There are 37 career openings for young Nigerians under the United Nations bureaucracy.
The UN deputy secretary-general, Amina Mohammed revealed this at a Cultural Night organized by Nigerians working at the United Nations Systems in New York. The openings are available through the Junior Professional Officers’ (JPO) Programme, including internships for young graduates.
In her speech, Amina Mohammed urged older Nigerians to create opportunities for the younger ones. Stressing the need for the youths to replace the aging Nigerian employees at the UN system she said:
“Whenever there are opportunities, try and pave the way for the young ones; you are getting old and we want to see the young ones in the system.
“We need to give the youth the opportunity because if we don’t give them the opportunities, they can easily fall victims of crimes,” she said.
“Home really does need us; there are leaders and we are trying with the professionals that we see in the United Nations.
“The work we need to do is not just to the world but also to remember that at the root of all that, you are only as good as where you come from.
“And it’s really important that we remember, with what we do here, what we can get back home, that we can encourage those at home, and inspire them.
“It’s not just what we do for the world. Can’t we take that expertise back home?” she asked.
For long Nigeria has abandoned this available opportunity to sponsor its youth for UN careers through the JPO which is a government-sponsored programme for young people to grow their career at the UN. It has 37 positions for Nigeria – one for each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.
The programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience and is one of the best ways to gain entry-level jobs within the UN system.
You can read more about how to join the JPO programme here and please share the good news.
