DG Okonjo-Iweala bids farewell to internship, young professionals participants

A virtual ceremony took place on 7 December to mark the conclusion of three 2021 internship programmes as well as this year’s programme for young professionals from developing and least-developed countries.

A total of 39 government officials and 14 young professionals from across the world took part in the programmes, benefiting from the opportunity to develop their expertise on various aspects of trade and the work of the WTO.

The programmes, which formally conclude on 17 December, are the Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP), the French-Irish Mission Intern Programme (FIMIP), the Regional Coordinator Internship (RCI) Programme and the Young Professionals Programme. To date, over 580 officials and young professionals have taken part in these programmes, representing more than 100 countries.

In bidding farewell to the participants, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala commended the interns and the young professionals for their active engagement in the work of the WTO despite the challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your presence has been very valuable to the WTO Secretariat,” she said. “Your perspectives and experiences have helped to enrich the Secretariat’s work, where inclusivity and diversity are at the core of our activities.”

“I am confident that like past alumni of these programmes, you will put the expertise and knowledge that you acquired here to good use, either in helping your governments engage in the WTO and benefit from the global trading system, or in helping the private sector engage more effectively in global trade.”

This year, the participants had the opportunity to be involved in the preparatory work for the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference, which had to be postponed because of the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 – “another reflection of the unprecedented times in which you have been working here,” DG Okonjo-Iweala noted.

Trainees came from all continents, with an emphasis on Sub Saharan Africa, least developed countries (LDCs), small, vulnerable economies (SVEs), countries with small missions in Geneva, as well as acceding and recently acceded countries.  The young professionals also drew from a wide range of developing and least developed countries — particularly from WTO members that are under-represented at the professional level in the WTO Secretariat.

The NTP, funded by the government of the Netherlands, aims to assist LDCs, low‑income countries and SVEs in areas of trade policy related to economic and social development. A total of 15 government officials worked in various divisions of the WTO Secretariat in 2021. More than 200 public officials from developing countries have taken part in the programme over the past 15 years.

“I warmly congratulate this year’s trainees for concluding the programme, despite these challenging times, the Netherlands’ WTO ambassador Paul Bekkers said. “With this programme, the trainees deepened their understanding of trade rules and obtained profound knowledge of multilateral cooperation. This will enable them to promote sustainable economic development back home and to fully benefit from WTO membership.”

The objective of the FIMIP programme sponsored by France and Ireland is similar to the aims of the NTP, but interns work in their respective permanent missions in Geneva and have the opportunity to represent their countries at WTO meetings. Priority is given to missions of LDCs and SVEs. This year’s programme involved 20 government officials, and 235 interns have participated in it since its inception.

France’s Permanent Representative to the WTO, Etienne Oudot de Dainville, said: “Trade multilateralism only works when it is inclusive and for the benefit of all stakeholders. The French and Irish Mission Internship Programme (FIMIP) actively contributes to the inclusiveness of the WTO, by improving the institutional capacity of beneficiary countries. Its objective is to enable delegations in Geneva to actively participate in WTO negotiations, mobilize their capital and thus better defend their offensive and defensive interests in these negotiations.”

Ireland’s Ambassador to the WTO, Michael Gaffey, praised the commitment and resilience of the officials who had successfully completed their internship during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  He said: “Ireland is committed to strengthening the participation of LDCs and small, vulnerable economies in the work of the WTO.  Our support for the Mission Internship Programme promotes this both in Geneva and in capitals as officials return home with increased knowledge and a network of contacts.”

Interns for the RCI Programme are nominated by WTO members that coordinate regional groups in the WTO and chosen by a selection committee. Funded by the WTO Global Trust Fund, the programme allows the beneficiaries to work directly with the permanent missions in charge of regional coordination. Six interns participated in this year’s programme.

Launched in 2016, the Young Professionals Programme provides an opportunity for qualified young professionals from developing and LDC members of the WTO to enhance their knowledge regarding the 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 selected young professionals are allocated to a specific division of the WTO Secretariat for one year in accordance with the needs and priorities of the organization and based on the areas of interest of the young professional.  Fourteen professionals were chosen from more than 2,400 candidates to take part in this year’s programme, which is funded by the WTO Global Trust Fund.