The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently celebrated the contributions of its 2024 Young Professional Programme (YPP) cohort. This group joined the WTO Secretariat in January and has spent the past year engaging with 13 divisions, gaining practical experience in WTO activities and the multilateral trading system. Their tasks included assisting members in preparing for the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference and contributing to implementing its outcomes.
Director-General Okonjo-Iweala commended the young professionals for their work and highlighted the YPP's role in enhancing diversity within the Secretariat. "Our work has been enriched by the perspectives and experiences you have brought from countries and territories underrepresented in the Secretariat," she stated. She expressed confidence that alumni would use their expertise to support their governments or private sectors in global trade.
Okonjo-Iweala also thanked WTO members who contribute to the Global Trust Fund, which supports several technical assistance programs, including the YPP. "The programme would not have been possible without the generous and continued support of our donors," she added.
Gifty Akua Botwe from Ghana spoke on behalf of her cohort, acknowledging Okonjo-Iweala's leadership and expressing gratitude for this "transformative opportunity." Reflecting on their journey, she noted: "Our journey began with curiosity and ambition. Over time, that curiosity has been sharpened into expertise, and ambition refined into action."
During a ceremony marking their achievements, ambassadors and senior officials praised the program for nurturing talent, promoting diversity, and strengthening multilateral trade systems.
This year's participants came from Armenia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Ghana, Guyana, Malawi, Montenegro, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Kenya, Oman, Pakistan, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania Chinese Taipei Viet Nam Zambia
Launched in 2016 aims broaden representation within nurture trade expertise unrepresented under-represented members