Internship - Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) - HQ/HSP
Geneva
- Organization: WHO - World Health Organization
- Location: Geneva
- Grade: Internship - Internship
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Occupational Groups:
- Public Health and Health Service
- Disaster Management (Preparedness, Resilience, Response and Recovery)
- Emergency Aid and Response
- Closing Date: 2025-02-03
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
Health emergencies continue to have significant and sometimes catastrophic impacts on countries' health, economies and development. Both recent and ongoing public health events have demonstrated that many communities remain at high risk, and that strong levels of national preparedness across all relevant sectors are crucial to ensuring the effective management of health emergencies, when they occur. They also illustrate the need for scaling up the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) that require countries to build and maintain the capacities to prevent, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, while anchored in strong and resilient health systems. The Emergency Preparedness Division contributes to the implementation of the WHO Global Programme of Work (GPW 13) and is guided by WHO strategic priorities: “keep the world safe, improve health and serve the vulnerable”. The WHO strategic priorities drive progress in health toward Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly addressing SDG 3, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The Health Security Preparedness (HSP) department supports Member States in enhancing national preparedness across the IHR core capacities to manage all-hazard risks and emergencies, and to build multisectoral approaches for health security. It ensures that WHO supports Member States to build sustainable preparedness capacities and scale up the implementation of the IHR (2005), and support the implementation of the Sendai Framework, the WHO Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework, Paris Agreement on Climate Change and other related global and regional frameworks. The department also establishes strategic links to, and supports the advancement of global initiatives such as GPMB, GHSA, EU ACP, Health and Security Alliance, Foreign Affairs for Global Health initiative and the UN System Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience. HSP works with partners and the broader global health security community to ensure that the most vulnerable communities in all countries are protected from the impact of health emergencies.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Terms of reference
Under the supervision of a technical expert in the UHPR Unit, the intern is assigned the agreed terms of reference:
- Assist in the documentation and reporting on the first five years of UHPR piloting at national, regional and global levels, including collecting insights and lessons learned from participating Member States.
- Assist in tracking and analyzing Member States' progress in implementing their priorities and recommendations from UHPR reviews, ensuring proper documentation and follow-up, in coordination with Member States and relevant partners.
- Assist in drafting, formatting, and editing UHPR technical materials, tools, reports, and communications materials.
- Contribute to the planning and organization of workshops, meetings, conferences, and other events.
- Support social media activities for the UHPR Unit, including creating impactful posts, designing strategic campaigns, and engaging with diverse global audiences.
- Organize and manage data and documents; and conduct comprehensive analyses to support UHPR activities.
- Perform any other duties as requested by the supervisor.
Learning objectives
The purpose of the WHO Internship Programme is to provide an enriching learning experience for students and recent graduates. The Learning Objectives outlined within each internship vacancy are a key component of the programme.
Within this internship, the intern will:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) process, including its purpose, objectives, methodology and added value for Member States.
- Develop a good understanding of the roles and interactions between WHO headquarters, regional offices, and country offices in supporting Member States.
- Acquire the ability to engage with Member States to document and report their experiences with the UHPR process, as well as their progress in implementing priorities and recommendations from UHPR reviews.
- Strengthen skills in clear and effective communication about international products, focusing on technical documentation, reporting, and promotional materials.
- Gain practical experience in preparing background documents, reports, and tools for workshops, meetings, and other events.
- Gain practical experience in managing social media platforms within an international organization.
- Develop skills in organizing, managing, and analyzing data and documents.
DURATION OF INTERNSHIP
24 weeks - tentative start date 14 April 2025.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Have completed the equivalent of three years of full-time studies in public health, political science, International Relations, social science, or related fields at a university or equivalent institution prior to commencing the assignment; AND be enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent institution leading to a formal qualification. (Applicants who have already graduated may also qualify for consideration, provided that they apply to the internship within six months after completing their formal qualification.)
Skills
Core competencies
- Teamwork
- Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
- Communication
All interns should be able to demonstrate the following skills in line with the WHO core competencies:
- Communicating effectively orally and in writing
- Showing willingness to learn from mistakes
- Producing and delivering quality results
- Working collaboratively with team members
In addition, interns need to be familiar with commonly used computer programmes, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Knowledge of specialized computer programmes, for example, statistical software may be an advantage.
Experience
- Academic or research background in fields relevant to the UHPR process, including public health, political science, health diplomacy, social science, or related disciplines.
- Exposure to international health contexts or developing country settings, either through academic studies, internships, or practical experience.
- Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative data analysis, with an interest in analyzing and presenting health information to inform public health strategies
- Skills in organizing workshops, conferences, and other events, including logistical planning, agenda development, and stakeholder coordination.
- Experience with social media platforms and content creation, including drafting posts, developing campaigns, and engaging with target audiences.
- Basic knowledge of video editing and montage software to produce promotional and informational content.
- Basic knowledge of specialized software or tools, such as Microsoft Office Suite, qualitative analysis software (e.g., NVivo, Atlas.ti), or platforms for collaborative work (e.g., Microsoft Teams, SharePoint).
Languages
Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of Spanish or French. Intermediate knowledge of other UN language.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Interns do not receive a salary. They do however receive a living allowance. The amount of living allowance is different in each duty station. The amount also depends on any other external financial support received by the intern (grant, scholarships, etc.) and whether their permanent residence is in the duty station of the internship. In Geneva, for interns with permanent residence in the duty station, the maximum amount of the allowance provided by WHO is 738 CHF per month. For interns whose permanent residence is outside of the duty station, the maximum amount is 1716 CHF per month. The exact amount of the living allowance will be calculated for each intern, after selection, based on a legal financial disclosure form that the individual will complete. In addition, all interns in Geneva will receive a daily lunch voucher for meal expenses (20 CHF per working day). WHO also provides all interns with accident and medical insurance coverage.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Please note that internships at WHO are very competitive and only a small number of applicants will be accepted every year. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted
- Living abroad is expensive and finding accommodation can be challenging. All intern candidates should be aware of these factors before they consider applying for a WHO Internship.
- If selected for a WHO Internship, candidates will be required to provide certified copies of proof of enrolment in an eligible course of studies, a completed WHO medical certificate of fitness for work, and the contact details for reference checks.
- WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link:http://www.whed.net.Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
- WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put theWHO Values Charterinto practice.
- WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
- The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
- The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to: reasonableaccommodation@who.int
- WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
- Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Department of Staff Health and Wellbeing (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.