United Nations Young Professionals Program (YPP)

Useful Programs United Nations Young Professionals Program (YPP)

The UN Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a recruitment initiative for talented, highly qualified professionals to start a career as an international civil servant with the UN Secretariat. It consists of an entrance examination and professional development programs once successful candidates start their career with the UN.

Depending on the staffing needs of the United Nations, applicants are invited to apply for different exam subjects – Political Affairs, Economic Affairs, Social Development, Information Systems, Public Information, Legal Affairs, and others.

Please, check out the link to the official website HERE

I. REQUIREMENTS

  • National of un- or under-represented countries in the UN Secretariat (updated annually);
  • 32 or younger in the year of application;
  • At least a first-level university degree in a field relevant to the exam subject;
  • Fluent in English or French.

II. SELECTION PROCESS

Online Application

The YPP program announces eligibility criteria in April-May each year, followed by an application period in June-August. The applications are accepted through Inspira using a Personal History Profile (PHP) form – an online resume used by the UN Secretariat.

Screening


The applications are screened by special software, which automatically filters eligible candidates. In case there are over 60 eligible candidates from one country applying for one exam area, a second screening round is conducted. The system ranks candidates based on the three criteria: highest level of education completed, knowledge of official UN languages, and relevant work experience. Candidates ranked highest are reviewed by the examination board and invited to sit the written examination.

Written Examination

The YPP written examination is conducted online from 2017 and may consist of one or two stages in October-February, deepening on the exam subject. It includes multiple choice items and constructed response items to test your knowledge of the exam subject, your ability to apply it in the UN environment, as well as your critical thinking and analyzing skills.

Interview
The oral examination consists of a competency-based interview conducted online in April-June. Each candidate will be interviewed by a panel of members of the YPP Board on the compliance with three core competencies of the United Nations: Professionalism, Planning & Organizing, Teamwork.

Roster & Placement

Those who are successful in the YPP process will be placed on a roster used to fill appropriate vacancies across the UN Secretariat with membership valid for a period of three years. Candidates selected from the roster will be offered a two-year fixed-term contract. After two years and subject to satisfactory performance, they may be granted a continuing contract

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