WTO 2023 Young Professionals Programme for Developing Countries

Published: 21 Mar 2023 1,413 views

The WTO Young Professionals Programme was launched in 2016 as an opportunity for qualified young professionals from developing and least-developed countries that are members of the WTO to enhance their knowledge regarding WTO and international trade issues.

The programme aims to attract professionals from under-represented countries who can consequently improve their chances of being recruited by the WTO and/or other regional and international organizations. The Programme is part of the Secretariat’s efforts to increase diversity and broaden the representation of the membership.

The selected young professionals are allocated to a specific division of the WTO Secretariat in accordance with the needs and priorities of the organization and based on the areas of interest of the young professional. The areas of work may include accessions, agriculture, dispute settlement, intellectual property rights, government procurement (GPA), competition policy, market access, rules, trade and development, trade and environment, trade in services and investment, trade facilitation, trade policy analysis and trade-related technical assistance.

WTO Young Professionals Programme

Benefits of WTO Young Professionals Programme

• Participants in the programme receive a monthly salary of CHF 3,500. The WTO also provides appropriate medical cover and travel costs.

Requirements for WTO Young Professionals Programme

A candidate must:

• Be a national of a WTO member state.
• Have an advanced university degree in law, economics, and other international trade-related subjects relevant to WTO work.
• Have a minimum of two years relevant experience.
• Demonstrate a high level of interest in international trade and commitment to WTO-related work.
• Be fluent in English. A good working knowledge of one of the WTO’s other official languages, French or Spanish, would be an advantage.
• Be 32 years of age or younger at the expected start date of the YPP, if selected.

Preference is given to nationals from WTO members without any representation at the professional level in the Secretariat. A list of unrepresented WTO members will be provided when the request for applicants is posted.

Application Documents

•  Letter of motivation 
• Completed online application

Application Deadline

How to Apply