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Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (May24/12) Geneva, 21 May (D. Ravi Kanth) — The World Trade Organization on 17 May issued its “annual report on diversity in the WTO Secretariat” to highlight the measures it has adopted in response to a Joint Statement issued by a group of developing countries almost 14 years ago, but the report seemingly fails to address the low levels of staff representation of women from developing countries, said people familiar with the report. Even in the case of promotions, women from the trans-Atlantic countries seem to be given priority as compared to women from developing and least-developed countries (LDCs), said people who asked not to be identified. The report also failed to address the concerns raised by India back in 2020 on WTO staff representation from developing countries (see below), said people who asked not to be quoted. In a restricted report (WT/BFA/W/673) issued on 17 May, seen by the SUNS, the annual report on diversity in the WTO Secretariat for 2023 provided a set of measures adopted/implemented “in response to measures proposed in a Joint Statement by Brazil, China, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and South Africa” in 2010. The Joint Statement by the seven countries in 2010 raised the following points: 1. A Strengthened Diversification Policy: This could be achieved by revising the Staff Regulation with more elaborated language on diversification or by formulating a separate statement or policy paper on diversification to be approved by the General Council. The language could be closely aligned with the UN Organizations, World Bank, IMF, ITC, etc. 2. An Enhanced Recruitment with Diversification: This could be achieved by inserting in future recruitment notices a clear-cut language to give preference to candidates from under/non-represented members subject to their meeting eligibility criteria. 3. An Improved Outreach to Potential Candidates: This could be achieved by adding new dimension to existing activities of the WTO, particularly the TRTA (trade-related technical assistance) activities such as Trade Policy Courses, Regional and National Workshops, Public Forum and Geneva Week to further improve the dissemination of relevant information and reach out to potential candidates, particularly those from under/non- represented Members. 4. A Regular Review of the Situation and Discussion on Way Forward: This could be achieved with a regular review based on the annual report by the Secretariat on diversity as contained in DG’s 2010-2011 biennium budget proposals and subsequent discussion among Members on the way forward. CBFA should report such reviews and discussions and possible measures to be taken to the General Council. In response to the above issues, the WTO maintained that “following the appointment of a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer in March 2024, some changes have been introduced to the report with a view to provide a more comprehensive picture on the status of diversity, equity and inclusion in the WTO Secretariat.” “Like previous reports,” it said that “the 2023 Annual Report provides detailed data on the composition of the WTO workforce as at 31 December 2023 by gender and geography, as well as its evolution since 1995.” The report highlighted “new insights into diversity in recruitment, showing gender and geographic statistics at each step of the recruitment process and highlighting possible measures to make existing processes more equitable and inclusive.” Further, it said “as a new feature, the report looks at how diversity translates into the two types of promotion opportunities available at the WTO and the measures that will be introduced to ensure that merit and diversity are mutually reinforcing.” The WTO said that “the report showcases a number of initiatives under consideration to support a more diverse, equitable and inclusive WTO Secretariat.” DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION The report contends that “diversity is key to an international organization like the WTO, whose Secretariat should represent the diversity of its membership and the people it serves.” It argues that “a diverse workforce helps facilitate better collaboration and understanding between Members with different legal systems and cultural negotiation styles.” According to the report, “diversity is also known to foster creativity and innovation, which are critical to address challenges facing global trade such as digital trade and environmental sustainability.” The report argued that “diversity needs to be accompanied by equity and inclusion strategies, in order to address systemic barriers and create a level playing field in an organization where everyone feels valued.” It said “equity recognizes that people – like Members – start from different positions and ensures that everyone has access to the same opportunities.” However, in the absence of a level-playing field given the historical disparities between the developed countries and some developing countries on the one side, and a large majority of developing and least-developed countries on the other, some specific policies akin to positive affirmation may be needed, said people who asked not to be quoted. The report suggested that “inclusion goes beyond representation to make sure that diverse voices are heard, respected and integrated into decision-making processes such as international trade negotiations.” It argued that “like many modern organizations, the WTO was created at a time when Western men were predominant in the workforce. Its demographic make-up therefore tends to reflect this historical legacy, which requires time and intentional actions to durably transform.” Therefore, it said that “improving DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion)” is a “key strategic priority of the WTO Secretariat.” “The Secretariat seeks to build an organization that is representative, in terms of staffing, of the Members it serves and in which gender equality, diversity, equity and inclusion principles are front and centre in decision making,” the report claimed. According to the report, “women account for 55.6% of WTO staff overall, outnumbering men by 360 to 288.” “However, as a general pattern, the higher the grade, the fewer women there are,” the report said. Figures provided in Annex 11 of the report suggest that “among professional staff, women represented 48.8% in 2023 (compared to 31% in 1995). Among the support staff, women represented 67.5% in 2023 (compared to 72.2% in 1995).” The report, however, did not explain why women staff from developing countries and LDCs are seemingly given a raw deal when it comes to promotion to the middle and higher levels, said a person from the Secretariat who asked not to be quoted. STAFF REPRESENTATION Not long ago, India made a detailed statement calling for appropriate measures to be taken to increase the number of staff from the country in the Secretariat, as its staff representation has remained stagnant in the past 25 years. India argued that “the staff representation of many members, including India, has remained stagnant in the past 25 years. For instance, India’s share in the total WTO staff in 1995 was 2.2 percent and now it is 2.1 percent.” “Almost no change! In the professional staff category, it has in fact gone down from 4.1 percent in 1995 to 3.5 percent in 2019,” India pointed out in a statement made at a meeting of the WTO’s Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration (CBFA). India said, “It is not that there is not enough interest among Indians or other developing country candidates to work at the secretariat. In fact, in 2019, the highest number of applicants, across staff categories, were from India.” India pointed out that just five countries – constituting only 3 percent of the membership – account for nearly 50 percent of the total staff strength, adding that “not surprisingly”, these are all developed country members. “Therefore, we call upon more measures and active efforts to increase the diversity of the secretariat. We will work with the secretariat to achieve the diversity that the WTO truly deserves,” it added. Significantly, developing countries and LDCs that account for more than three-quarters of the WTO membership account for only 30 percent of the staff. On the other hand, the developed countries, constituting less than one quarter of the WTO membership, account for 70 per cent of the staff. “It is clearly evident that select developed countries continue to enjoy some kind of special and differential treatment (S&DT) in recruitment at the WTO, but often the narrative is to accuse and defame the developing countries for their legitimate S&DT entitlements in WTO agreements,” India argued. While it may be true that diversity is a sine qua non for fostering creativity and innovation in global trade, the real challenge facing the WTO at this juncture is to find its raison d’etre to “stay afloat” amidst the poly-crises that seem to tear apart the multilateral trading system and the WTO itself, said people who asked not to be quoted. The WTO is being rapidly challenged by the two trans-Atlantic giants that created it in 1995 at the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, said people who asked not to be quoted. At a time when some WTO members are allegedly making efforts to undermine the Marrakesh Agreement, particularly the cardinal principle of consensus-based decision-making, it is imperative to ensure that the WTO remains wedded to its original principles, said people who asked not to be quoted. +
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