WTO Professional Program key details:
- Host country: Switzerland
- Open to: LDC WTO member countries
- Target: Graduates
- Deadline: 29th April, 2021
The World Trade Organization (WTO) professional program for 2022 application is currently ongoing. The WTO Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for qualified young professionals under the age of 32 from developing and least-developed country (LDC) WTO Members to improve their knowledge and skills on WTO and international trade issues.
The WTO Professional program aims to expand the pool of professionals from these countries who will be more competitive in the future when applying for jobs at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other regional and international organizations.
Also read: Watson Semester Accelerator Program 2021
WTO Professional Program General Function
The selected Young Professional will be assigned to a specific Division of the WTO Secretariat in accordance with the Organization’s needs and priorities, as well as the Young Professional’s identified areas of interest. Each Young Professional may express interest in a maximum of three areas of WTO work, in that order.
The areas of work may include, inter alia, the following (in alphabetical order):
Accessions
Agriculture
Council and Trade Negotiations
Dispute Settlement
Economic Research and Statistics
Government Procurement
Intellectual Property Rights
Market Access (tariffs and non-tariff barriers)
Media and External Relations
Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures
Technical Barriers to Trade
Trade and Development
Trade and Environment
Trade Facilitation
Trade and Gender
Trade in Services and Investment
Trade Policy Analysis
Trade-Related Technical Assistance.
Trade Remedies (anti-dumping and countervailing duties)
WTO Professional Program Benefits
Successful candidates are to receive CHF 3,500 monthly.
WTO Professional Program Eligibility Criteria
- Education: Advanced university degree in law, economics, or other international trade-related subjects relevant to the work of the WTO.
- Knowledge and skills: General knowledge of the work of the WTO; Good drafting skills in English; Ability to draft in French and/or Spanish would be an advantage; Ability to work independently and as part of a team, in a multicultural environment; Demonstrated strong interest in international trade and the multilateral trading system; Commitment and passion for trade or WTO-related work.
- Work Experience: Minimum two (2) years of professional experience relevant to the work of the WTO.
- Languages: Fluency in English; A good working knowledge either French or Spanish would be an advantage.
NOTE:
Preference shall be given to nationals from WTO Members without any representation or with low representation (one staff member) at the professional level in the Secretariat; and have not participated in previous cohorts of the YPP. The list of such WTO Members as at 15 March 2021 is set out below:
Angola, Barbados, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Moldova, Myanmar, Niger, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia.
Also read: The Future Africa Internship Program 2021
WTO Professional Program Application Procedure
Applicants must submit their applications through the e-recruitment system along with their cover letter of motivation. Instructions to add the cover letter is as follows:
- Once the application for the Young Professionals Programme has been submitted, their application will be displayed under the “My Applications” tab.
- Applicants should click on the button “Add” for the specific vacancy under the “Covering letter” column.
- Cover letters added in other sections of the applicant profile such as “Additional Information” or “Additional Documents”.
Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply to this Program.
Visit the official website of the WTO Professional Program for more information and apply