OFFICE( 20)/32 
20-2947 
 
 
The recruitment policy of the WTO is to seek to attract and retain staff members  
offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency and integrity.  
As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the WTO gives full regard to merit and diversity.  
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Vacancy Notice No.:  EXT/T/ 20-23 Issued on:  17 April 2020 
 
Title:  Young Professional  
  Application Deadline:  29 May 2020 
 
Grade:  N/A 
 Division:  Various  
 
Contract Type:  Temporary appointment  
 
Starting Salary:  CHF 3,500  monthly salary  
(approximate)  Duration:  One year without possibility of 
extension  
 
 
The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking candidates for THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION 
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME for 20 21. 
 
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 20 21, 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 prog ramme 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 Professio nal 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 m ore 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  
OFFICE( 20)/32 
 
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  - Market Access (t ariffs and non -tariff barriers)  
- Media and External R elations  
- Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures  
- Technical Barriers to Trade  
- Trade and Dev elopment  
- Trade and Environment  
- Trade Facilitation  
- Trade in Services and Investment  
- Trade Policy Analysis  
- Trade -Related Technical A ssistance.  
- Trade Remedies (anti -dumping and counterv ailing 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/o r Spanish would be an advantage.  
Ability to  work independently and in a team.  
Demonstrat ed 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.  
 
 
Additional Information:  
 
Preference shall be given to nationals from WTO Members without any representation at the 
professional level in the Secretariat ; and have not participated in previous cohorts of the YPP .  The 
list of such WTO Members as at 1 April 2020 is set out below:  
 
Angola  Myanmar  
Belize  Nicaragua  
Brunei Darussalam  Niger  
Cabo Verde  Qatar  
Central African Republic  Saint Kitts and Nevis  
Congo  Saint Lucia  
Djibouti  Samoa  
Eswatini  Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of  
Gabon  Seychelles  
Grenada  Solomon Islands  
Guinea -Bissau  Suriname  
Kuwait, The State of  Tonga  
Kyrgyz Republic  United Arab Emirates  
Lao People's Democratic Republic  Vanuatu  OFFICE( 20)/32 
 
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  Mauritania  Yemen  
 
 
APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATIONS THROUGH THE E -RECRUITMENT SYSTEM ALONG 
WITH THEIR COVER LETTER OF MOTIVATION. Instructions to add the cover letter is as follows: Once 
the application for the Young Professionals Programme has been submitted, their application will be 
displayed under the "My Applications" tab. Applicants should clic k on the button "Add" for the spec ific 
vacancy under the "Covering letter" column. Cover letters added in other sections of the applicant 
profile such as "Additional Information" or "Additional Documents".  
 
Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted.  
 
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.  
_____ _________________________________________________________________  
APPLICANTS MAY BE REQUIRED TO SIT A WRITTEN EXAMINATION  
______________________________________________________________________  
APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY IF SELECTED FOR AN INTERV IEW 
______________________________________________________________________  
Please note that all candidates must complete an o nline application  form.  
To apply, please visit the WTO's E -Recruitment website at: https://erecruitment.wto.org . 
The system provide s instructions for online application procedures.  
 
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.  
 
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE  
CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED  
 
The WTO is a non -smoking environment.