The United Nations Young Professionals Programme 2022 (Ypp): Start Your Career At The United Nations: Deadline:31 December 2022

The United Nations Young Professionals Programme (YPP)

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

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

YPP Exam

• The YPP examination is held once a year in different subject areas, depending on the needs of the UN.
• YPP is open to nationals of participating countries. The list of participating countries varies from year to year.

• The application period typically opens in June each year. Those interested can apply via Inspira.

Description of the UN YPP (Source: OpenIGO)

The United Nations Young Professionals Programme—UN YPP—is an annual initiative focused on the selection and recruitment of distinguished and highly qualified young professionals from different parts of the world. Every year, the UN receives approximately 50,000 applications for the YPP, which selects around 100 highly qualified and motivated young people from around the world who wish to start an international career, hone their skills, and assist the organization in fulfilling its mission.

Successful applicants will be placed on a reserve list of qualified candidates who can be selected for available positions within the organization. When selected for a position, these young professionals are assigned to the main offices and departments of the UN Secretariat. They are offered a two-year, fixed-term contract, orientation, mobility training, and career support, which will help them adapt and accelerate their learning period as international civil servants.

The UN YPP represents a great entrance opportunity for not-so-experienced professionals who are looking to kick-start their career with the United Nations. The P-1 and P-2 positions offered for candidates who succeed in this selection process are entry-level professional posts and therefore do not require any extensive work experience. These positions will be further explained later in this chapter.

This selection process is highly targeted by many young professionals, and thus very competitive, due to the aforementioned incentives, in addition to a competitive remuneration package, career mobility, and the support that successful candidates receive once they are assigned to a position with the organization.

When applying to the UN YPP, it is very important to keep in mind that the applications are, as previously mentioned, for job posts with the UN Secretariat and the departments that it comprises. Recruitment for the UN’s Specialized Agencies or Funds and Programmes (such as UNICEF, FAO, IFAD, and many others) usually have their own independent staff selection process, and succeeding in the UN YPP selection process does not put a candidate in any exceptionally favorable position when applying for them.