The group, which included professionals from Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Cameroon, Georgia, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Panama, Paraguay, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Togo, was chosen from more than 1,500 candidates following a competitive selection process.

They spent their 12 months at the WTO Secretariat developing their knowledge, skills and experience, and learning about the organization's work and activities. This is the second year for the Young Professionals Programme following the inaugural programme in 2017.

DG Azevêdo recalled that the programme was launched with the objectives of enhancing knowledge of WTO issues among young professionals from developing and least-developed members and widening the pool of qualified applicants for future recruitment at the WTO, with a special focus on those members that are not currently represented at the professional level in the Secretariat.

"Congratulations to you. I have received very good feedback from directors which means that we are moving in the right direction. The competition was fierce and you are the lucky few who have made it through the selection process. You have set good examples for this programme to move forward. There is now higher demand from directors. They want more people like you," he said.

"We are very proud this is a merit-based selection process. It was a rare opportunity for you to work at the WTO and with this one-year experience you can be ambassadors of the WTO and spread the knowledge and expertise you acquired in your country and in your region when you go back."

Speaking on behalf of the group, Deah James from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines said: "It's been a privilege working here and I appreciated the experience accumulated through the interaction with colleagues in the division. All WTO colleagues have been so welcoming and helpful. I learned the expertise that's most in demand for which I am very grateful. I believe that we are leaving the WTO with knowledge and skills that will be useful for our future careers."

Participants in the WTO Young Professionals Programme in 2018

Name	Nationality	Division
Mr Kossivi Balema	Togo	Agriculture and Commodities
Ms Helen Chang	El Salvador	Market Access
Mr Worabhatra Chantramitra	Thailand	Rules
Ms Jeanelle Clarke	Antigua and Barbuda	Information and External Relations
Ms Ani Gabrielyan	Armenia	Trade and Environment
Mr Vakhtangi Giorgadze	Georgia	Legal Affairs
Mr Jorge Gutierrez	Panama	Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition
Ms Deah James	St Vincent and the Grenadines	Development
Ms Carolle Kempa Nangue	Cameroon	Economic Research and Statistics
Ms Justine Lan	Indonesia	Trade in Services and Investment
Mr Doffou Marc Elisée Monsoh	Ivory Coast	Trade Policies Review
Ms Feruza Nabiyeva	Kazakhstan	Accessions
Ms Nydiane Razafindrahaingo	Madagascar	Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation
Ms Antonella Salgueiro	Paraguay	Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition
Ms Onon Sukhbaatar	Mongolia	Agriculture and Commodities

In their own words – reflections on their experience

Ms Jeanelle Clarke

"Working in the Information and External Relations Division taught me so much about the importance of communication and openness to new ideas. This is something I will carry with me throughout my career as a trade policy practitioner."

Mr Doffou Marc Elisée Monsoh

"What I really appreciated from this YPP experience is the work in a cross-cutting topics division such as Trade Policies Review, which helped me gain not only a huge amount of knowledge and expertise, but also an understanding of the importance of multilateral cooperation within the context of free trade, and how African states could better take part in this."

Ms Helen Chang

“The YPP is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from and collaborate with top experts in the international trade arena, and an enlightening opportunity to research current relevant topics.”

Ms Feruza Nabiyeva

"The YPP allowed me to look at the multilateral trading system from a different - the Secretariat's – perspective, which has definitely advanced my expertise in international trade. But most importantly, this experience provided a brand-new vision of the ways I can contribute to the strengthening of the rules-based system."

Mr Vakhtangi Giorgadze

"The programme gave me a unique opportunity to understand the importance of WTO dispute settlement in the multilateral trading system."

Mr Worabhatra Chantramitra

"My tenure as a Young Professional has been imbued with opportunities to work with the renowned experts in the purview of trade remedies and to gain hands-on experience in how the work of the WTO Secretariat has played a pivotal role in helping make the rules-based global trading system a reality."