Liberia is positioning itself to increase its influence and participation within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); after acknowledging that it is currently underrepresented in the organization’s professional ranks. A statement from the Ministry of Education (MoE) issued October 12, 2024, underscored Liberia’s commitment to empowering young professionals to play a more active role in UNESCO’s global mission. This push for increased representation, according to the statement, was highlighted during a high-level meeting in Paris, France, on October 11, 2024, where Education Minister, Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, met with the Chief of UNESCO’s Section for Young Professionals. The statement indicated that the discussions focused on addressing Liberia’s geographic underrepresentation across various professional levels within the organization. It said that Dr. Jallah discussed how Liberia could leverage UNESCO’s Mid-Level Professional Program, introduced in September 2023, to create more career opportunities for Liberian professionals, adding that the program is specifically designed to address representation gaps, with targeted recruitment for positions ranging from P1 to D1 levels. Dr. Jallah emphasized the importance of enhancing Liberia’s human resource development and proposed partnerships that would provide training for students from high school to university level, equipping them with the skills necessary to compete for international positions, including those at UNESCO. Dr. Jallah also outlined plans to expand the Ministry’s capacity to effectively manage and disseminate information about UNESCO vacancies. This, she noted, would enable more Liberians to take advantage of the available job opportunities within the organization. A significant part of the discussion, the statement indicated, revolved around improving Liberia’s participation in UNESCO’s Young Professional Program (YPP), a key initiative that offers career development for young professionals from underrepresented countries. In addition to the YPP, another pathway explored during the meeting was the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program, where countries such as China, South Korea, France, the Netherlands, and Italy sponsor young professionals from the Global South to work at UNESCO. Dr. Jallah expressed optimism that this model could provide Liberian youth with valuable international exposure, helping them contribute meaningfully to UNESCO’s mission. To further support these initiatives, UNESCO proposed hosting a webinar in late January 2025 to inform Liberian students about the Mid-Level Professional Program and the YPP. This event is expected to guide students on how to access these programs and prepare them for potential roles at UNESCO. Source: LINA 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐃𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