Willy ALFARO

Willy Alfaro is the former Director of Trade Polices Review Division at the WTO (2014 to 2023), responsible for: the surveillance and monitoring of all WTO Members’ trade policies, the Regional Trade Agreements Committee, and the Balance-of-Payments Committee. His final assignment, before his retirement in August 2024, was to lead the work on the development of the WTO Secretariat’s Vision and Strategy 2030 under the leadership of Director-General Ngozi Okongo Iweala.

Willy had a long career as an international civil servant for more than 35 years.  He joined the GATT in 1989, after having worked as consultant in the International Trade Centre (ITC) and as teaching assistant at the University of Geneva.  He continued his work at the WTO since its establishment in 1995.  During his service at the GATT and WTO he worked in several technical and policy-oriented areas, including managerial responsibilities. In addition to being Director of Vision & Strategy and of the Trade Policies Review Division, he was also Director of Trade and Environment Division and Director of the External Relations Division.  Willy also worked in the Cabinet of two Directors-General:  as Counsellor to Director-General Renato Ruggiero (1995 to 1999) and as Deputy Chief of Staff to Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi (2002 to 2005).

During his service in the Trade Policies Review Division, he oversaw the production of more than 200 TPRs covering almost all WTO Members and was also at the origins of the Trade Monitoring Exercise launched in the context of the Global Financial Crisis.  As Director of External Relations Division, he contributed to the strengthening of institutional relations with the private sector and NGOs, and to the expansion of the WTO’s Public Forum. He was member of several internal management committees at the WTO, including as Chair of the Joint Appeals Board.

Willy holds a Degree in Economics and a post-graduate Masters’ Degree in Econometrics from the University of Geneva. He is currently an independent consultant on international trade and trade policy and a regular guest lecturer in universities in Europe and Latin America.  Willy has Swiss and Bolivian nationalities.