Eligibility requirements for applicants

Candidates must meet all the following requirements to be considered eligible for Programme:

• 28 years old or younger (N.B. candidates must not turn 29 during the year of application)
• Italian nationality
• Fluency in English and Italian
• hold one of the following advanced university degrees (or degree combinations) awarded before the application deadline:
  • Laurea Magistrale/Specialistica
  • Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico
  • Laurea/Laurea Triennale plus university Master’s degree
  • Bachelor’s degree plus university Master’s degree.

Additional skills and qualifications 

Given the highly competitive nature of the Italian Fellowships Programme the following are frequently considered important assets:

• knowledge of other UN official languages / languages spoken in developing countries
• additional academic qualifications and/or training courses
• previous work experience (including internships and voluntary work)
• key competencies such as client orientation, teamwork, communication, accountability, planning and organization. 

Candidates are expected to be motivated, flexible and willing to adapt to different environments. Furthermore, they must at all times demonstrate commitment to the core values of the United Nations, i.e. integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity.

Fields of Expertise

The professional competencies expected of Fellows may vary from year to year according to the specific requests from the recipient organizations. Fields of expertise include – but are not limited to – the following areas: governance and local development, rule of law, food security, agricultural development, water and sanitation, urban development, migration, humanitarian affairs, culture, education, social protection including disabilities and gender issues, child protection, information and communication technology, statistics and data management, private sector development, microcredit, economic development, communication for development.