WTO Young Professionals Program 2018

The WTO Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a unique opportunity for qualified young professionals up to the age of 32 years as at 1 January 2018, from eligible developing and least-developed country (LDC) WTO Members, to enhance their knowledge and skills on WTO and international trade issues. The Programme aims to widen the pool of professionals from these countries who can later be more competitive with respect to recruitment in the WTO and/or other regional and international organizations.

Applicants must be 32 years old or younger, as at 1 January 2018. A cover letter (letter of motivation) MUST accompany the application – the letter should also note UP TO THREE areas of work that applicants would be interested in, in order of preference. Applications with no accompanying letter will not be considered.

This is a limited programme that offers selected young professionals with the opportunity to gain work experience in the WTO. There is no guarantee of an extension of the programme or of a job offer after the one-year programme.

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 not more than three areas of WTO work; and in order of preference.

The areas of work may include, inter alia, Accessions, Agriculture, Dispute Settlement, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), Government Procurement, Market Access (tariffs and non-tariff barriers), Rules, Trade and Development, Trade Facilitation, Economic research, Trade Policy Analysis, Trade in Services and Investment, Council and Trade Negotiations, Trade and Environment, Technical Barriers to Trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, Trade-Related Technical assistance.

Location:

 Switzerland

Benefits

Starting Salary: CHF 3,500 monthly salary (approximate)

 Eligibilities

Education:

Advanced university degree in law economics, or other international trade-related subjects relevant to WTO work.
Knowledge and skills:

Relevant expertise or continued academic study in a field of interest to the work of the WTO.
Ability to think strategically; work independently and in a team.
Demonstrated strong interest in international trade.
Commitment and passion for trade or WTO-related work.

Work Experience:

Minimum two (2) years of relevant experience.
Languages:

Fluency in English. A good working knowledge of one other official WTO language, French or Spanish, would be an advantage.
Additional Information:

Preference shall be given to nationals from WTO Members without any representation at the professional level in the Secretariat.

Eligible Regions: WTO Member Countries