DDG Zhang Welcomes New Cohort of Interns from Developing Countries, LDCs at WTO

·      A total of 22 interns are participating in this year's edition of the French-Irish Mission Internship Programme funded by France and Ireland.

Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang welcomed 39 interns from developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) at a ceremony on 14 March launching two ten-month WTO internship programmes. The Netherlands Trainee Programme and the French-Irish Mission Internship Programme will give participants an opportunity to develop their expertise on various aspects of trade and the work of the WTO. This is the first time that Timor-Leste is represented in the programmes.

Selected by the WTO Secretariat from across the world, the interns are government officials working on trade-related matters. Priority is given to Sub-Saharan Africa, LDCs, small and vulnerable economies (SVEs), countries with small permanent missions in Geneva, acceding governments and recently acceded WTO members.

"I thank France, Ireland, and the Netherlands for the generous contributions of their countries that make it possible every year for the WTO to continue with these important capacity-building initiatives", DDG Zhang said in his opening remarks." Welcoming the interns, he encouraged them to "observe, listen, learn, contribute, develop your autonomy and network with as many colleagues as possible."

French-Irish Mission Internship Programme

A total of 22 interns are participating in this year's edition of the French-Irish Mission Internship Programme funded by France and Ireland. The programme seeks to build sustainable trade-related capacity in beneficiary countries by allowing government officials to participate in WTO activities in Geneva. The interns work in their respective permanent missions in Geneva and can represent their countries at WTO meetings. Priority is given to the permanent missions of LDCs and SVEs.

France's WTO Permanent Representative, Etienne Oudot de Dainville said: "France is proud to be contributing to this programme, which helps developing countries implement their WTO commitments and participate more effectively in current and future negotiations. It is fully in line with the technical assistance mandate contained in the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration."

Ireland's WTO Ambassador, Noel White, said: "Ireland’s support for the Mission Internship Programme demonstrates our commitment to strengthened participation of LDCs and small, vulnerable, economies in international trade through the work of the WTO.”

Netherlands Trainee Programme

A total of 17 interns are participating in the 2023 edition of the Netherlands Trainee Programme. Funded by the government of the Netherlands, the programme aims to build capacities in beneficiary countries by providing government officials with an opportunity to develop their expertise on the WTO and the multilateral trading system.

Congratulating the trainees on their selection for the programme, the Netherlands' WTO Deputy Permanent Representative, Marcel Vernooij, said: “You have been given the chance of a lifetime to further your own interests and those of your country. We hope the gained expertise will assist your country in making global trade work as an engine for sustainable economic growth and job creation. I hope you will have a good experience and a successful traineeship".

The ceremony was attended by WTO ambassadors and representatives from the countries participating in the programmes.

Participants

Country

LDC

Region

Gender

Family Name

First Name

Angola

YES

Africa FR

F

ANTÓNIO

Bartolomeu Neto

Bangladesh

YES

Asia & Pacific

F

ZABEEN

S.M.Sumaiya

Cameroon

NO

Africa FR

M

ABAZE NGO'O

Samuel Armand

Comoros

YES

Africa FR

M

ZAINOUDINE

Ahamada

Djibouti

YES

Africa FR

F

SAID WABERIE

Kaltoum

Haiti

YES

LAC

F

ALCEGAIRE

Vanessa

Kyrgyz Republic

NO

CEECAC

F

SEIDIBAKASOVA

Aiperi

Lao People's Dem. Rep.

YES

Asia & Pacific

F

PHETCHANTHARATH

Chinsouda

Liberia

YES

Africa EN

M

BENJAMIN

LordErnest

Madagascar

YES

Africa FR

F

RASAMIZANAKA

Finiavana Mirindra

Mali

YES

Africa FR

M

COULIBALY

Oumar

Namibia

NO

Africa EN

F

KATEPE

Justina Ndahafa

Papua New Guinea

NO

Asia & Pacific

M

KANDU

Paul

Rwanda

YES

Africa EN

M

KARANGWA

Cassien

Samoa

NO

Asia & Pacific

M

ENOKA

Maselino

Senegal

YES

Africa FR

F

GUEYE

Ndeye Magatte

Sierra Leone

YES

Africa EN

M

BARRY

Magona

Tajikistan

NO

CEECAC

M

SHARIFOV

Siyovash

Tanzania

YES

Africa EN

M

SONGORWA

Makaya

The Gambia

YES

Africa EN

M

MENDY

David

Togo

YES

Africa FR

M

MAWUGNA

Koakou Agbeko

Zambia

YES

Africa EN

F

MWELWA

Joreen

Bhutan

YES

Asia & Pacific

M

DORJI

Sonam Tshering

Burkina Faso

YES

Africa FR

F

OUEDRAOGO

Salamata

Cambodia

YES

Asia & Pacific

M

TENG

Chivon

Côte d'Ivoire

NO

Africa FR

M

KOUASSI

David

Ecuador

NO

LAC

F

CARRIÓN RAMÍREZ

Yovana Alejandra

Gabon

NO

Africa FR

F

PEMBA NGOMA

Pierricka

Georgia

NO

CEECAC

F

KUNCHULIA

Thea

Kenya

NO

Africa EN

F

MITEI

Rose

Mauritania

YES

Africa FR

M

BA

Ibrahima

Myanmar

YES

Asia & Pacific

M

ZEYAR NYUNT

Oo

Nepal

YES

Asia & Pacific

F

NEPAL

Prabritti

Nigeria

NO

Africa EN

F

ASIKPATA

Naomi

Pakistan

NO

Asia & Pacific

M

RASOOL

Yousaf

Sudan

YES

Africa EN

M

ELHUSSEIN

Omer

Timor-Leste

YES

Asia & Pacific

M

AMARAL GODINHO de ARAUJO

Francisco

Tonga

NO

Asia & Pacific

F

ALIPATE

Esterlina

Uzbekistan

NO

CEECAC

M

ALIEV

Alijon