Apply now for funded Global Voices youth delegation
to The World Trade Organization!

Do you want to receive a sponsored trip to Switzerland?

Do you want the opportunity to meet world leaders?

Do you want to learn more about world trade and have your work published?

APPLY NOW

Global Voices is now calling for applications to be part of its funded youth delegations to the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum.

One spot is specifically allocated for a student from The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business & Economics.

Global Voices is a not for profit organisation seeking to promote an understanding of and participation in international diplomacy by young Australians.

The Global Voices delegation to the World Trade Organization Public Forum will consist of seven individuals and run from 22 – 30 September 2012 (inclusive of travel) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Thanks to our university partners, all of these places are provided at almost zero cost to the delegates. All flights, accommodation, visas, transfers, insurance, forum registration and most meal costs are covered.

As with all Global Voices delegations, each participant will also spend two to three months completing a Research Fellowship following initial pre-departure briefings in Canberra upon selection.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be made directly through Global Voices’ website by clicking here.

Applicants will need to be:

• Aged between 18 and 25 at the beginning of the delegation they apply for;
• Hold or be able to obtain an Australian passport that does not expire before 6-months of the end of the delegation they apply for;
• Be available for a brief and informal telephone interview the weekend of Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 August;
• Be available for two days of pre-departure briefings in Canberra on Thursday 23 & Friday 24 August;
• Be able to commit between 5-10 hours per week to prepare for the delegation in the months leading up to departure.

Applicants will be required to answer the following three questions:

1. Why do you want to attend this delegation and what knowledge, skills, qualities and experience would you bring to the delegation? (Limit 500 words)

1. How will you use the opportunity of the delegation for the benefit of others on your return to Australia? (Limit 250 words)

1. Briefly provide an overview of what you might like to consider as the basis for your research paper? (Limit 250 words)

Applicants are also required to email a copy of their resume / CV.

Applications close at midnight (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on Thursday 9 August.

All applicants will be contacted via email about the outcome of their application by Friday 17 August. Successful applicants will be flown to Canberra for pre-departure briefings as outlined above on Thursday 23 & Friday 24 August.

Please note that separate applications must be lodged if applying for multiple delegations but we strongly advise candidates to apply for the delegation they feel is most in line with their interests and experience.

While Global Voices can provide you with a standard letter to help get exams or other commitments (such as graduation ceremony) re-scheduled, please note that the final decision rests with your university or workplace. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are able to participate fully in all delegation activities.

Any questions about the application process should be emailed to the Global Voices team at the following address only after reading this information carefully: info@globalvoices.org.au

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION PUBLIC FORUM
22 – 30 SEPTEMBER 2012 (INCLUSIVE OF TRAVEL)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

The World Trade Organization is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.

The WTO Public Forum has firmly established itself as a major event at which governments, non-governmental organizations, academics, businesses and students can come together to discuss the latest issues regarding the multilateral trading system.

Alongside the Director-General of the WTO, Pascal Lamy, past speakers have included the Presidents of Costa Rica and Niger, the Director General of The World Wildlife Fund and the Executive Director of The Economist.

This year’s gathering will focus on the crisis of multilateralism including progress in the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations. Other topics will include trade monitoring, administering existing trade rules, and building trade capacity for developing countries.

For more information please visit the delegation page.

The delegation will be composed of:

• 1 student from James Cook University’s School of Arts & Social Sciences
• 1 student from Griffith University’s Honours College
• 1 student from Macquarie University’s Global Leadership Program
• 1 student from Swinburne University of Technology
• 1 student from The Australian National University
• 1 student from The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business & Economics
• 1 student from The University of Western Sydney’s Aspire Leadership Program

Please refer to any specific eligibility criteria imposed by your university below. If you do not meet their criteria or indeed are not a student of these universities then you are not eligible to apply for this delegation.

Note: Research Papers must address one of the four core themes of the forum (Food Security, Trade in Natural Resources, Made in the World & Value-Added Trade, and What Next for the Trading System?) and be specifically relevant to Australia.

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

As part of their preparation for a delegation all participants are required to undertake a Research Fellowship with Global Voices.

This commences with an initial two-days of pre-departure briefings in Canberra upon selection. This will involve meeting privately with a range of stakeholders and refining research topics. In the past this has included the Prime Minister, relevant Ministers, the Opposition, Government Departments, diplomatic missions and leading academics.

This is followed by a virtual preparatory process completed from home alongside existing commitments. This will involve a commitment of 5-10 hours per week for the months leading up to the delegation and includes the following:

• The production of a high quality research paper (between 2,500-4,000 words) on a topic relevant to the agenda of the delegation and Australia’s role within it. It must have a strong focus on practical recommendations for change or action. This will be developed through a staged process involving a research outline before a full draft version is submitted. Both documents will be reviewed by an Academic Advisor and Global Voices. This paper will be published on the Global Voices website upon completion and provided to relevant stakeholders.

• The production of an opinion piece (between 500-1,000 words) synthesising the main points of your research paper for wider public consumption. Global Voices will work with you on the final version either before or during your delegation. In the past these opinion pieces have been published by the ABC, News Limited, Fairfax, On Line Opinion, The New Internationalist and The East Asia Forum.

• Active engagement in the lead-up to your delegation through tracking preparatory negotiations, becoming actively involved with any constituent groups of the negotiations, and attending any local briefings or other events. It is expected that on a weekly basis delegates are visibly engaging with the delegation itself as well as each other and Global Voices as part of their preparation.

In the past, some university students have been successful in claiming academic credit for their Research Fellowship with Global Voices. Further information can be provided upon selection.

APPLY NOW