The Italian Junior Professional Officer Programme (JPO) is a multilateral technical cooperation initiative by the Government of Italy 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 young qualified 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.
Candidates must meet all the following requirements for the 2020/2021 edition:
- born on or after 1 January 1990 (1 January 1989 for graduates in Medicine; 1 January 1987 for graduates in Medicine who have already a post-graduate medical specialization degree)
- Italian nationality
- fluency in English and Italian
- advanced university degree awarded before the application deadline, such as:
- 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 2020/2021 edition, a limited number of positions will be assigned to candidates from developing countries. The list of the eligible countries is available in the official website.
Given the highly competitive nature of the Italian JPO Programme, the following are 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 should 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 have the possibility to attend a Webinar on one of the following dates:
- 01 December 2020 (5 p.m.)
- 11 December 2020 (10:30 a.m.)
- 17 December 2020 (5 p.m.)
- 22 December 2020 (10:30 a.m.)
(N.B. prior online enrolment is mandatory)
The deadline for submitting applications is 29 December 2020 at 3 p.m. (Italian local time).
Before starting the application process, please read carefully the How to Apply webpage.
For additional information, please consult the relevant webpages on www.undesa.it or email the UN/DESA Office in Rome at [email protected].
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