UNDP Jobs - 27865- Intern for Electoral Systems and Process (2 positi

Intern for Electoral Systems and Process (2 positions – 1 for Electoral Support and 1 for Women’s Electoral Participation)

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

01-Mar-2012

Application Deadline :

09-Feb-12 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 - 6 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP is one of the largest providers of democratic governance technical assistance globally.

UNDP work on governance is organized through the Democratic Governance Practice Area, which is managed by the Bureau for Development Policy (BDP). BDP’s Democratic Governance Group (DGG) is the practice leader for democratic governance within UNDP. BDP focus is on policy development and technical advisory services. DGG has developed a wide range of policies and programming tools based on UNDP involvement in the governance field. One of its focus areas is support to electoral systems and processes.

In the area of electoral processes and systems, UNDP supports countries to develop electoral laws, processes and institutions that strengthen inclusive participation and professional electoral administration. Because elections are about much more than what happens on Election Day, UNDP uses an electoral cycle approach to its work. This addresses longer-term issues of capacity development; institutional strengthening; participation of women and other groups; and the use of technology in electoral processes. Supporting elections is an important element of UNDP’s work and the indelible symbol of citizens’ participation in selecting their government; however the organization has made the shift to providing electoral assistance around the electoral cycle concept, which incorporates the election event as one of many elements that go to the quality and magnitude of citizens’ participation including electoral system design, electoral law reform, voter registration methodologies, civic and voter education, building the capacity of electoral management bodies, working with political parties and the media around election-related issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall Purpose of the Internship:

Under the overall supervision of the Lead Electoral Advisor, the Electoral Policy Specialist in DGG/BDP and/or GPECS Gender Advisor, the interns are expected to support the gathering of information about UNDP's electoral assistance initiatives and programming.

Specific Tasks:

Specifically, the interns are expected to undertake the following tasks on a part-time basis:

Support updating of teamworks elections space and online UNDP Online Electoral Assistance Toolkit
Update Electoral Calendar/Matrix of Electoral Support, gathering more information from UNDP country offices on their work
Support work on women’s electoral participation
Create database of electoral assistance project documents
Support in proofreading and revising papers and documents
Provide programming and operational support to other activities in the elections service area as required (such as drafting minutes, preparing administrative documents, support organizing events)

Competencies

Strong written and oral communication skills in English
Proficiency in French and/or Arabic is strong asset
Strong organizational and research skills
Keen interest on inclusive participation issues and electoral systems and processes and gender equality
Keen interest in the work of the UN, and of UNDP in particular, and have a personal commitment to UNDP's goals and objectives and to the ideals of the UN Charter; and
Have ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Enrollment in a Masters Degree (or equivalent) in International Relations, Political Science, Development, Gender Studies or related field.

Duration and Location:

The interns are expected to start as soon as possible but no later than 1 March 2012 for a period of three to six months. The interns are expected to work at UNDP HQ in New York on a part-time basis, 10-20 hours/week.

Important Details:

Successful applicants must show proof of health and life insurance for the period they are working with UNDP
Interns are not financially remunerated by UNDP
The interns must be enrolled in an academic programme throughout the internship period.