World Trade Organization Young Professionals Program For 2024

Agriculture & Foods World Trade Organization Young Professionals Program For 2024

Deadline: 13 April 2023

The Secretariat of the World trade Organization (WTO) is seeking candidates for the world trade organization young professionals program for 2024. This program offers selected young professionals the opportunity to gain work experience in the WTO. It is a one-year program without possibility of extension.

The WTO Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a unique opportunity for qualified young professionals up to the age of 32 years, as at 1 January 2024, from WTO Members with low or no professional representation in the WTO Secretariat, to enhance their knowledge of WTO and skills in international trade issues.  The Program aims to widen the pool of professionals from these WTO Members, with the ultimate goal of broadening their representation in the WTO and/or other regional and international organizations.

I. General Functions

  • The selected Young Professional will be placed in a specific Division of the WTO Secretariat in accordance with the needs and priorities of the Organization; and based on the identified areas of interest of the Young Professional.
  • Each Young Professional may express interest in no more than three areas of WTO work; and should state their order of preference.
  • The areas of work may include, inter alia, the following (in alphabetical order):
  1. Accessions
  2. Agriculture
  3. Climate change
  4. Communications and External Relations
  5. Competition Policy
  6. Council and Trade Negotiations
  7. Digital Trade
  8. Dispute Settlement
  9. Economic Research and Statistics
  10. Government Procurement (GPA)
  11. Intellectual Property Rights
  12. Investment Facilitation for Development
  13. Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs)
  14. Market Access (tariffs and non-tariff barriers)
  15. Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures
  16. Technical Barriers to Trade
  17. Trade and Development
  18. Trade and Environment
  19. Trade Facilitation
  20. Trade Finance
  21. Trade and Gender
  22. Trade in Services and Investment
  23. Trade Policy Analysis
  24. Trade-Related Technical Assistance.
  25. Trade Remedies (anti-dumping and countervailing duties)

II. Required Qualifications

  • Education: Advanced university degree in economics, econometrics, international relations, law, environment studies, or other trade-related subjects relevant to the work of the WTO e.g. international investment law, trade and gender, etc.). Applicants must have obtained their advanced university degree by the time they submit their application.
  • Knowledge and Skills: General knowledge of the work of the WTO. Technical knowledge in one or more of the areas of work indicated above. 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 of either French or Spanish would be an advantage.

III. Additional Information:

  • Preference shall be given to nationals from WTO Members without any representation as well as from developing and least developed countries (LDCs) Members with low representation (one, two or three staff members) at the professional level in the Secretariat (list below).
  • Priority will be given to WTO Members from developing and LDCs that have no representation and have not participated in previous cohorts of the YPP (marked with an asterisk in list below). 

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola*, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Plurinational State of Bolivia*, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam*, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde*, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic*, Chad*, Chile, Republic of Congo*, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo*, Djibouti*, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon*, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada*, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau*, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong China, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait*, Kyrgyz Republic*, Lao People's Democratic Republic*, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macao China, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Republic of Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar*, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger*, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar*, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis*, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa*, Saudi Arabia*, Senegal, Seychelles*, Sierra Leone*, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname*, Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga*, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates*, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela*, ,Viet Nam*, Yemen*, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

  • The WTO may use various communication technologies such as video or teleconference for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
  • The recruitment process may also involve the use of various forms of testing, assessment centres, interviews and reference checks.
  • All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the closing date – Geneva (Switzerland) time – stated in the vacancy announcement.

IV. How to Apply?

  • To apply please, click HERE
  • All applications must be submitted in English, accompanied by a cover letter of motivation, which should indicate up to three areas of work (see details under general functions), in order of preference, that the applicant would be interested in.
  • Applications with no accompanying letter of motivation will not be considered.
  • Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply to this Program.
  • Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
  • The WTO is a non-smoking environment.

Subscribe to our maillist

* indicates required