WTO Youth Ambassador Programme

The WTO launched the “WTO Youth Ambassador Programme” during the closing session of the 2011 Public Forum. The idea of a WTO Youth Ambassador Programme was suggested in a video submitted by two young Australians within the framework of the 2011 Public Forum Video Contest.

Their idea was based on the fact that “at present, young people have very little say at international organizations such as the WTO. These young people are tomorrow’s world leaders. And now more than ever, they need to sit at the table of global discussions. We should be using the young people of today to address the global challenges of tomorrow”.

See also:

> Information for students and young professionals

> WTO Public Forum 2011 “Seeking answers to global trade challenges”

Objectives of the WTO Youth Ambassador Programme

The WTO Youth Ambassador Programme aims to raise awareness of international economic governance issues among young people, encourage their engagement in public policy discussions, and bring new perspectives to the debates. Its starting point is a contest. To participate, contestants must provide their response to a trade-related question. Submissions can be made in the form either of a video or an essay.

 

Video/essay contest

Participants are required to make a short video (no more than three minutes) or write a brief essay (up to 1,000 words) that addresses the following question:

How can trade promote development?

In their submissions participants should highlight the importance of the issue, describe the main challenges and propose policy recommendations.

 

Eligibility

Participants must be at least 18 years of age, and no older than 25 years of age, on the date of submission of their essay or video. Proof of age will be required from all finalists.

All submissions (video and essay) shall be accompanied by a one-page (300 words maximum) text in which the participants outline the activities that they intend to undertake as WTO Youth Ambassadors to promote the principles and values of the multilateral trading system within their communities, should they win the contest. This is an opportunity for participants to demonstrate how the role of the WTO Youth Ambassador can be used to make a positive impact.

 

Deadline for submissions

The deadline for all submissions is midnight (Geneva time) on 30 June 2012. All essay submissions should be sent either as a Word document or as a PDF to youth.ambassador.program@wto.org indicating Youth Ambassador Contest in the subject line.

To submit a video, the contestant must be a registered user of YouTube or another online video sharing site. To sign up for an account on YouTube, please visit http://www.youtube.com/create_account

The submission must be in English, French or Spanish, or must be subtitled in one of those languages.  For simple instructions on how to create closed captioned subtitles for YouTube videos, please see http://www.youtube.com/t/captions_about

Upload your video message to www.youtube.com or another online video sharing site using your personal account, with the tag: WTOvideo2012.

 

Selection panel

A selection panel made up of four WTO staff and the Chairman of the General Council or his/her representative will be responsible for choosing the finalists for each category. Winners will be selected on the basis of creativity, originality, message content, overall presentation and policy recommendations.

 

Prize

The winner of the best video and essay submission will be invited to the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland to present their ideas at the WTO Public Forum from 24 to 26 September 2012. The WTO will fund and organize the trip.

The finalists for each category will be selected in mid-July 2012. Finalists will be notified by e-mail and their names will be published on the website of the WTO Public Forum. No other participants will be contacted.

 

Publication

The winning essay will be published in the WTO Public Forum Publication and the winning video will be posted on the WTO’s YouTube channel and featured on the WTO’s social media platforms.

Please read the full Terms and Conditions.