Background

Objective

Internships offer outstanding graduate-level students the opportunity to acquire working experience with UN Agencies. The internship programme provides a knowledge and understanding of UN goals, principles and activities. It complements development-oriented studies with hands-on experience in the areas of democratic governance, human rights, recovery and peacebuilding, and sustainable development.

Description

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the leading UN entity on human rights. OHCHR has a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. It also plays a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of the three interconnected pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, human rights, and development.

This internship assignment is situated within the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). Deployed in March 2014, HRMMU has a comprehensive mandate to monitor and report on the human rights situation throughout Ukraine, and to make recommendations to the Government, parties to the conflict, and other relevant actors to address human rights concerns as documented by the Mission. Recommendations outline concrete follow-up actions to address these concerns, prevent violations and mitigate emerging risks. HRMMU monitors, reports, and advocates on the human rights situation through its presence throughout the country. As part of its monitoring mandate HRMMU also monitors remotely, reports and advocates on the human rights situation in areas occupied by or under the military control of the Russian Federation. In accordance with General Assembly resolution 68/262, HRMMU monitors remotely, reports and advocates on the human rights situation in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Head of the UN HRMMU and the direct supervision of the Head of Programme and Operations in the assigned area of Administration/Communications, the intern will be responsible for the following duties:

  • Provide comprehensive administrative support to ensure the smooth functioning of the office, including the preparation and processing of administrative requests/documents;
  • Use standard word processing software to produce routine correspondence, reports, tables, charts, graphs, etc., in accordance with institutional standards;
  • Maintain and update content on websites and official social media channels;
  • Report encountered technical issues/bugs and conduct basic tests on provided fixes;
  • Perform other tasks related to uploading content to HRMMU website as necessary;
  • Support various actions related to the office’s human resource and procurement activities, according to UN rules and procedures;
  • Organize and manage files, databases, data-sharing platforms, and perform standard data entry and extraction functions;
  • Support asset management functions;
  • Assist in organizing events and meetings;
  • Contribute to the development of relevant SOPs, plans and guidelines;
  • Perform any other duties as assigned.

Competencies

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Required Skills and Experience

Eligibility Criteria

Intern shall be selected on a competitive basis. The following minimum qualifications are required:

  • Applicants must at time of application meet one of the following academic requirements:
    • be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (Bachelor’s Degree), or
    • be enrolled in a graduate degree programme (Master’s Degree or higher), or
    • have recently 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 programme and undertake the internship as part of this programme.
  • Fluency in English and Ukrainian.
  • Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office applications).
  • Excellent interactive and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Duration of Internship

This internship assignment shall be offered for an initial period of thee (3) months with possible renewable for a combined period of six (6) months, with a commencement date as soon as possible.

Note: this is the remote (home-based) internship.

Financial Aspects

Interns are eligible for a monthly stipend to cover costs associated with the internship. 

Status of Interns

  • Interns are not considered as having the status of staff member.
  • Interns must not represent UNDP in any official capacity or commit resources on its behalf.
  • Interns must not apply for or be appointed to a position that should be encumbered by a staff member during the period of their internship.
  • Interns are expected to fulfil the terms of their internships. Therefore, the internship period must not be foreshortened for the purposes of allowing an intern to apply for a position.

Application

Interested students must submit:

  • Resume (in English)
  • Cover letter (in English)

 

The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.