RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/BFA/W/68
4 April 2002
(02-1735)
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration
STAFFING OF THE WTO SECRETARIAT
Introduction
1. In 2001 the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration requested a report on the
application of recruitment policy under Staff Regulation 3.1 to ensure equal opportunity for
all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, race or religion, with the objective
of reflecting the broadest possible membership of the WTO in the Secretariat.  The present
report has been prepared in response to that request.
2. Staff Regulation 3.1 reads as follows:  “The recruitment policy of the WTO shall be to seek to
attract and retain staff members offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency and
integrity.  It shall be based on the principle of equal opportunity for all, regardless of gender,
nationality, race or religion, with the objective of ensuring the broadest possible
diversification of the Secretariat“.
3. The recruitment policy of the Organization has thus the objective of ensuring that the WTO is
provided with human resources of the best quality and that those resources reflect the broadest
possible spread in terms of gender, nationality, race and religion.  The specific methods
employed by the WTO to achieve this objective are described below.  This report also
includes statistics on the evolution of the recruitment pattern and the development of the
internship programme in the WTO.
Advertising of vacancies
4. Vacant posts are normally advertised externally for a period of eight weeks.  Exceptions to
that rule must be approved by senior management.  In 1990 43 per cent of all vacant posts
were advertised externally, whereas in 2001 that percentage had doubled to 86 per cent.
5. Vacancy notices in respect of posts advertised externally are sent to all WTO missions and to
all relevant international organizations.  Vacancy notices are also systematically advertised onthe WTO web site and, where appropriate, in national newspapers and specialized journals.
6. Each vacancy notice specifies the duties to be performed as well as the qualifications and
experience required for the vacant post.  The notice also makes it clear that applications are
equally welcomed from men and women.
Applications
7. Applications are received by mail, by fax an d/or by e-mail.  Applicants may download the
WTO personal history form from the web site.  The Secretariat is also planning to introduce
an on-line application procedure whereby candidates can not only download but also submitWT/BFA/W/68
Page 2
electronically the personal history form from the web site, as this will greatly facilitate the
application procedure.
8. All applications are acknowledged and all candidates are informed of the final outcome of the
competition for which they applied.
9. The table below shows the trend in the number of applications received since 1995, the
earliest date for which such data are available.
Year No. of externally
advertised vacanciesNo. of applications
receivedAverage no. of applications
per vacancy
1995 24 9311 388
1999 18 1727 96
2001 44 6578 150
10. The proportion of applications emanating from developing countries has steadily increased
from 27 per cent in 1995 to 45 per cent in 2001.
Selection process
11. All applications are reviewed in the first instance by the Director of the Division concerned
and by the Administration and General Services Division (Human Resources Section) with a
view to the selection of a short list.  The short list normally comprises between five and ten
candidates judged to meet to the closest degree the qualifications and experience required for
the post, as stipulated in the vacancy notice.
12. The shortlisted candidates are invited to come to  Geneva for an interview, written test and
personality test.  The interviews are conducted by a panel comprising two representatives
from the Division concerned, one representative from another Division with a background
directly relevant to the position in question and one representative from the Administration
and General Services Division (Human Resources Section).  The panel formulates aconsensus recommendation on the best candidate for the job together with, wherever possible,
a second candidate in the event that the preferred candidate proves not to be available.  Where
two or more candidates are equally well qualified, preference is shown to the candidate from
the less well-represented group.
13. The panel’s recommendation is forwarded to the Appointment and Pr omotion Board (APB)
which is chaired by a Deputy Director-General.  If the APB agrees with the panel’s
recommendation, it is forwarded to the Director-General for approval.  If not, the
recommendation is referred back to the panel by the APB for reconsideration.  The time
elapsed between the date at which the vacancy is advertised and the date at which the
Director-General’s decision is taken is typically five months.  The date at which the vacantpost is ultimately filled depends on the speed with which the successful candidate can make
himself/herself available.
14. Of the 113 successful external candidates recruited since 1995, 33 (29 per cent) were
nationals of developing countries.  Since 1999, of 45 candidates selected, 18 (40 per cent)
were nationals of developing countries.WT/BFA/W/68
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Composition of the Secretariat
15. The following table illustrates the trends in the composition of the Secretariat in terms of
function and gender since 1990:
Staff Breakdown by Function and by Gender 
5056105151176186
124138179
77 7590
020406080100120140160180200
1990 1995 2001 Professional Female Support Female Professional Male Support Male
1990
12%
38%
31%19%1995
13%
39%
31%17%2001
19%
33%
32%16%WT/BFA/W/68
Page 4
Staff Breakdown by Division and By Gender
94117149
107115142
97102139
104111130
020406080100120140160
1990 1995 2001
Operational Division Female Support Division Female
Operational Division Male Support Division Male
16. The proportion of professional staff has thus increased from 43 per cent in 1990 to 51 per cent
in 2001.  The proportion of women has increased from 50 per cent to 52 per cent and the
proportion of women in professional posts from 29 per cent to 37 per cent over the same
period.
17. The following table shows the trends in the composition of the Secretariat in terms of
nationality since 1990:2001
27%
25%
23%
25%1995
26%
26%
23%25%1990
27%
24%26%23%WT/BFA/W/68
Page 5
Staff Breakdown by Function and by Nationality
129153216
45 4168200217237
283439
050100150200250
1990 1995 2001
Professional Developed Professional Developing Support Developed Support Developing 
1990
32% 11%
50%7%1995
34% 9%
49%8%2001
39%
12%
42%7%WT/BFA/W/68
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Staff Breakdown by Division and by Nationality
148178228
43 4160185202225
26 2447
050100150200250
1990 1995 2001Operational Division Developed Operational Division Developing
Support Division Developed Support Division Developing  
18. The total number of nationalities represented in the Secretariat has increased from 48 in 1990
(including 22 developed and 26 developing countries) to 63 in 2001 (including 26 developed
and 37 developing countries).  The number of developing countries represented in the
Secretariat has thus increased by 42 per cent since 1990.1990
37%11%
46%6%1995
40%9%
46%5%2001
41%
11%
40%8%WT/BFA/W/68
Page 7
Internship programme
19. As part of its ongoing efforts to provide nationals of WTO Members and acceding countries
and customs territories with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and understanding of
the multilateral trading system, the WTO is running an extensive internship programme for
postgraduate university students.  This programme also plays an important role in broadeningthe recruitment base of the organization.  Since the inception of the current programme
in 1999, the annual geographical breakdown of internships has been as follows:
Year Country/Customs Territory No. of interns
Developed 451999
Developing 24
Developed 582000
Developing 22
Developed 522001
Developing 42
20. The proportion of interns from developing countries has thus increased from 35 per cent to
45 per cent since 1999.
Conclusion
21. In summary, the Secretariat is continuing to pursue its objective of achieving the broadest
possible diversification of the Secretariat consistent with the maintenance of the highest
standards of competence, efficiency and integrity.  The proportion of applications received
from developing countries has steadily increased since 1995 and now accounts for slightly
less than half of the total number of applications received.  The number of nationalitiesrepresented in the Secretariat has increased by approximately 30 per cent since 1990 and the
number of developing countries represented by 42 per cent.  There are now more women than
men in the Secretariat, and the proportion of women occupying Professional posts has
increased by 28 per cent since 1990.
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