Rwanda joins the JPO Programme — supporting UNDP activities through its young talent
We are happy to share that Rwanda and UNDP have recently entered a partnership agreement on the Junior Professional Officer Programme, demonstrating Rwanda’s commitment to support UNDP activities through its young talent.
On 7 June 2022 Amb. Claver Gatete, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda to the UN, and Ms. Angelique M. Crumbly, UNDP Assistant Administrator and BMS Director, met to sign this partnership agreement, paving the way for the recruitment of Rwandan nationals as JPOs. As part of the JPO Programme, managed and administered by the UNDP JPO Service Centre, Rwanda can assign candidates to UNDP and several other UN organizations. Rwanda is amongst the first African countries to join the JPO Programme.
Specifically in relation to UNDP, it will allow Rwanda to contribute to the organization’s activities by sharing knowledge and human capital, while at the same time building capacity for leadership and international engagement among its young talent population. Thanks to the flexibility of the UNDP JPO Programme, Rwanda can ensure that its participation corresponds to its strategic priorities, while at the same time matching the profiles of its young talent.
Close to 100 JPOs are currently assigned to UNDP. JPOs are young professionals, usually under 32 years, and assigned to UNDP for two to three years. They are talented and self-driven individuals interested in working on development-related issues within the UN context. They are directly involved in the design and implementation of UNDP’s programmatic or operational strategies.
UNDP has entered partnership agreements with 34 countries, 19 of which currently support UNDP JPOs. Discussions with more potential partner countries, including several emerging donors, are underway, with the objective to diversify as much as possible the funding base of the UNDP JPO Programme. In that regard this new partnership with Rwanda may pave the way for more African countries to support the UNDP JPO Programme.
“The UNDP JPO Programme will offer young professionals from Rwanda the opportunity to gain a unique exposure to the UNDP and UN Development agenda. In parallel UNDP will benefit from the drive and expertise of the Rwandan JPOs.” — Ms. Angelique M. Crumbly, UNDP Assistant Administrator and BMS Director
Building diverse future talent pipelines is a key focus area of UNDP’s People for 2030 strategy and we look forward to our further collaboration with Rwanda on the l implementation of this JPO Programme partnership agreement in the near future.
