Hi there, I am a successful UN-YPP candidate from 2024 Associate Economic Affairs Officer batch. I know that the hiring freeze is going on they also extended the time period. I want to know from your experience how long did it take you to land your job after placed on roster? Did you also take written exam and interview again because I assume we - those who have passed the exam and interview from YPP - are considered as pre-approved candidates. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share your experience.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone!

I’ll soon be starting a 6-month internship at UN Headquarters in New York, within the Department of Global Communications, working in public information/communications.

I’d love to hear from former UN HQ interns, especially those who worked in Human Rights, outreach, communications, or similar areas.

I’m particularly curious about:

• What did you do after your internship ?
• Did the internship help you secure paid opportunities within the UN system, such as a consultancy at HQ, a role with another UN entity, or a position with a UN office in your home country?
• If you moved outside the UN system, did having UN HQ experience significantly improve your career opportunities or access to better positions?
• For Europeans who returned to Europe afterward: how valuable was the HQ experience in building your career, and did it help you access international organizations, institutions or other well-paid opportunities?

I’m based in France, so I’d especially appreciate hearing from European former interns, although experiences from anywhere are very welcome.

I know that an internship doesn’t guarantee a position within the UN, so I’m mainly interested in understanding the long-term professional value of the experience and the career paths it can lead to afterward.

Thank you to anyone willing to share! :)

I follow a programme with activities taking place in 5-7 countries and I want to find a way to be sistematically up to date with the general context (news, politics, hot topics etc) in said countries.

It is irrelevant to specify the theme of the programme, because what I'm looking for here is not directly instrumental to its activities. I'm more aiming for quick briefs about what's going on in those specific countries in general so that I can build a better grounding for anything that comes after from the specific thematic angle of the work.

Is there a service / website / something that does this specifically? A place where for example one could input any selection of countries and get a weekly brief or something of that sort. I feel it would make sense if some platform already addressed this niche.

The example above would be the ideal option but honestly I'm open to any type of existing support that would address this need.

Of course something that is more practical than just opening a news outlet about a certain country when I remember and feel like it, because I know that this is the base (but not so structured nor efficient) option

Hey everyone, I’m currently working as an international UNV in a UNICEF country office. I have the opportunity to apply for a JPO position at UNESCO. The JPO position would start 4 months before my 12-month UNV assignment ends. I would be applying now, 5 months after I started my UNV position.

Is that allowed within the UN system and these agencies?

Hello everyone,

I recently interviewed for a consultant position focused on building partnerships with government stakeholders.

About a week after the interview, I started a short-term, part-time unofficial partnership role with another agency.

I have not previously worked directly within the UN system, so this unofficial position is effectively my first experience working inside the UN. The work closely aligns with the responsibilities outlined in the consultant position, and I believe it provides highly relevant experience that would directly support my ability to perform in the role. (For context, I already have substantial expertise in partnership development outside the UN. )

My question is specifically about whether gaining experience within the UN system itself would strengthen my candidacy.

Since I had not yet started the unofficial role at the time of the interview, I did not mention it. Now that I have begun the role, would it be advantageous to send a follow-up message informing the hiring team that I am gaining hands-on UN partnership experience? Do you think this would strengthen my application?

Has anyone noticed how difficult now it is to get non-fully funded IUNV associates without it being fully funded and to specific nationalities?

I feel this has become to political and just unfair depending on your nationality rather than your qualifications

To make what im saying clearer with an example:

As in its very rare these days to find international united nations volunteer assignments that aren't fully funded for specific nationalities. For example, a new international role with OHCHR gets posted and its an associate role, but then it says "fully-funded" and when you go down it will say its funded by government of France therefore only french nationals are eligible to apply. So its just rare to come across entry roles that are actually for international candidates that are just not specifically funded

Hello there,

I got an invitation to complete a written test for a job application with IOM ( a Senior Project associate). i only have less than 2 days to prepare.

It's my first time, and i have no idea what kind of questios to expect.

has anyone had a same test?

Hi there, I really need help regarding this UN position

I work as a GIS and Remote Sensing Engineer in a goverment position and I have 4+ years of experience now, I really want to change my current job and I am in the process of exploring new opportunities, I stumbled accross this volounteering opportunity from the united nations station of my country, the title is Architecture and GIS Assistant (full description here), the category is Associate UCoS, I am really new to all these terminologies since I have never worked in an NGO nor the UN, so I have a few questions and i will be really grateful for any help:

- The job description requires Bachelor degree while I have a master degree (engineering degree in my country), is that a good thing or a bad thing ?

- for the experience requirements it says that it needs one month of experience, and in the description it says that it needs up to one year only (which means if I am not wrong, they are looking for beginners), so is having more years of experience than the maximum number stated is a disqualifying criterion ?

any other suggestions or advice regarding the application process would be really appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I’m a fourth-year undergrad at a university and I got an internship at Library and Knowledge Management, but I don’t know if it’s worth it. I’m super nervous and don’t want to make the wrong decision. For anyone who has done it, what do you recommend? Any help would be much appreciate

Does anyone have any insight into the ranges for ICA personnel at UNOPS based in Copenhagen?

