Fellowship

UNFPA – UN Volunteers Young Innovators Fellowship Programme 2026

By James Kase 4 min read

UNFPA – UN Volunteers Young Innovators Fellowship Programme 2026: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are calling for the third cohort of young professionals as part of the Young Innovators Fellowship Programme for 2026. Applications will close on 20 March 2026.

The Young Innovators Fellowship Programme provides young people (aged 18–26) from UNFPA-supported programme countries with the opportunity to engage in a structured eight-month programme to drive innovation, creativity, and capacity development and to deliver concrete results in UNFPA.

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UNFPA – UN Volunteers Young Innovators Fellowship Programme 2026.

The UNFPA – UN Volunteers Young Innovators Fellowship Programme provides an opportunity to bring 18 young professionals into UNFPA with a dedicated focus on both providing a youth perspective and driving innovation in UNFPA’s priority areas, including addressing unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths, and ending violence against women and girls.

The Young Innovators will be engaged as National Youth UN Volunteers for a duration of eight months. At the beginning of the assignment, the Young Innovators will be invited to an online induction training organized by UNFPA. At the end of their assignment, they will attend a three-day capstone presentation session at the UNFPA headquarters to share their experiences and achievements and to receive Young Innovators’ certificates. The travel arrangements are subject to the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligibility Criteria | UNFPA – UN Volunteers Young Innovators Fellowship Programme.

Applicant should be 18 – 26 years old. They need to have completed at least their secondary education and demonstrate strong commitment to UNFPA’s mandate through academic, extra-curricular and volunteer activities and/or up to three years of work experience. The Young Innovators will work at UNFPA Country or Regional Offices in their own countries.

Special consideration will be given to indigenous people, people with disabilities, LGBTQ and other marginalized groups. Applications from young women are especially encouraged.

Banach Scholarship Programme 2026 | Funded by Government of Poland

In what countries can Young Innovators work?

If you are a young person aged between 18 and 26, with a passion to make a difference in your country, check out the available assignments below:

Angola (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Luanda

Benin (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Cotonou

Colombia (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Bogota

Egypt (2 positions) (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Cairo

Ghana (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Accra

Jordan (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Amman

Kyrgyzstan (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Bishkek

Lao PDR (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Vientiane

Madagascar (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Antananarivo

Moldova (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Chisinau

Nicaragua (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Managua

Panama (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Panama City

Papua New Guinea (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Port Moresby

Senegal (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Dakar

South Africa (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Johannesburg

Thailand (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Bangkok

Turkey (Young Innovator Fellow (opens in a new tab)), Location: Istanbul

Shanghai Government Scholarships 2026/2027 At Donghua University

How to Apply for UNFPA – UN Volunteers Young Innovators Fellowship Programme.

To apply for and participate in the 2026 UNFPA and UN Volunteers Young Innovators Fellowships, use your county link provided above to register your interest.

Special consideration will be given to indigenous people, people with disabilities, LGBTQ and other marginalized groups. Applications from young women are especially encouraged.

Application Deadline: 20 March 2026.

About UNFPA and UNV

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s goal is to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, realize reproductive rights, and reduce maternal mortality to accelerate progress on the ICPD agenda, to improve the lives of adolescents and youth, and women, enabled by population dynamics, human rights, and gender equality.

UNV is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.

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