The ACWL is pleased to announce that the 2022-2023 cycle of its Secondment Programme for Trade Lawyers has begun. On 3 October 2022, four government lawyers, Ms Valentina Botello León from Colombia, Ms Edmée Ratefinanahary Rantoarivola from Madagascar, Ms Bwalya Mwansa Salamu from Zambia and Ms Hoang Mai Tran from Viet Nam joined the ACWL as the newest participants in the Secondment Programme. These lawyers were selected from 48 eligible candidates that were nominated by the governments.
The Secondment Programme gives lawyers from the governments of least-developed countries (LDCs) and developing country ACWL Members the opportunity to broaden their professional experience in the field of WTO law by joining the ACWL’s staff as paid trainees for a nine-month term. The Programme provides the seconded lawyers with both theoretical training and practical experience in WTO law and an opportunity to participate actively in WTO dispute settlement proceedings.
To date, lawyers from 20 developing countries and 12 LDCs have been trained under the Programme, including 35 women and 19 men.
Ms Valentina Botello León, Ms Edmée Ratefinanahary Rantoarivola, Ms Bwalya Mwansa Salamu and Ms Hoang Mai Tran will remain at the ACWL until 30 June 2023, when they will return to their government positions.
In June 2022, Ms Kadijatu Zainab Bangura from Sierra Leone, Ms Andrea Maria Gonzalez from El Salvador, and Mr. Abraham Zaqi Kromah from Liberia, completed their Secondments and returned to their government positions.
Invitations to nominate candidates for the 2023-2024 term of the Secondment Programme will be sent to ACWL developing country Members and to the LDCs that are entitled to the services of the ACWL in February 2023.
6 December 2022