JPO: a unique opportunity to gain field experience with a UN organisation

INTERVIEW – Through Belgian funding, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme offers young Belgians the opportunity to gain experience with a UN organisation. Camille Balfroid was one of the lucky ones. For three years, she worked as a JPO at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mali and Benin. She told us about her experiences.

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Camille Balfroid visits a camp for internally displaced persons in Senou

Camille Balfroid visiting a site hosting internally displaced persons in Senou, Mali to monitor the installation of a borehole (December 2022). © IOM

INTERVIEW – Through Belgian funding, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme offers young Belgians the opportunity to gain experience with a UN organisation. Camille Balfroid was one of the lucky ones. For three years, she worked as a JPO at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mali and Benin. She told us about her experiences.

What path did you take before becoming a JPO?

I studied law at the Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles, followed by a master's degree in international law in Maastricht. And that was quite international right from the start. During the second year, I studied for six months in Singapore and six months in Istanbul.

After my studies, I was able to work as an intern at the European Landowners' Organization in Brussels, on a project on natural resource management. After that, I was an intern at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and then a consultant. In total, I worked at the FAO for five years on food security and natural resources.

How did you find out there was such a thing as JPO?

Since I'd been working at the FAO – a UN organisation – I already knew about the existence of JPO. And anyway, I was already thinking about what to do next with my career, because a job as a consultant at the UN is just very precarious. Most of all, I was terribly keen to work in the field and get a taste of another UN organisation.

When I discovered the announcement for a JPO position in Mali on the Foreign Affairs website in 2021, what it involved fitted me like a glove! Mali might well be known as a difficult country, but life in Europe – in full-on coronavirus crisis – was not simple then either. That certainly weighed into the choice as well.

Junior Professional Officers (JPO)

The Junior Professional Officers (JPO) programme at the United Nations (UN) offers young experts – 32 years old or younger – the opportunity to gain experience at a number of UN organisations, funds, programmes and UN agencies that fund or implement development projects.

As a JPO, you will be given some important responsibilities, but at the same time, you will be trained by an experienced employee. The duration is initially one year, renewable up to a maximum of three years.

Belgium also offers JPO posts for young Belgians. These are positions with a UN organisation that actively collaborates with Belgian international development policy and is located in one of the 14 partner countries of the Belgian Development Cooperation or at the organisation's regional branch or headquarters.

We are currently funding JPOs at 18 partner organisations including the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN AIDS Programme (UNAIDS) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Interested? All the necessary information can be found on our website.

What exactly did you do there in Mali?

I was mainly involved in projects on migration, environment and climate change (MECC). In doing so, I had to establish a great deal of partnerships. With the Malian Ministry for the Environment, for example, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with donors, etc. One great project that we were able to start with my help was funded to the tune of 5 million euros by the Swedish Embassy.

The projects largely had two axes. On the one hand, we were looking for more data on the impact of climate change on a population already ravaged by conflict in fragile areas. On the other, we were trying to find solutions to help people get back on their feet.

I did like the fact that our efforts laid the groundwork to also attract Belgian funding for a similar project, albeit in a different region.

Due to rising political tensions in Mali, you moved to Benin after two years. What did you experience in Mali?

In Bamako, I met a very friendly population and discovered a fascinating ancient culture. I even took some lessons there to learn to play the kora – a kind of Malian harp. I do regret not being able to see more of the interior, where there are many cultural treasures. But the security situation did not allow for that at the time.

Professionally, the highly volatile political climate did not make it easy. Moreover, during my stay in Mali, relations between ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) and foreign donors deteriorated. That put a damper on the UN's interventions in Mali.

And then what did you do in Benin?

The role was basically the same: monitoring existing projects and formulating new ones. Only the emphasis was more on developing partnerships and preventing crises. After all, there was no humanitarian crisis in Benin. The projects' main aim was to prevent the violence from spilling over from the Sahel. There was also a focus on how we could accommodate flooding there.

And now apparently you get to start at the IOM headquarters in Geneva on 1 November?

Yes, I even got promoted! The job content will be about the same. I'll be working on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation.

Do you think your experience as a JPO in Mali and Benin helped you land the job in Geneva?

Absolutely! If you already work at the IOM, that significantly increases your chances. Added to that are my three years of field experience. Obviously, you would have a much harder time as an external candidate.

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Camille Balfroid speaks behind a pupiter with Human Mobility banner in background

Camille Balfroid facilitating a session on climate mobility during a training in Lome for West and Central Africa COP 29 Negotiators (September 2024). © IOM

As a JPO, you receive guidance. How did that work out for you?

It still remains very much 'learning by doing'. But I was able to call upon available colleagues who kind of took on the role of mentors. For example, at the time I had to establish contacts with the Malian government. And at the very beginning I attended an integration week at the headquarters in Geneva, along with the 30 or so other JPOs at the IOM. Very interesting!

A two-week training on migration at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence was also fascinating. I had contact with people from all continents there, learned about a range of migration situations, several donors. It was also just plain fun to spend some time outside the UN context.

Did you actually have any contact with the Belgian embassies?

Yes, that went very smoothly, both in Mali and Benin. Shortly after my arrival, I was already having lunch with the embassy. Alongside that, I was on a monthly UN working group that also included someone from the embassy.

Furthermore, embassy colleagues were excellent interlocutors for better understanding the country. They also helped me get some contacts in the Malian government.

What moments have stayed with you most from your three years of JPO?

Firstly, I remember visiting a camp for displaced people just outside Bamako. Very impressive to witness first-hand the impact of conflict and climate change on the population.

I was also greatly impressed by a determined women's association in Kayes (Mali). They create green jobs there – mainly through recycling – to improve both the environment and families' livelihoods.

As recently as September, I found a conference in Lomé (Togo) to be an unforgettable experience. We met there with no less than 18 countries from West and Central Africa to prepare for the upcoming COP29 climate summit. With the IOM, we support those countries to better understand the risks of climate change.

What advice would you like to give to young people who want to work at the UN?

I would recommend gaining some field experience in a country where it is safe enough to do an internship or volunteer work. This could be at the UN, but equally at a Belgian embassy or an NGO.