Maria Perez Esteve has been a Counsellor in the Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2012. The Council and TNC Division provides assistance and all related services to the WTO’s key governing bodies: the Ministerial Conference; the General Council; the Trade Negotiations Committee and the Dispute Settlement Body. The Division also carries out technical cooperation activities and regularly assists the Office of the Director-General. Previously she served in the Information and External Relations Division (2006-2012), as the coordinator of the WTO Annual Public Forum, and as Economic Affairs Officer in the Agriculture and Commodities Division (2002-2006). Maria has been involved in international trade matters since 1999. Before joining the WTO, she worked as Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) where she dealt with trade, environment and development issues. She holds a BA in Political Science and French Literature from the University of Illinois (U.S.) and a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Geneva (Switzerland).

Her research looked at the efforts to achieve regional economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, and assessed the European Union as a potential model for further Asia-Pacific integration.