UNESCO Young Professionals Programme (YPP)

The YPP provides young university graduates and young qualified professionals from non- and under-represented Member States an opportunity to join UNESCO at the early stage of their professional career.

UNESCO will receive qualified candidatures from the UNESCO’s NATIONAL COMMISSION of non- and under-represented Member States. Interested candidates are welcome to contact their relevant NATCOM to apply for the Programme.

In 1945, UNESCO was created in order to respond to the firm belief of nations, forged by two world wars in less than a generation, that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace. Peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity.

Today, UNESCO's message has never been more important. We must create holistic policies that are capable of addressing the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable development. This new thinking on sustainable development reaffirms the founding principles of the Organisation and enhances its role.

Recruitment Process and Timeline

If you are interested in applying to for the Young Professional Programme or want to know if you are eligible, please contact your National Commission or Permanent Delegation.

• Launch: Every biennium, due account taken of the availability of posts at P-1/P-2 level, UNESCO recruits up to 20  Young Professionals. The launching date of each programme varies from year to year. The Bureau of Human Resources Management of UNESCO sends a call for applications to National Commissions and Permanent Delegations of non- or under-represented Member States. Each National Commission is responsible for the dissemination of this information and for the pre-selection at national level.

• Submission: Candidates send their applications to the National Commission or the Permanent Delegation of their country of citizenship. National Commissions and Permanent Delegations review all applications and submit a list of candidates to the Bureau of Human Resources Management at UNESCO. UNESCO does not accept applications sent directly to the Organization.

• Screening: All applications are reviewed by a committee which will establish a shortlist based on:
• Academic qualifications;
• Motivation/statement of interest;
• Presentation of the application;
• Language and writing skills;
• Level of professional experience.
• Interviews and evaluation: The shortlisted candidates will be required to attend a video interview followed by a panel interview. The interviews provides candidates with an opportunity to demonstrate their communication skills, team spirit, analytical skills, sense of initiative, creativity, flexibility and adaptability. In addition to interviews, tests may be required to determine the related competencies as well as the level of proficiency in the working languages of UNESCO (English and French).

• Decision: UNESCO will send a letter of appointment to successful candidates. In the other case, UNESCO will inform the interested National Commissions and Permanent Delegations.