Internship Paid

Background

UNDP works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work, carried out at HQ, Regional, and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility of developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. The BPPS Communications Team supports and empowers teams and units within BPPS to communicate and promote UNDP’s work and impact under their programmatic areas.  

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work, carried out at HQ, Regional, and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility of developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. The BPPS Communications Team supports and empowers teams and units within BPPS to communicate and promote UNDP’s work and impact under their programmatic areas.  

Competencies

•    Ability to plan, prioritize and deliver (concurrent) tasks on time. 
•    Strong service and team-work orientation; also, able to work independently with limited supervision.
•    Strong attention to detail.
•    Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards.
•    Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
•    Demonstrates enthusiasm and commitment to learning; and
•    Demonstrates commitment to UNDP vision, mission, and values and knowledge of UN work environment an advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Applicants to UNDP internships must at the time of application meet one of the following academic requirements:
•    Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); 
•    Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); 
•    Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
•    Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

In addition to meeting the requirement above under eligibility, the preferred fields of study for this internship includes international relations/international development studies, communications, journalism or public information. 
 

Experience:

Required:

•    Experience in coordinating or canvassing inputs from, or promoting collaboration across multiple stakeholders or groups towards a common objective. 
•    Previous research experience, volunteer work and/or advocacy on issues related to environment, human rights, peace and security, gender or other development sectors at local, national, regional or international level.

Desirable:

•    Experience working in/with international setting or organizations.
•    Previous experience and/or exposure to working with the United Nations, an international institution, IGO, INGO, NGO, CSO, etc. 
•    Experience creating content for social media, web and/or managing different media platforms (e.g. SharePoint) 
 

Language skills:

•    Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. 
•    Competency in other UN language(s), especially French and/or Spanish is a strong asset
 

Eligibility:

Education: 
Applicants to UNDP internships must at the time of application meet one of the following academic requirements:
•    Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); 
•    Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); 
•    Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
•    Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

In addition to meeting the requirement above under eligibility, the preferred fields of study for this internship includes international relations/international development studies, communications, journalism or public information.

Experience:

Required:
•    Experience in coordinating or canvassing inputs from, or promoting collaboration across multiple stakeholders or groups towards a common objective. 
•    Previous research experience, volunteer work and/or advocacy on issues related to environment, human rights, peace and security, gender or other development sectors at local, national, regional or international level.

Desirable:
•    Experience working in/with international setting or organizations.
•    Previous experience and/or exposure to working with the United Nations, an international institution, IGO, INGO, NGO, CSO, etc. 
•    Experience creating content for social media, web and/or managing different media platforms (e.g. SharePoint)

Language skills:

•    Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. 
•    Competency in other UN language(s), especially French and/or Spanish is a strong asset.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE / HOW TO APPLY

THE APPLICATION SHOULD CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING UPLOADED AS ONE FILE:

•    Current Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume
•    Original text of up to 500 words addressing the following question: Why do you consider yourself an excellent candidate for this Internship and how do you hope that it will support your educational and professional interests and/or goals?

Conditions of internship:

Internships within the UN system are subject to following conditions, which the candidates should familiarise themselves with prior to applying:

•    Starting from January 2020 interns will receive stipends according to UN rules and regulations.
•    Any further costs associated with the internship must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her arrangements for travel, accommodation and other costs.
•    UNDP accepts no responsibility for the medical and life insurance of the intern or costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship. The Intern must provide proof of enrolment in a health insurance plan;
•    UNDP does not provide assistance with travel and/or housing and the Intern will be responsible for obtaining the necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
•    The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment within the UN System, but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship. The Intern will not be eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of internship or for the six months immediately following the expiration date thereof;
•    Interns will need to use their own laptop/notebook.
•    Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
•    UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months

Selected candidates must submit following documents within ten (10 days) prior to joining:

•    A duly completed UNDP Internship Application Form
•    A signed UNDP Internship Agreement
•    Copy of updated CV/resume
•    Official letter from the university confirming current enrolment and graduation date;
•    Copy of passport/national ID card;
•    A copy of his/her school transcript;
•    Letter of endorsement/recommendation from a Professor
•    Proof of valid medical/accident insurance including provision for medical evacuation and removal of mortal remains) for the duty station for which they will work;

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.