OFFICE( 17)/9 
17-1718 
 
 
 
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 div ersity.  
______________________________________________________________________  
 
Vacancy Notice No.:  EXT/ISHI/17-20 Issued on:  29 March  2017      
 
Title:  Young Professional  Application Deadline (CET):  10 May 2017 
 
Grade:  N/A 
 Division:  Various  
 
Contract  Type:  Temporary appointment  
 
Starting Salary:  CHF 3,500  monthly salary  Duration:  One year without possibility of 
extension  
 
 
The WTO Secretariat is seeking candidates for THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZ ATION 
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME  for 2018 . 
 
The WTO Y oung Professional s 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 P rogramme 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.   
 
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 , Accessions, Agriculture, Dispute Settlement, Intellectual 
Property Rights (IPRs),  Government Procurement, Market Access (tariffs and non-tariff barrier s), 
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.  
 
 OFFICE( 17)/9 
 
- 2 - 
 
  REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS  
 
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.  
Demonstrate d strong interest in international trade.  
Commitment and passio n 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.  The list of unrepresented WTO Members  as at 1 March 2017  
is set out below:  
 
 
Afghanistan  Macao, China  
Albania  Madagascar  
Angola  Maldives  
Antigua and Barbuda  Mali  
Armenia  Mauritania  
Bahrain, Kingdom of  Moldova, Republic of  
Belize  Mongolia  
Bolivia, Plurinational State of  Montenegro  
Brunei Darussalam  Mozambique  
Burkina Faso  Myanmar  
Cabo Verde  Namibia  
Cambodia  Nicaragua  
Cameroon  Niger  
Central African Republic  Oman  
Congo  Panama  
Côte d'Ivoire  Papua New Guinea  
Cuba  Paraguay  
Djibouti  Qatar  
Dominica  Saint Kitts and Nevis  
Dominican Republic  Saint Lucia  
El Salvador  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  
Fiji Samoa  
Gabon  Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of  
Georgia  Singapore  OFFICE( 17)/9 
 
- 3 - 
 
   
Grenada  Solomon Islands  
Guinea -Bissau  Sri Lanka  
Guyana  Suriname  
Haiti  Swaziland  
Honduras  Chinese Taipei  
Hong Kong, China  Tajikistan  
Indonesia  Thailand  
Israel  The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  
Kaza khstan  Togo  
Kuwait, the State of  Tonga  
Kyrgyz Republic  United Arab Emirates  
Lao People's Democratic Republic  Vanuatu  
Lesotho  Yemen  
Liberia  
  
Given that the  objective of the YPP is to provide opportunity to nationals of Members not 
represented at the professional level in the Secretariat, preference will be given to those who have 
not benefited from the Programme. For information, nationals from the following Members were 
selected in the previous exercise: Cameroon, Chile, Dominican Republic,  Monteneg ro and Chinese 
Taipei . 
 
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 INTERVIEW  
______________________________________________________________________  
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 provides instructions for online application procedures.  
 
All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has  
been posted an d well before the closing date – Central European Time (CET) –  
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.