Live the Big dream with the UN Young Professionals Programme

Write your destiny and make history! The UN Young Professionals Programme is a recruitment initiative meant for talented & enthusiastic youngsters to start a career as international civil servants with the United Nations Secretariat. Let's have a quick glimpse at this programme -
**Introduction **
The United Nations Young Professionals Programme, or simply UN YPP is an annual event that is targeted at recruiting distinguished young professionals from different parts of the world. Over 50,000 candidates from a pre-selected list of invited member states apply each year for a chance to work as an international civil servant with the United Nations Secretariat. Successful applicants are invited to participate in a professional development program. This enables them to start a successful career with the organization.
The Role of International Civil Servants is to serve the ideals of peace, respect for fundamental rights, economic and social progress, and international cooperation. The acceptance rate of the UN YPP is currently estimated to be around 100 individuals. The P-1 and P-2 positions offered to candidates who succeed in this selection process are entry-level professional posts, hence they do not require extensive work experience.
Eligibility and Requirements
-Age Limit: Must be between 18 years to 32 years to apply.
-Language: Fluency in speaking, writing, reading and understanding English or French is required. Anything less than “Fluent” during the application process will be automatically considered unqualified. All the examination process tests are available in both languages. Knowledge of another UN official language like Arabic, Chinese, Russian and/or Spanish is an advantage.
-Nationality: The “participating countries”, which is based on a quota system (as it aims to ensure diversity within the UN Secretariat workforce), are invited to participate in the selection each year. The list changes every year and to apply, candidates must have the nationality of at least one of the shortlisted Member States.
-Education: The candidates must hold a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent degree of a minimum of three years) relevant to the exam area in which he/she is applying for. The candidate’s academic qualifications should be in areas correlated to the UN YPP exam areas for that year and which they intend to apply for.
-Work Experience: Previous professional experience is essentially not required. However, if there are more than 60 from the same country applying for the UN Young Professionals Programme, relevant work experience will be used to rank candidates.
-Eligible Countries: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, China, Comoros, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Qatar, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Russia, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam.
-Application Period: The YPP exam is conducted for participating countries on an annual basis in different subject areas. The Application usually starts around the month of June every year. And the list of participating countries varies from year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How often are YPP examinations held?
Depending on the needs of the UN, the YPP examination is held once a year in different subjects. Each year the UN invites unrepresented and under-represented Member States to participate in the programme which is up to the Member States to decide whether they want to participate.
When will the results of the YPP examination be declared? How will the students be notified?
The evaluation of the written examination is usually completed within 3-4 months of the examination date. The interviews normally take place 1–2 months after the written examination has been marked.
Do I need to prove my nationality? What kind of proof will be accepted?
All the candidates must present a valid picture ID issued by the state authority. The ID needs to prove the candidate's nationality as well as identity. Examples of such IDs are national passports or national identity cards, but not a driver’s license or a birth certificate.
What kind of job opportunities/responsibilities were successful candidates assigned?
-Political, Peace and Humanitarian (POLNET): Civil affairs, Human rights affairs, Electoral affairs, Humanitarian affairs, Political affairs, Security institutions, and Rule of law.
-Management and Administration (MAGNET): Administration, Finance, Audit, Ethics, Human Resources, Inspection and evaluation, Investigation, Investment management, Procurement, Management and analysis
-Public Information and Conference Management (INFONET): Conference services, Language, Public Information, Documentation and information management, Protocol
What benefits are provided?
A United Nations staff member may also be entitled to other allowances and benefits including:
-Care allowance, if you have eligible dependent spouses and/or children.
-In some cases, you can get an education grant if you have eligible children at school.
-Travel and transportation costs, when moving from one service station to another.
-The stipend grant helps you cover initial special expenses when you arrive or move to a new workplace.
-In some duty stations, a hardship allowance related to living and working conditions is paid and, where restrictions are placed on bringing in family members, a non-family hardship allowance is also paid.
-Risk pay and rest and recuperation time when working in particularly dangerous, stressful and difficult conditions.
Leave and vacation, depending on the type of contract you have, you are entitled to between 18 and 30 days of vacation each year. In addition, the UN has 10 days of paid leave per year, this varies by a service station.
-Health insurance, you will be eligible for one of the United Nations-sponsored health insurance plans. Monthly premiums are split between you and the agency.
Key Takeaways
Each year, the United Nations offers a two-three-year recruitment program of UNYPP for young professionals from different countries to work in the UN secretariat. The UNYPP will provide job opportunities for young professionals with limited experience to work in the United Nations and obtain a skill and professional development program.
Conclusion
The UN YPP is a lucrative opportunity for the new generation of youth who have just graduated from college and have little to no real work experience to make a good starting point in their career. Working in such a renowned platform will strengthen their resumes and enable them to become eligible for further opportunities in future.
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