Junior Professional Officer Programme (JPO) 2021/2022
The Italian Junior Professional Officer Programme (JPO) is a multilateral technical cooperation initiative sponsored by the Government of Italy through the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and implemented by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA). It enables Italian citizens and citizens of eligible developing countries holding an advanced university degree to gain work experience with international organizations for a period of two years.
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 for a period of two years; on the other, it allows qualified young professionals seeking an international career the opportunity of two years’ work experience that will broaden their chances of finding a suitable job in international organizations or in the international field.
For the 2021/2022 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). The list of the eligible countries is available from the website www.undesa.it.
Candidates from developing countries must meet all the following requirements to be considered eligible:
- born on or after 1 January 1991 (1 January 1990 for graduates in Medicine; 1 January 1988 for graduates in Medicine who have already been awarded a post-graduate medical
specialization degree) - fluency in English (knowledge of Italian will be considered an asset)
- advanced university degree awarded before the application deadline, such as:
– Laurea Magistrale/Specialistica
– Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico
– Laurea/LaureaTriennale plus university Master’s degree
– Bachelor’s degree plus university Master’s degree.
Given the highly competitive nature of the Italian JPO Programme, as well as the increasingly demanding skillsets and levels of experience sought by International Organizations, the following are frequently considered important assets:
Knowledge of other UN official languages/languages spoken in developing countries
Additional academic qualifications and/or training courses
Solid professional work experience (minimum one year)
Key competencies such as client orientation, teamwork, communication, accountability,
planning and organization.
Candidates are expected to be motivated, flexible and willing to adapt to different environments.
At all times they must demonstrate commitment to the core values of the United Nations, i.e. integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity.
For practical advice on preparing an application to the Italian JPO Programme, candidates are invited to attend a Webinar on one of the following dates (N.B. prior online enrolment is mandatory via www.undesa.it):
07 December 2021 (10:30 am)
13 December 2021 (5 pm)
17 December 2021 (10:30 am)
22 December 2021 (5 pm)
The deadline for submitting applications to the 2021/2022 round of the Italian JPO Programme is 30 December 2021 at 3 p.m. (Italian local time).
Before starting the application process, please read carefully the How to Apply webpage.
Applications to the Programme can only be submitted online through the Online Web Application tool (OWA) of the UN/DESA Office in Rome. It is no longer possible to submit applications via alternative channels.
Only short-listed applicants will be informed by UN/DESA about the positive outcome of the preselection process.
For additional information, please consult the relevant webpages on www.undesa.it or email the UN/DESA Office in Rome at JPOinfo@undesa.it.
To register with the Online Web Application (OWA), click on the following link: Online Web Application (OWA).
The post UN/DESA – Italy-funded JPO Programme 2021 / 2022 appeared first on O4UG.
