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.
Applications can only be submitted online through the Online Web Application (OWA) of the UN/DESA Office in Rome.
The deadline for submitting applications is 15 December 2022 at 3 pm (CET/Italian local time) .
Before starting the application process, please read ALL documents concerning the JPO Programme and its eligibility criteria.
Registering with the Online Web Application (OWA)
To register with the Online Web Application (OWA), click on the following link: Online Web Application (OWA).
It is recommended to use internet browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. For optimal visibility of the web-based form, ensure in advance your screen resolution is set at a MINIMUM of 1280 x 1024 pixels and your internet browser zoom at a MAXIMUM of 100%.
Once registered, you will receive an automatically generated message requesting verification/confirmation of your account information. Kindly note that some systems may forward accidentally the message to the JUNK or SPAM folder. Please check this folder if you do not see the message in your Inbox.
Following verification of your registration, you may log in and enter your profile data, i.e. personal details, contact details, family details and information on your nationality and residence.
Creating your online application
Once registration is completed, you may begin creating your online application [Press “Create Application” button].
If you have already applied to previous editions of either the JPO or the Fellowships Programme via the Online Web Application (OWA) of the UN/DESA Office in Rome, your new application will automatically retrieve the contents of your most recent online submission.
Candidates who retrieve their last application must review ALL contents and make the necessary changes and/or add information where appropriate before clicking the ’SUBMIT’ button.
Compiling your online application
Please allow sufficient time to complete your application, bearing in mind that you may stop/start as often as you wish in order to facilitate correct data entry.
ALL sections must be completed in English. Applications completed or partially completed in Italian will be disregarded. The OWA system allows you to copy and paste text from another Word document using the Copy (Ctrl+C) and Paste (Ctrl+V) keyboard shortcuts.
To avoid potential data loss it is strongly recommended to press the ‘SAVE’ button once you have completed each section.
There are seven (7) sections in the online Application Form, as follows:
1. General information
You will be requested to provide information on how you learned about the Programme and what your preferred field of work is.
2. Skills
You will be requested to provide details of your language and computer skills. You may also list any publications, where relevant.
3. University /Higher Education
This section allows you to provide details of your university/higher education studies. Please ensure you include all institutions and clearly list the university degree(s) conferred. You will also be requested to provide information on your university activities, including relevant seminars, specialist courses and final dissertation(s).
In this section, you must upload a copy of the relevant university degree certificate attesting eligibility for the JPO Programme, such as:
– PhD, or
– Laurea Magistrale/Specialistica, or
– Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico, or
– University Master’s degree
Graduates in Medicine who were already awarded a post-graduate medical specialization must upload a copy of this degree.
Do NOT upload a copy of your undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s / Laurea Triennale).
4. Schools and training
This section allows you to list any formal training courses that you have undertaken. Education history information from age 14 onwards must also be included.
5. Employment history
You will be requested to provide details of all relevant work experience to date, specifying as follows: contract information, description of your duties and achievements, as well as reasons for leaving. Please use a separate record for each post. You may also include voluntary work and internships.
6. Motivation letter
This section allows you to briefly outline your reasons for applying to the JPO Programme. You may also highlight here your strengths and interests.
7. Additional information and Submission
This section allows you to list professional societies and activities in civic, public or international affairs, as well as information regarding any fellowships held and/or periods of residence outside the country of your nationality.
Uploading your university degree certificate
The OWA system allows you to upload only one PDF file. You must upload a copy of your university degree certificate attesting eligibility for the JPO Programme. Do NOT upload a copy of your undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s / Laurea Triennale). The PDF document must not exceed 1MB.
As an alternative to a degree certificate you may upload a signed self-certification document (autocertificazione) provided that the degree has been awarded by an Italian university. This self-certification must include given name and family name, date and place of birth, university degree obtained, date of award, name of the Italian university, final grade and credits obtained. In order to be valid, this self-certification must be dated and signed (handwritten signature only).
Self-certification documents which have a computer keyboard-generated signature, are unsigned or otherwise incomplete will not be accepted and the application will be rejected.
Candidates who have graduated from non-Italian universities cannot submit a self-certification document and must submit a copy of the degree awarded.
If you do not upload certification for one of the university degrees attesting eligibility for the JPO Programme, your application will not be deemed valid.
N.B. Do not upload certificates of qualifications awarded by non-university institutions/entities unless they have been formally recognized by a University system.