Taiwanese Lee Meng-lian (李孟璉) has been picked to participate in the WTO’s Young Professionals program, which aims to build trade expertise among young people.
Lee was one of 20 people selected from a field of 5,500 applicants for the program, which also seeks to broaden WTO membership representation and increase diversity, a WTO news release said on Thursday.
The 20 successful applicants to the Young Professionals program, including Lee, have already joined the WTO Secretariat since early last month and are to spend the rest of the year involved in the work of divisions across the organization, the WTO said.
Photo: Screen grab from WTO’s Facebook page
In the news release, Lin was quoted as saying that she looks forward to the year ahead with the Trade and Environment Division, as she continues to deepen her expertise in climate economics and the range of economic tools that “enable a just and resilient climate transition.”
The WTO Young Professionals program was launched in 2016 to provide an opportunity for qualified young professionals from developing and least-developed WTO member states to enhance their knowledge of the WTO and international trade issues, the Geneva-based intergovernmental organization said.
The program aims to attract professionals from under-represented countries, who can consequently improve their chances of being recruited by the WTO or other regional and international organizations, it said.
This year, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Senegal, the Seychelles and Tanzania are being represented for the first time in the program, the WTO said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Lee is the fourth Taiwanese national to be selected for the annual program since it was launched in 2016.
In a congratulatory statement, the ministry said it continues to encourage young Taiwanese professionals to apply to the program to cultivate their professional skills and contribute to international affairs, while at the same time helping to connect their country to the rest of the world.
Taiwan gained official membership in the WTO in 2002 under the name Chinese Taipei.
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