The Fellowships Programme for Technical Cooperation Capacity Building and Human Resources Development is an initiative funded by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy. It is implemented by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) and targets post-graduate Italian nationals.

These fellowships enable qualified young professionals seeking an international career in development cooperation to gain relevant hands-on experience while assisting United Nations system organizations in their activities.

Following selection, fellows are assigned to carry out a year’s on-the-job training in offices of the United Nations System in developing countries. Before taking up their assignment in the host country, they attend a mandatory two-week orientation workshop, which is an integral part of the Programme.

Initially rolled out in 1999 as a pilot scheme awarding 12 fellowships, the Programme has gradually grown into a fully-fledged initiative awarding on average 34 fellowships a year. To date, a total of 820 young Italian professionals have participated in the Programme.