The Italian Junior Professional Officer Programme, known as JPO Programme, is a multilateral development 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 qualified Italian nationals and nationals of eligible developing countries to gain work experience with international organizations for a period of two years, with the possibility of a further one-year extension.
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.
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 nationalityfluency in English and Italianadvanced university degree awarded beforethe application deadline, such as:Laurea Magistrale/SpecialisticaLaurea Magistrale a ciclo unicoLaurea/Laurea Triennaleplus university Master’s degreeBachelor’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). The list of the eligible countries is available at 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 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)fluency in Englishadvanced university degree awarded before the application deadline, such as:Laurea Magistrale/SpecialisticaLaurea Magistrale a ciclo unicoLaurea/LaureaTriennale plus university Master’s degreeBachelor’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 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 countriesAdditional academic qualifications and/or training coursesSolid professional work experienceKey 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. At all times they must demonstrate commitment to the core values of the United Nations, i.e. integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity.
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.
For information and practical advice on how to prepare the application to the Italian JPO Programme, candidates are invited to attend a Webinar on one of the following dates. Prior online enrolment is mandatory via www.undesa.it:
28 October 2022 (10:30 am – Italy local time)3 November 2022 (5:00 pm – Italy local time)11 November 2022 (10:30 am – Italy local time)22 November 2022 (5.00 pm – Italy local time)1 December 2022 (10:30 am – Italy local time)9 December 2022 (5:00 pm – Italy local time)
The deadline for submitting applications to the 2022/2023 round of the Italian JPO Programme is 15 December 2022 at 3 p.m. (Italy local time).
Before starting the application process, please read carefully the How to Applywebpage.
Applications to the Programme can only be submitted online through the Online Web Application tool (OWA) of the UN/DESA Office in Rome. Applications submitted through other channels will not be taken into consideration.
Due to the significant number of applications foreseen, only short-listed applicants will be informed by UN/DESA about the positive outcome of the pre-selection process.
For additional information, please consult the relevant webpages on www.undesa.itor email the UN/DESA Office in Rome at JPOinfo@undesa.it.