UNDP launches 2nd Junior Professional Officers program in Kuwait

KUWAIT, Dec 23 (KUNA) -- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor officially launched the second edition of the Kuwait-funded Junior Professional Officers program to recruit Kuwaiti youth to work at UN agencies.
The launching ceremony was sponsored and attended by.
"The support to the JPO programme is one of the aspects of cooperation between Kuwait and the UN," Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Planning and Development Affairs Hend Al-Sabeeh said at the launching ceremony held at the UN HQs in Kuwait. She added that the programme also is part of the South-South Cooperation to exchange resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries as well as to address challenges facing development.
"This is the second group of Kuwait youth joining the program," she said, hailing the outstanding performance of first group of Kuwaitis recruited in the program. She also expressed confidence in the new group will perform well.
Experience gained by recruited youth and its role in developing national human are the reasons behind Kuwait's continued support of the program, the Minister said.
Kuwait has also been proactive in supporting UN's humanitarian initiatives, earning the UN's honoring this year by being named as a "Humanitarian Center" and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as a "Humanitarian Leader", she added.
For his part, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme Mubashar Riaz Sheikh said that Kuwait is the only Arab country backing the JPO pogramme.
Sheikh said that this programme has been supported by Kuwait's Supreme Council for Planning and Development (SCPD) for the second consecutive year, adding that 10 Kuwaitis have been recruited to work at UN's office as a result.
In November 2012, the State Minister for Planning and Development launched a joint initiative with the Kuwait United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to recruit 10 young Kuwaiti professionals for employment as Junior Professional Officers (JPOs) in offices of the United Nations around the globe.
The aim of the initiative was to develop the talents of Kuwaiti youth by gaining work experience in the United Nations system. The Kuwaiti JPOs will serve for one to two years in their duty stations and during that time they will benefit from specialised training on UN programme policy and operations Following their assignments, these young professionals will be able to apply the expertise and training they will receive as UN staff to contribute towards the national development process, or they may choose to seek further employment in the UN system. (end) hrz.ma