Understanding the United Nations Young Professionals Programme in detail is the first step to succeeding in the selection process. This highly competitive recruitment initiative is carried out once a year and comprises several stages: an online application form, a writing test, and a competency-based interview.
Candidates who wish to apply must meet some basic eligibility criteria which include special requirements concerning educational background, nationality, age, and language skills. Every year, a different list of participating Member States is released by the United Nations; therefore, only certain nationalities are convoked to take part in the test.
In this article, we’ll show the core values of the United Nations Young Professionals Program, as well as the minimum requirements of the selection process!
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Also, check out our overview of the UN YPP in the video below:
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UN YPP Core Values
UN YPP Core Values – Integrity
Positive Indicators
• Upholds the principles of the United Nations Charter.
• Demonstrates the values of the United Nations, including impartiality, fairness, honesty and truthfulness, in daily activities and behaviors.
• Acts without consideration of personal gain.
• Resists undue political pressure in decision-making.
• Does not abuse power or authority.
• Stands by decisions that are in the Organization’s interest even if they are unpopular.
• Takes prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behavior.
Negative Indicators
• Interprets principles and ethics flexibly without justification
• Seeks personal gain.
• Compromises too readily when under pressure.
• Favors certain issues, individuals or groups in a subjective
• Is not reliable.
• May be dishonest.
UN YPP Core Values – Professionalism
Positive Indicators
• Shows pride in work and in achievements.
• Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter.
• Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns.
• Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges.
• Remains calm in stressful situations.
Negative Indicators
• Is less motivated than others to achieve.
• Appears less knowledgeable to others about subject matter or field.
• Is complacent about achievements.
• Sets easy targets and personal objectives.
• Allows pressure to get to him/her.
• Tends to find it hard to bounce back after setbacks and difficult challenges.
UN YPP Core Values – Respect for Diversity
Positive Indicators
• Works effectively with people from all backgrounds.
• Treats all people with dignity and respect.
• Shows respect for, and understanding of, diverse points of view and demonstrates this understanding in daily work and decision-making.
• Examines own biases and behaviors to avoid stereotypical responses.
• Does not discriminate against any individual or group.
Negative Indicators
• Is unable to relate to people from other backgrounds.
• Is insensitive to the needs of individuals with different perspectives.
• May offend people from different background.
• Is unable to view issues from the perspective of people with diverse viewpoints.
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UN YPP Minimum Requirements
The UN YPP examination is an annual event and candidates must meet the basic eligibility criteria of the current year, in order to apply. The basic requirements are:
UN YPP Age Limit
You must be 32 years old or younger in the year of the examination. The minimum age, in order to be eligible to apply, is 18 years old.
Please bear in mind, there are no exceptions to the UN YPP age requirement. If you do not meet this basic criterion, you could still look for more senior positions within the UN system that have different age prerequisites.
Language
Fluency in all four areas (speaking, writing, reading and understanding) of English OR French is required. If you indicate anything less than “Fluent” in any of these areas during the application process, you will be automatically considered unqualified. All the examination process tests will be available in both languages. Knowledge of another UN official language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and/or Spanish) is an advantage.
Nationality
One of the constantly changing criteria and that should be analyzed as a priority, is with regards to the “participating countries” – which defines, based on a quota system (aiming to ensure diversity within the UN Secretariat workforce), which countries are invited to participate in the selection that year. The list changes on an annual basis and, in order to apply, candidates must hold the nationality of a minimum of one of the pre-selected member states.
Want to know about this year’s UN YPP participating countries? Check out our article:
Discover all UN YPP Participating Countries here!
Education
As a minimum, you must hold a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent degree of a minimum three years) relevant for the exam area you are applying for.
This means that a candidate’s academic qualifications should be in areas co-related/covered by the UN YPP exam areas for that year and which they intend to apply for.
For 2019, for example, in order to be eligible, education-wise for the exam in the “Economic Affairs” area, candidates were required to have an undergraduate degree in one of the following areas, as a minimum:
Sociology, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Demography, Public Administration, Governance, Political Science, Business Administration, Law, Public Finance, and other social sciences or related fields.
Work Experience
Previous professional experience is not required. However, relevant work experience will be used to rank candidates, especially if there are more than 60 from the same country applying for the UN Young Professionals Programme. The UN advises applicants to be precise and succinct about their work experience, using short bullet points to describe the main duties of each role performed.
As you can see, apart from the annual changes on the list of participating countries, the basic requirements remain the same:
UN YPP - Basic Requirements
• You must hold the nationality of a participating member state
• You cannot be older than 32 at the end of the examination year
• As a minimum, you must hold a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent degree of a minimum three years) relevant for the exam area you are applying for
• You must be fluent in either English or French.
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