Overview

Type: Fellowship

Location: Italy

Value: Not Specified

Application Deadline: 15 December 2022

About the Programme

The Italian Junior Professional Officers Programme – also known as the JPO Programme – is a multilateral development cooperation initiative sponsored by the Government of Italy and implemented by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA). It enables qualified Italian nationals holding an advanced university degree (Master’s level) who have an excellent knowledge of English and Italian and who are not more than 30 years of age (31 or 33 for graduates in medicine and surgery) to gain work experience with international organizations for a period of two years, with the possibility of a further one-year extension. A limited number of positions are assigned to candidates from eligible developing countries (Least Developed Countries and priority Countries for the Italian Development Cooperation).

The purpose of the Programme is two-fold: on the one hand, it assists international organizations in carrying out their activities by providing them with skilled personnel; on the other, it allows qualified young professionals seeking an international career to make a relevant experience that could broaden their chances of recruitment in international organizations or in the international field.

The Programme stems from a United Nations Economic and Social Council resolution adopted in 1961, which approved and encouraged the collaboration of volunteers (funded by their respective countries of origin) in development cooperation initiatives and programmes.

Eligibility requirements for applicants

Candidates must meet all the following requirements to be considered eligible for the 2022/2023 edition:

• born on or after 1 January 1992 (1 January 1991 for graduates in Medicine; 1 January 1989 for graduates in Medicine who have already been awarded a post-graduate medical specialization degree).
• Italian nationality
• fluency in English and Italian
• hold one of the following advanced university degrees (or degree combinations), awarded before the application deadline:
• Laurea Magistrale/Specialistica.
• Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico.
• Laurea/Laurea Triennale plus university Master’s degree.
• Bachelor’s degree plus university Master’s degree.

For the 2022/2023 edition, a limited number of positions will be assigned to candidates from developing countries (Least Developed Countries and priority Countries for the Italian Development Cooperation). These candidates must meet all the following requirements to be considered eligible for the 2022/2023 edition:

• born on or after 1 January 1992 (1 January 1991 for graduates in Medicine; 1 January 1989 for graduates in Medicine who have already been awarded a post-graduate medical specialization degree)
• hold the passport of one of the following UN Member States or non-Member Observer States: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, State of Palestine, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia.
• fluency in English
• hold one of the following advanced university degrees (or degree combinations), awarded before the application deadline:
• Laurea Magistrale/Specialistica.
• Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico.
• Laurea/LaureaTriennale plus university Master’s degree.
• Bachelor’s degree plus university Master’s degree.

Additional skills and qualifications

Given the highly competitive nature of the Italian JPO Programme, as well as the increasingly demanding skillsets and level of experience sought by International Organizations, the following qualifications are considered important elements during the evaluation phase:

• knowledge of other UN official languages / languages spoken in developing countries
• additional academic qualifications and/or training courses
• solid professional work experience
• key competencies such as client orientation, teamwork, communication, accountability, planning and organizing.

Candidates are expected to be motivated and willing to adapt to different work environments. Furthermore, they must at all times demonstrate commitment to the core values of the United Nations, i.e. integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity.

Fields of expertise

The level of training, specialization and prior professional experience expected of Junior Professional Officers may vary from year to year according to the specific requests from the recipient organizations.

The ample and varied professional opportunities offered by the Italian JPO Programme concern a wide range of work sectors, from which scientific fields are not excluded. Therefore, in addition to the social sciences, humanities and business disciplines profiles, applications by candidates with a background in natural and applied sciences – such as, but not limited to, physics (including nuclear physics), chemistry, engineering (including aerospace, informatics and nuclear) and architecture, medicine (including public health), psychology and biology – are also encouraged.

Fields of expertise include – but are not limited to – the following areas: political and disarmament affairs, peacekeeping and peacebuilding; humanitarian affairs, resettlements and refugees; disaster risk reduction; sustainable development, including environment and climate change, water and sanitation, natural resources conservation, land degradation and desertification, biodiversity, forests management, etc.; migration and development; economic development, including public finance, public management, microcredit, risk management, marketing, etc.; employment and decent work; social development, including social protection and gender, disabilities, indigenous and youth issues; governance, public institutions and administration, and local development; statistics, demography and data management; international law and legal affairs; rule of law, justice and electoral issues; children’s rights and adolescent development; nutrition, food security and safety, and sustainable agricultural development; sustainable energy, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology; safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies; health, well-being and sanitation issues; urban development, including smart cities, and sustainable human settlements; world heritage preservation, culture and education; science and technology; information and communication technology for development, digital cooperation and artificial intelligence; communications for development; external relations and partnerships; private sector and industry development; sustainable infrastructure planning and management; logistics, supply chain management and project management.

Selection Process

PROGRAMME PAGE