UNDP Jobs - 54420- Access to Medicines and Intellectual Property Inte

Access to Medicines and Intellectual Property Intern for United Nations Development Programme

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

30-Apr-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months, part-time or full-time (preferred)

Languages Required :

English Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

starting date is flexible, candidates will be selected on repetitive basis throughout the year 2015

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

As a founding co-sponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and guided by the health-related MDGs, responding to HIV is one of UNDP’s priorities. Under the UNAIDS division of labour, UNDP is responsible for leading the UNAIDS response in addressing dimensions of AIDS relating to: development planning and mainstreaming; governance; and human rights, gender and sexual diversity. UNDP is also responsible for providing support to governments in their implementation of policies and programs that protect the human rights of people affected by HIV.

While globally the number of new HIV infections is decreasing, the region of Eastern Europe and the Central Asia (EECA) is home to the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world: rising from an estimated 970,000 people living with the virus in 2001 to 1.6 million in 2013. Mortality from AIDS has also experienced a 21% increase in the region over the period 2005-2012. The Russian Federation and Ukraine, the two most populous EECA countries, together account for almost 90 percent of newly reported HIV cases. Levels of treatment in the region are low with approximately 25 percent of those in need of antiretroviral therapy receiving it. At the same time, cost of some anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines remains much higher than the Global Fund Median Prices and the prices listed by the World Health Organization. While the reason for the high pricing of medicines is complex a significant factor that contributes to it are intellectual property provisions, which sometimes could reduce competition. Numerous issues related to the regulatory framework of medicines such as registration and licensing also affect the access to safe and efficacious medicines of good quality.

In cooperation with governments, other UN agencies, international organizations, and civil society actors, UNDP works to develop the capacity of national legislators, government offices and civil society actors on matters of HIV and the Law, including IP and access to medicines. In Eastern Europe and the CIS, UNDP has been providing policy advice and technical assistance to governments on reforming legislation in order to be able to meet public health obligations, while remaining compliant with requirements under the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, as well as bilateral instruments with IP provisions. Through the regional project “Sustainable Financing of National HIV Reponses in Select Countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”, co-funded by the Russian Federation, UNDP has provided analyses of regulatory frameworks in select countries of the region and a set of recommendations. Since international trade and the regulatory framework that governs it is evolving dynamically, it is important for the information on regulatory framework to be updated, in order to enable programming that would secure access to affordable medicines of good quality in the new conditions.

UNDP seeks an intern to support the HIV, Health and Development Team at the Istanbul Regional Hub for approximately six months. Among the interventions that would require support are: analysis of existing and upcoming legislation that affects IP. Registration, licensing of medicines and other regulatory aspects in countries in Eastern Europe and the CIS; supporting policy advice and technical assistance provided to country offices in the field of IP and access to essential medicines; update of data, analyses, conclusions and recommendations on the regulatory frameworks that affect access to HIV medicines in the EECA countries; supporting the drafting of project documents and reports; supporting the planning, execution and follow up with capacity development activities, such as workshops, conferences, national consultations; The intern is also expected to meaningfully contribute to the growing collection of virtual resources of the HHD Team, available on the professional network Teamworks and the UNDP website.

Internships offer a small group of outstanding graduate-level students the opportunity to acquire direct exposure to UNDP's work. They are designed to complement development-oriented studies with practical experience in various aspects of multilateral technical cooperation, but also complement other international studies, including law. While the primary objective for this internship is to assist and support the work of the HHD team in human rights, law and health, the intern is also expected to meaningfully contribute to knowledge products and capacity building interventions of the team.

Duties and Responsibilities

The interested candidate will report to Regional Legal Specialist at the HHD Team and interact on a daily basis with the Programme Specialist and other team members, in Istanbul and around the world. The intern is expected to:

Support the Supervisor in reviewing documents, drafting correspondence and materials on intellectual property, registration, licensing and access to ARV and other essential medicines;
Assist in organization of missions, meetings, conferences, workshops by, drafting the agenda, coordinating all logistics and technological support, assisting with report drafting;
Organize teleconferences and meetings in virtual space;
Prepare stream of activities on monthly basis;
File documents and compile data;
Prepare presentations in PowerPoint and Prezi;
Maintain the group’s forum on the UNDP network Teamworks;
Assist in communicating findings and facilitating knowledge dissemination and exchange among the various interested parties;
Support communications between internal and external parties and serve as a ‘point of contact’ for requests for information on the initiative/task team;
Others as required.

Upon successful completion of the internship, and submission of a positive evaluation by the Supervisor, the intern will be issued a certificate, signed by the senior management of the Istanbul Regional Hub. Outstanding interns may be provided with letters of reference by the Supervisor. The intern who successfully completes the internship would gain knowledge and experience in the UNDP work on rights, law, health and development, exposure to practices in Eastern Europe and the CIS, as well as numerous useful transferrable skills to facilitate a future international career.

Competencies

Good team worker;
Solid writing and communications skills;
Strong organizational skills and the ability to multi-task;
Must be able to work in a multicultural environment and be aware of political sensitivities;
Responsible, responsive, and enthusiastic;
Be willing to work within the framework of UNDP’s internship policies.

Required Skills and Experience

Interns are selected on a competitive basis. The following minimum qualifications are required:

Education:

Enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme in law, patent law, international law, international relations, public policy, public health, or economics;
The interested candidate will be eligible to undertake this internship only if she/he is currently enrolled in the post graduate level course;

Experience:

Knowledge of intellectual property, the TRIPS Agreement and its flexibilities is a strong advantage;
Experience in research, report drafting, project writing, event organization would be an asset;
Proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint is required, other technical skills are an asset;

Languages:

Written and spoken proficiency in English and Russian;
Knowledge of Turkish is an asset.

Must be available at least 20 hours a week for a period of at least 3 months;

Application procedure:
The application should contain:

Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post (Please indicate in your cover letter your motivation, your exact dates of availability and number of hours per week, any relevant work experience.)
Current and complete CV in English;
Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Candidates who are selected for must submit prior to the interview the following documents:

Official letter from the University confirming enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme;
Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out. Selected intern must have medical and life insurance.

UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.
Interns are not financially remunerated by UNDP. 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, accommodation, etc.

Subsequent Employment:

The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern’s studies.
Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
It is important to note that interns are responsible to arrange for their own visa and residence documents, and need to plan for these well in advance.