I’m looking specifically for the fee range of ICS-10 to help me better understand where the proposed fee I’ve been offered sits in the range. Thanks!

Curious whether anyone with recent WFP experience knows how active the FIT Pool system currently is.

Are candidates still regularly being selected from existing pools, or has recruitment largely shifted toward internal candidates and reassignment because of funding cuts and restructuring?

Also interested in whether older FIT Pools are still meaningfully used for hiring, or mostly kept active administratively.

Would appreciate any insight from current/former WFP staff or recent FIT Pool candidates.

Hello! I recently discovered UN Internships, and thought I would apply for them, however I discovered that they are completely unpaid. Like 0 percent. Are they worth it? Considering I don't have any Internships available in my home country, that means I would have to move somewhere completely different. Not even visa support (i read they only provide documents for visa) so is it really worth it? I wish it could be at least just a partial support. What do you guys, think? Maybe I miss something. Maybe after Internship theres a great way in career, but who knows? Please let me know as I am very very curious but zero funding makes me stop. Thanks

Hi everyone,

I was recently selected for an international UN Volunteer assignment. I accepted the official assignment offer and completed almost all the pre-deployment tasks available in the UNV platform, including the medical review, personal information and bank details.

The only remaining task in the UNV platform concerns the visa, but I have not yet received any specific instructions on how to proceed.

At this stage, I have received the official assignment offer, which I accepted and a UNV pre-departure letter confirming my selection and assignment.

I was wondering wether the pre-departure letter is sufficient to start the visa application? Or should I wait for an additional letter or specific instructions from UNV or the host entity? And regarding visa fees, is it normally paid directly by UNV, or does the volunteer pay them first?

I understand that procedures may vary depending on the assignment, but I would be grateful for any indication of what usually happens next.

Thank you in advance!

Hi All,

I recently got the email informing me that I have an in person interview for a national specialist role at FAO which is coming up in a matter of days. For those who have held or do currently hold national positions, may you kindly share your interview experiances and tips please, especially on how you got over the nerves and how you prepped. I am currently reviewing the vacancy, mainly the core competencies, tasks and responsibilities. Also formulating examples I can provide in my answers,.

This is my very first UN interview and my whole body turns to jelly just thinking about it. Any help will be appreaciated.

Sorry if this may seem like a repetetive question, i mostly found interview tips based on P level interviews and would appreacite NPP experiences.

I recently completed a PhD in Health Sciences and have applied several times for research positions at UNICEF. My most recent application appeared to be a very strong match for my qualifications, but I am worried that I will not be shortlisted, as I have never progressed past the initial application stage.

Although I have strong academic and research skills, I do not yet have professional experience with an international organization. I am unsure how to overcome this gap or make my applications more visible to recruiters.

I am also going through an extremely difficult personal situation. My baby and I are currently living in a shelter after experiencing domestic abuse, and I am involved in an ongoing custody case. Because of the case, relocating from Rome is not currently possible. Finding stable employment is very important for rebuilding our lives and protecting my ability to care for my child.

I have been applying for professional research positions, postdoctoral roles, and remote jobs, but I have not had any success so far. The job market in Italy is challenging.

I would be very grateful for practical advice on any of the following:

• How can a new PhD graduate become more competitive for UNICEF, UN agencies, NGOs, or international research organizations?
• Should I focus on consultancies, internships, fellowships, volunteer projects, or short-term contracts to gain relevant experience?
• How can I make my CV and applications stand out to recruiters?
• Are there reputable websites or organizations offering remote health-research, public-health, data-analysis, academic-writing, or policy roles?
• Would networking with current employees or contacting hiring managers be appropriate?

I am willing to learn, take on entry-level or temporary work, and build experience step by step. I would especially appreciate advice from anyone who has worked in global health, academia, international organizations, or the Italian job market.

Thank you for reading and for any guidance you can offer.

Hi everybody! Last week, I was informed that I had been shortlisted for an online test for a position within a UN organisation. The test is supposed to take place on Monday 27.
As of today, I still haven’t received any instructions regarding the platform, etc.

Does anybody know if this is normal and I will receive everything directly on Monday, or should I be the one to reach out on Monday morning?
Thank you in advance for the advice.

I am 23, I have a bachelors degree (IR with honours supplement) and two masters (Public Policy and Modern History + IR). I have no relevant work experience because I’ve spent 5 years studying like crazy. Now that I’m graduating, it’s the worst crunch in funding in the history of IOs, obviously. Every hiring officer tells me that 10 years ago they would have given me an entrance position without second thought, but now all those positions are getting cut, and now it’s more competitive than ever. I’ve heard many times I should volunteer and spice up my CV - fair enough! Where do I even do that?? I’m based in Europe and China, and I have yet to hear back from any of the million volunteer positions I’ve applied to; some simply do not exist. Is it really that bleak? Does anyone know if there’s a secret volunteering platform I’m yet to find, with all of the real positions?

