Young Professional Programme at World Trade Organization (WTO)

Vacancy Notice No.: EXT/T/21-13
Location: Switzerland
Division: Various
Duration: One year without possibility of extension  

Details

• 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 2022, 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.
• All applications must be 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. Please refer to instructions under Additional Information on how to add a cover letter on the WTO e-recruitment system.
• 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.

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

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)

Required Qualifications
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.

Starting Salary
CHF 3,500 monthly salary (approximate)