Unleash Your Potential: Join the UNOPS Youth Engagement Platform for a 12-Month Journey Towards Sustainable Development
Are you a passionate young changemaker ready to make a difference in the world? The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is calling for applications to its Youth Engagement Platform (YEP), offering a unique opportunity to shape the future of sustainable development. This 12-month home-based internship is not just a chance to gain valuable experience but also to become a youth advisor to UNOPS leadership, influencing policies and initiatives across the organization.
A Platform for Innovation and Impact
The YEP, with its motto "30 below 30, to get 2030," aims to bring the voices and creativity of young people to the forefront of high-level decision-making. This platform goes beyond traditional internships, providing a space for innovation, policy influence, and thought leadership. While participation is on a pro-bono basis, it offers unparalleled exposure to the UN system, professional development, and the chance to represent youth perspectives in internal and external forums. Compensation is provided solely for travel undertaken on behalf of UNOPS.
Your Role as a Youth Advisor
As a YEP member, you'll serve as a youth advisor to UNOPS leadership, bringing fresh ideas, lived experience, and youth-informed insights to the organization's work. Your contributions will help UNOPS better respond to emerging challenges affecting young people, ensure the design of youth-inclusive programs, and enhance the organization's role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Key Responsibilities:
Generating Youth-Led Insights on SDG and Development Trends:
- Identify emerging risks, opportunities, and trends affecting young people in UNOPS' operational areas (infrastructure, procurement, climate, fragility, project management, etc.).
- Provide rapid feedback on global and regional developments from a youth lens to inform strategies, policies, and programming.
- Contribute youth perspectives to internal analyses, foresight exercises, and strategy reviews.
Providing Strategic Advisory Input:
- Review and advise on UNOPS frameworks, policies, and initiatives with a youth, diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.
- Participate in consultations with UNOPS leadership and key units, offering practical, youth-informed recommendations.
- Co-create proposals that strengthen the relevance, legitimacy, and impact of UNOPS' work for and with young people.
Advancing Youth Representation and Thought Leadership:
- Represent youth perspectives in internal and selected external forums and international events.
- Contribute to speaking points, advocacy messages, and panel interventions that highlight youth priorities.
- Support UNOPS participation in system-wide youth initiatives in line with the UN Youth Strategy and Youth2030.
Strengthening Youth-Inclusive Operational Approaches:
- Provide feedback to enhance youth participation and benefit-sharing in UNOPS projects.
- Identify lessons and good practices from youth-engaging initiatives and feed them into operational guidance and standards.
- Advise on safe, ethical, and meaningful engagement of young people across UNOPS programs.
Who Should Apply?
The YEP is seeking 15 internal UNOPS talents and 15 external youth visionaries, aged 17–29, who demonstrate:
- Passion for sustainable development and the SDGs.
- Youth leadership or active engagement in community, student, or advocacy initiatives.
- Experience representing youth perspectives in local, national, regional, or international settings.
- Ability to collaborate across diverse groups and contribute meaningfully to decision-making platforms.
- Exposure to SDG-related issues or international development through volunteering, activism, coursework, or networks.
Desired Skills and Experience:
- Experience with the UN system, policy discussions, youth advocacy, or global development is a plus.
- Fluency in English is required; proficiency in Spanish or French is desirable.
Why Join the YEP?
- Influence: Shape UNOPS' policies and strategies from a youth perspective.
- Visibility: Represent young people in internal UN decision-making and international events.
- Development: Gain hands-on experience in policy analysis, public speaking, stakeholder management, and advocacy.
- Networking: Collaborate with peers and global experts in sustainable development and the UN system.
- Impact: Contribute directly to advancing youth-inclusive approaches in global development and progress toward the 2030 Agenda.
How to Apply
Submit a single PDF document containing:
- Resume/CV describing relevant experience and qualifications.
- Description of a project or initiative demonstrating your commitment to sustainable development (max. 2000 characters).
- Open-source link to a 90-second video explaining your passion for sustainable development and value to the YEP.
Deadline: 31 December 2025 (midnight, Copenhagen time)
UNOPS is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourages applications from underrepresented and marginalized communities.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to bring youth perspectives to the heart of global decision-making and help shape a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient world. Apply now and unlock your potential!
