UNDP Jobs - 66696- Intern - South-South Cooperation

Intern - South-South Cooperation

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

19-Jun-2017

Application Deadline :

14-Jun-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English French Spanish

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, UNDP offers global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

South-South cooperation (SSC) and triangular cooperation (TrC) have increasingly demonstrated their contribution towards achieving development results through a variety of flexible cooperation modalities, including knowledge exchanges, technological transfer, financing and peer support. The potential for SSC and TrC in contributing towards the achievement of sustainable development and poverty eradication has not been fully leveraged. Thus, as articulated in its 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, UNDP also aims to be a global operational arm for broadening and deepening SSC and TrC.

The SSC team within the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) in UNDP Head Quarters is working to achieve an increased scale and effectiveness of UNDP’s support to SSC and TrC, as well as deeper cooperation with emerging partners on shared development priorities. Since the overarching theme of the internship will be on SSC/TrC, the internship aims at:

Enhancing the interns’ understanding of the SSC/TrC concepts by analyzing major work on this topic and by interacting with our SSC researchers, attending events;
Exposing interns to current developmental challenges in southern countries while introducing them to proven development solutions;
Enhancing interns’ writing and analytical skills by engaging them in various knowledge product and research outputs.

Improving interns’ communication, advocacy, and organizational/planning skills by requiring their support in organizing advocacy and learning events i.e., in the management of the team’s knowledge sharing spaces, and on various social networking spaces.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Lead Advisor on South-South and Triangular Cooperation and day-today-day reporting to the Policy Analyst on SSC, the interns will support the work of the team. Depending on the competencies and interests of the interns, assignments will include:

Helping the SSC team with the planning and organization of upcoming key events (i.e., educational webinars/workshops, SSC Annual Expo, think-tank consultation forum, etc);
Providing assistance in the drafting, editing, and possibly translation of various on-going knowledge products the team is involved in;
Supporting the production of a set of communication materials (i.e., newsletters, brochures, flyers, executive summaries of various publications produced by the team);
Assisting in managing the team’s space on UNDP’s various knowledge sharing and advocacy platforms (i.e., Yammer space, UNDP’s “Our Perspective” blog space...etc) as well as other social media platforms including Twitter;
Researching and collecting data on various thematic topics related SSC/TrC;
Analyzing the relevant documents on SSC/TrC (i.e., UNDP Strategic Plan 2014-2017, Evaluation Report of UNDP Contribution to South-South, Framework of operational guidelines on United Nations support to South-South and Triangular cooperation, ...etc).

Provide assistance to SSC team members as requested on different SSC-related work streams and undertaking other supportive tasks and assignment as needed.

Competencies

Functional

Excellent organizational, event planning, and time management skills, attention to detail and proven ability to work independently under tight deadlines;
Proven research and writing skills, with track record in producing development research, research, and other materials in English;
Strong service and team-work orientation; evident cultural sensitivity and ability to work in a multi-national environment;
Demonstrated enthusiasm and commitment to learning.

Commitment to UNDP vision, mission, and values and knowledge of UN work environment an advantage.

Corporate:

Demonstrate integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP values and ethical standards;
Promote the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme in a development related field such as economics, public administration, public policy, or international relations/international development studies.

Experience:

Previous experience in research and policy development, communications, advocacy, can be an asset, and experience in developing countries is desirable.

Language:

Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with competency in other UN language(s) an asset.

Learning opportunities for Interns:

General understanding of mission of the UNDP and particularly through the work of the SSC team;
Increased awareness of pressing global development challenges and the role of SSC and TrC in addressing those challenges and advancing the global agenda;
Insights on successful/proven solutions facilitated by SSC and TrC and the role of southern state and non-state partners and stakeholders in the process;
Insight on UNDP’s role in facilitating and promoting SSC/TrC programmes at the local, regional, and global levels;
Practical research, data analysis, drafting, and editing experience;
Hands-on experience on utilizing social networks for advocacy and public relation purposes;
Hands-on experience in managing and running complex projects; and becoming more familiar with working in an International Organization and in a multicultural environment.

Conditions of Internship:

Application Procedure:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website;
The application must contain a) Cover letter and b) Curriculum Vitae. Please compile all the documents into one pdf. file to be uploaded with your application.

Selection Procedures:

Internships offer a small group of outstanding graduate-level students the opportunity to acquire direct exposure to UNDP's work and are designed to complement development-oriented studies with practical experience in various aspects of multilateral technical cooperation. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted and called for a motivational interview that will take place on an ongoing basis. Candidates who are shortlisted for an interview must submit prior to the interview the following documents:
Official letter from the University confirming enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme, specifying the expected graduation date,
Have a valid visa to work in the US;
Letter of endorsement from a faculty member who has worked with the student in the recent past and who is knowledgeable on the student’s performance;
Complete and sign the “Application Form”
A brief statement specifying the reasons why the candidate is seeking an internship with UNDP and what is expected from the experience.

Duration of the Internship Programme

UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.

Intern’s Expense/Arrangements:

UNDP does not pay for internships. The costs associated with the latter 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 own arrangements for travel (including to and from the office), visas, accommodations, etc.

Subsequent Employment:

The purpose of the Internship Program is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but, as mentioned, to complement an intern's studies. However, a number of interns, having completed their studies and met the necessary requirements, have gone on to further assignments with the UNDP or elsewhere in the United Nations system.

Medical Requirements

Before being offered an internship position, the selected candidate will have to provide the following additional documents:

A Medical Certificate of Good Health from a recognized physician. If the intern is expected to travel outside the country of their residence, other than to Europe and North America, the physician must indicate whether he/she is fit to travel and has had the required inoculations for the country or countries to which the intern is to travel;
Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the duration of the internship and location in which the internship will be carried out (i.e. New York, USA).