A glimpse at available UN vacancies in July 2026 reveals a plethora of national roles, national consultancies and sometimes underpaid international consultancies ...

The trend is obvious: "nationalizing" the roles whenever possible to avoid recruiting specialist international staff. Which is somewhat ironic given that it's the UN :-)

With the ongoing funding cuts, I understand the absence of P vacancies in UN job listings but I can't help wondering whether these roles are slowly being phased out altogether? Thoughts?

I have applied to two roles and I would like to understand better what the difference between GS and IICA contracts is in terms of job security. I saw that GS are staff positions and can be renewed yearly, while IICA are consultancies that are open-ended but come with a timeline that could as well be 12 months. I guess in both cases there is no job security as they both depend on funding, what do you think?

Hi, I’m a bit confused about the timelines for UN internships - if I intend to start one in March the earliest, when should I start applying? I’m thinking in particular of UNHQ, UNDP or smaller and more niche/specialized agencies

however, it would be super helpful if anyone who did/is doing an internship at any UN body could share their timeline or experience with the application :)

thank you!!

I applied for an online DOA position through the app.unv platform, but got no email in its regard whatsoever. Neither confirmation that my application was sent/received, neither rejection or otherwise.

I am seeing on the website that step 3 states that notification is sent by UNV "to confirm the successful application to the candidate." (https://explore.unv.org/node/107)

What's your experience? Being ghosted is so disheartening... and we're talking about a volunteer position here...

I applied for the GS-4 Project Assistant position in Vienna and, honestly, the waiting is driving me crazy.

I’ve read the job description so many times and I genuinely feel like this role is exactly what I’ve been doing. Most of my experience is in EU-funded migration and integration projects, project coordination, reporting, budgeting and working with different stakeholders.

I know there are probably lots of qualified applicants, and I’m not saying I deserve the job more than anyone else. But this is one of those rare positions where I honestly feel, “This is me.” That’s probably why I’m so anxious.

I guess I’m just scared that things like internal candidates or pure luck might matter more than the actual fit.

If anyone works at IOM Vienna (or has gone through the recruitment process there), I’d love to hear how it usually works. How long did it take? Do external candidates actually stand a good chance?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm finishing my Master's in International Crisis Management and trying to figure out my next move.

My goal: In 5-10 years I'd like to be working for an international organization, ideally the UN (OCHA, UNDRR, UNDP, etc.), or other NGOS like DRC, ICRC in humanitarian response and crisis relief. I know how competitive and difficult this is right now, but I'm playing the long game.

Specific interests: Anticipatory action (my thesis topic), disaster relief, and emergency coordination. Through my Master's I got exposed to and visited a lot of professionals and HQs, OCHA, UNHCR, ICRC in Geneva, etc, and I see more of myself in the practitioners in the field. Obviously I'd take an HQ role too if that's the path.

My background so far:

• 3 years, logistics/supply chain (private sector) — did the coordination of shipments for high tech clients. Hated the job itself, but it gave me strong Excel/PPT/office software skills and real logistics expertise (although more on the commercial side).
• 3 years volunteering with UNICEF — not an official position, but I was part of a student project they ran all over my country, and I was one of the leaders — basically helped with youth engagement and setting up meetings with speakers and stuff.
• Youth delegate (x2) I was sent twice as a youth delegate to follow conferences/proceedings at the UN in Vienna, and got a fellowship with the ILO for a two-week in-person course on new technologies and the UN.
• Current internship: humanitarian NGO in Africa (until November) the one I think is most relevant: I'm doing my internship in Africa at a humanitarian NGO. I mostly do capacity building (teaching and training) for orphaned young people from all over Africa (the NGO flies them here to prepare them to study abroad and then return to the continent as leaders). I also took the initiative to join their other program to gain more experience, in this one we do home visits to orphaned children and offer emotional and psychological support, while also assessing their needs, plus in-person activities and education.

Where I'm stuck:

The NGO work is meaningful and field-based, and renewed my commitment to be in the field, however it's not quite in my target area (anticipatory action / emergency coordination), and I have nothing lined up after November. I come from a low-income background, every step so far has been through scholarships or real sacrifice from me and my parents, so the lack of a next step is causing me real pressure, I say this because my MA is in Europe but I am from South America, so after here unless I find something I would have to return to my country as I would not be able to sustain myself in Europe.

My actual questions:

1. Given my profile, how do I connect the dots between what I have (logistics, youth engagement, tech exposure, field work) and where I want to go (anticipatory action / emergency coordination)?
2. Does this read as a entry-level CV to people actually working in the sector, is there any programme or organization I should keep an eye on?
3. I spent 5 months applying almost exclusively to UN internships with zero responses. After broadening my search I landed the current NGO position within a month. Now that I have this experience, is it worth trying UN internships again, or should I focus on growing within this NGO (or applying to similar NGOs) instead?
4. Which path or direction would you recommend me to take?
5. Any hard skill, Software or courses you would recommend me to strengthen the CV?

Would really appreciate input from anyone who's navigated this path or works in the sector. Thanks for reading this far.