The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the 12th Meeting on the Junior Professional Officer / JPO Program from 8 to 10 May. The meeting was attended by more than 120 delegates from member countries and representatives of international organizations, including the UN Secretariat, specialized agencies, United Nations funds and programs, and the World Bank. The JPO program, of which Italy is among the major promoters and supporters, plays a leading role in training young people and grooming them for international careers, by offering them internships at the headquarters of international organizations and working experiences directly on the ground, often in developing countries.
The opening address was delivered by Giorgio Marrapodi, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Development Cooperation, who recalled how alongside the Italian fellowship program, the JPO program is fully part of the Italian Cooperation strategy and of its commitment to invest in human capital and human resources at the service of Development. In over 40 years, Italy has in fact funded over 1700 JPOs, in addition to the 42 new positions for 2019 announced during the Conference, some of which are reserved for candidates from developing countries that are partners of Italian Cooperation, in line with what was done in the previous edition.
