society also called the “attack” on India and South Africa by WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for opposing the proposed pact “appalling”. “The Director-General has gone far beyond her legitimate role as an international public official, who is legally required to be neutral,” some civil society organisations said in a statement.