Welcome to Kuwait JPO Programme

“I would recommend the JPO Programme to other Kuwaiti professionals, but I would highly suggest they have a clear vision and understanding of the UNDP’s work, or other UN Agency they are joining, and be passionate about it.”
Hanan Zubaid – JPO batch 2

“It has been an eye-opening experience to see how a global organization works”
Sarah Al-Abdullah – JPO batch 2

“One of the things I enjoy most about the UN is the extremely diverse staff I have the privilege to work with. Despite our different motivations, our shared passion for development is what continues to inspire me and keeps me going”
Jawaher Ali Reda – JPO batch 1

“The best part is you sense the accomplishments achieved by UNDP Barbados and the OECS Office, and that is why I’m very grateful and honored to be part of that team”
Musaad Al-Saleh – JPO batch 1

“With every passing day in the organization and as I grow more aware of the complexity of issues confronted by UNDP, I feel a growing sense of duty towards the individuals and the communities we serve”
Yumn Almufarraej – JPO batch 1

“Working for the UN means that you are living the values of the organization in your everyday activity and behavior”
Khaled Al-Khashram –  JPO batch 1

In 2012, the State of Kuwait signed a Memorandum of Agreement with UNDP to participate in the Junior Professional Officers (JPO) programme, to send young Kuwaiti professionals to serve in various entities of the United Nations for a period of two years, enabling them to gain experience in international development strategic policy and implementation. Kuwait is the only Arab State currently supporting the UNDP JPO programme and is the largest donor to the JPO programme from the region to date. The Kuwait JPO Programme is managed by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD) and supported by UNDP Kuwait, the JPO Service Centre in Copenhagen and the JPO Office at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in New York.

Kuwait has now sent three batches totalling 26 young male and female Kuwaiti professionals.

The job posts details and location can be found in the below tables:

Batch 1, deployed 2013:

 Batch 2, deployed 2015:

Batch 3, deployed 2017:

The JPO Programme represents a new dimension to Kuwait’s South-South Cooperation activities and one which is also expected to help build national development capacity following the repatriation of the JPOs upon completion of their assignment. The posts selected for funding were chosen by the GSSCPD on the basis of their particular utility to support implementation of the National Development Plan. Thus, the areas of specialization of the 26 JPOs include environment and energy, strategic partnerships, communications, audit, human resources, private sector in development, sustainable development policy, Innovation, health & human rights, and volunteerism & governance policy. Following the success of the Kuwait JPO Programme to date, other countries in the region are now aiming to emulate Kuwait’s JPO experience.

The JPO programme has also provided an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of UNDP and its mandate to support the empowerment of youth. It is also a valued tool to raise awareness among the youth themselves of UNDP and its role as well as the benefits to Kuwait of engaging in South-South cooperation.

Following completion of the first JPO batch, four former Kuwaiti JPOs were selected for full-employment by UNDP agencies in New York, Rome and Amman. A fourth former JPO has been recruited by the OPEC Fund for International Development. Other former JPO had joined international NGO, the rest of JPOs who had completed their assignments had returned home to support various functions at private and public sector.

Following completion of the second JPO batch, two former Kuwaiti JPOs were selected for full-employment by UNDP agencies in New York and Vienne. The rest of JPOs who had completed their assignments had returned home to support various functions at private and public sector.

The third JPO batch had introduced further job posts from the United Nation Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) after the signing of the bilateral agreement between the State of Kuwait and the administration. This agreement will allow junior professionals to join organizations managed by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations.

The third JPO patch of the program includes specific functions chosen to be in parallel with the seven pillars of the Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP) and serve the aspirations of the State of Kuwait in building youth capacities.

For more information, please contact: jpo.kw@undp.org