Deadline: August 22, 2017 | Apply here
Eligibility: You must hold at least a first-level university degree relevant for the exam subject you are applying for. You must be 32 or younger from eligible country (list below)

UN Young Professionals Programme 2017

The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a recruitment initiative for talented, highly qualified professionals to start a career as an international civil servant with the United Nations Secretariat.

It consists of an entrance examination and professional development programmes once successful candidates start their career with the UN.

Basic application criteria:

• The YPP examination is held once a year and is open to nationals of countries participating in the annual recruitment exercise.
• You must have the nationality of a participating country.
• You must hold at least a first-level university degree relevant for the exam subject you are applying for.
• You must be 32 or younger in the year of the examination.
• You must be fluent in either English or French.

Participating Countries

Each year, countries that are un- or under-represented in the United Nations, are invited to take part in the Young Professionals Programme.

Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam

YPP Examinations 2017

• Political, Peace, Humanitarian and Human Rights (POLNET)
• Information Management, Public Information and Multimedia Production (INFONET)
• Administration, Evaluation, Finance, Human Resources, Investigation, Procurement (MAGNET)

The marking of the written examination is usually completed within 3-4 months of the examination. The interviews normally take place 1–2 months after the written examination has been marked.

As a successful YPP candidate, you will be placed on a reserve list of qualified candidates who can be selected for available positions within the Organization. Offers of posts are made quarterly to successful candidates and are subject to the requirements of the Organization. You may also be contacted for temporary positions.

Successful candidates will be placed on their respective rosters in July and will remain on the roster for the duration of two years. After two years the roster closes. Those not placed within these two years will no longer be considered for posts and will have to re-take the YPP examination if they wish to be reconsidered.

Your placement level can only be at a P-1 or P-2 level. Successful candidates holding a bachelor’s degree and no work experience will be offered placement at the P-1 level. Successful candidates holding a bachelor’s degree and two years of work experience, or a master’s degree and no work experience, will be offered placement at the P-2 level. You are expected to serve for a minimum of two years in that position before being considered for appointment to another position.

Once a year, junior professionals with a minimum of 2 years in their first function will be invited to participate in a Managed Reassignment Program (MRP). They are invited to select other positions of interest to them so they can be reassigned to another position, normally in a different department and duty station.

The objective of this programme is to provide Junior Professional staff with new opportunities to diversify and develop their career, to acquire new skills and to consolidate a solid foundation for their career advancement. It should be noted that staff are responsible for selecting as many positions as possible in order to maximise their chances of reassignment.

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