Background

The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) is the United Nations programme that supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism and the mobilization of volunteers. It operates against a background of growing recognition that volunteerism brings benefits to both society at large and the individual volunteer; that it makes important contributions, economically as well as socially; and that it contributes to more cohesive societies by building trust and reciprocity among citizens. Universal and inclusive, UNV embraces all types of volunteer action while holding to the values of free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity, which are the foundations of volunteerism.

UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 150 staff positions – the majority in Bonn with some dozen positions in different UN peacekeeping missions, and other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo) and Regional Offices. In the field, UNV has country office teams, composed of UNV Programme Officers (UN Volunteers) and Country Office Assistants, in many of the UNDP country offices. 

The Volunteer Advisory Services Section (VASS) makes the case for integration of volunteerism into peace and development broadly and UN programming specifically, and designs advisory services offer on volunteer infrastructure. VASS works in close collaboration with Regional Offices to ensure consolidation of programmatic activities and coordinated advisory services on volunteerism and volunteer infrastructure. It contributes to UNV’s positioning on volunteerism through the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR), and the Plan of Action (PoA) on volunteerism.
 

General Terms and Conditions

  • UNDP Conditions of Service for interns (http://www.undp.org/internships/) apply for interns working at UNV Headquarters.
  • The Internship Programme operates on a non-remunerative basis. Costs and arrangements for travel, visa, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of the intern.
  • The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNV but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
  • UNV accepts no responsibility for the intern’s medical insurance or for costs arising from illness during the internship. Interns are required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage.
  • Only short-listed candidates will be contacted and called for a motivational interview that will take place on an ongoing basis

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the coordination of the Knowledge Management Associate and supervision of specified VASS staff, the intern will support building UNV substantive knowledge and capacity to promote and facilitate volunteerism for peace and development globally; as well as to enhance UNV policies, programming and partnerships. Assignments may include:

  • Research, track scan, analyze key developments within UNV and among partners.
  • Assist in developing reports or policy briefs, with reviews of articles, reports, and online sources in different languages, on selected trends in volunteerism, and volunteering contributions to peace and development Perform other duties as required.
  • Assist in fact-checking key knowledge and evidence products including reports, policy briefs, and videos.
  •  Assist in the production of videos, podcasts and digital stories for the SWVR web section. This includes conducting desk research, preparing the storyboard, filming and recording, interviewing sources, editing, musical scoring and uploading materials on the web.
  • Assist in generating engaging feature articles and multimedia content for the SWVR web section and its social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram. This includes actively searching for trending/interesting content related to volunteerism and resilience, and translating technical content into compelling articles and blogs.
  • Assist in the SWVR dissemination activities, such as preparing mass mailings, updates and actively identifying potential partners to enhance SWVR outreach
  • Assist in the continuous monitoring and maintenance of the SWVR web section and social media channels by keeping all content up to date.
  • Assist in ensuring the quality and correct formatting of content including metadata on the SWVR web section.

The intern is also expected to strengthen his/her knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and other publications.

Learning opportunities for the intern

  • General understanding of the work and mission of the UNV programme, and of volunteerism’s contribution to peace and development effectiveness;
  • Insight and hands-on experience with UNV research, policy analysis and volunteer learning and knowledge management activities;
  • Insight and hands-on experience in volunteer management
  • Become more familiar with working in a United Nations / international organization and in a multicultural environment.

Competencies

  • Strong interest in development cooperation and in the work of the United Nations Volunteers programme.
  • Experience in research and writing
  • Experience in coordinating workshops or events
  • Experience in communications, knowledge management or capacity development activities is an asset.
  • Excellent oral and written communications skills and demonstrated research abilities and interest
  • Internet proficiency as well as proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Photoshop), MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required.
  • Social media savvy
  • Interest and experience in volunteering is a strong asset.

Required Skills and Experience

  • Bachelors' or Masters degree and relevant experience in the field of research, social sciences, communication, digital publishing, video production, journalism, and other related subjects
  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Fluency in French or Spanish is an asset.