UNDP Jobs - 81086- Research and communication intern at the Alternati

Research and communication intern at the Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) project

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

02-Oct-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated 1 October 2018 – 31 March 2019

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

part-time

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

Achieving SDGs alone according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report will require $3,9 trillion per year between 2015 and 2030 for health, education and infrastructure - leaving a $2.5 trillion annual shortfall relative to the current and forecast commitments of $1,4 trillion. Innovative financing mechanisms can close the gap by channelling the resources that are available at the market and by leveraging the private sector capital worth over $200 trillion to address the most pressing development issues. Governments’ potential to strategically mobilize various sources of financing for social purposes remains underutilized while many around the world are dealing with fiscal crises and rolling back many essential services. The alternative finance can help leverage public funding to mobilize various new sources of investment (private and venture capital, P2P lending) for public policy, social services and achieving a number of SDGs, while at the same time realigning interests of various partners and creating new investment opportunities.

Alternative Finance Lab is a project within K&I within the UN Istanbul Regional Hub in the field of alternative finance, financed by the Ministry of Slovakia. Through the work on prototypes and expanding to new grounds to understand what has the potential to be catalytic in the Europe and Central Asia context, the Lab was set to support (in)formal citizen and other groups, government partners, business and others who are willing to experiment with some of the top emerging finance mechanisms. Through this project, the work of the Lab will be further promoted, moving from recognizing promising areas and pilot projects, in creating success stories and upscaling them to the regional level.

Alternative Finance Lab website, Facebook and Twitter are used as the main digital-communication tool of the initiative, providing all relevant info regarding its work and services. They are also used as a source of the contact information, enabling alternative finance experts and interested organizations and individual’s opportunity to collaborate with the initiative and learn from its experiences.

In this context, under the supervision of the Alternative Finance Lab team, the intern would be responsible to create visuals using the data and indicators provided in the Alternative Finance Lab web-site (www.AltFinLab.org), as wells as to use communication skills to communicate with partners and clients by using social media pages of the Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) projects.

Duties and Responsibilities

Regarding the research activities under the supervision of the Alternative Finance Lab team (Marina Petrovic and Robert Pasicko), the intern would be responsible for the following:

Organizing and conducting research activities on innovative technologies (blockchain technology, artificial intelligence - AI, augmented reality – AR, virtual reality - VR);
Assisting to supervisors in the field of alternative financing models – from research, logistics to media communication and building up media presence through social networks and website (altfinlab.org);
Support in mentoring and consulting crowdfunding projects
Assisting with organization of and participation at meetings, workshops, consultations, mail communication;
Support in conducting Researches and collecting data as requested.
Other activities (administrative) which will be in focus of Alternative Finance Lab during the period.

Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) website, Facebook and Twitter are used as the main digital-communication tool of the initiative, providing all relevant info regarding its work and services. They are also used as a source of the contact information, enabling alternative finance experts and interested organizations and individual’s opportunity to collaborate with the initiative and learn from its experiences.

In this context, under the supervision of the Alternative Finance Lab team, the intern would be responsible to create visuals using the data and indicators provided in the Alternative Finance Lab web-site (www.AltFinLab.org), as wells as to use communication skills to communicate with partners and clients by using social media pages of the Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) projects.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies:

Internet research skills, ability to handle and interpret data;
Good writing skills;
Be creative and proactive;
Desire to work with and gain the confidence and respect of people with different language, national and cultural backgrounds;
Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the UNDP Statement of Purpose;
Ability to support oneself financially for the duration of the internship.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher).
Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent).
Have graduated with a university degree in in fields such as of Business, Energy, Environment or International Development.and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience

Previous related work or research experience in a national or an international entity would be an asset but is not required.

Language Requirements

Written and spoken proficiency in English;

Notes:

Financial Issues:
Internships within the UN system are unpaid and subject to conditions the applicant must get familiar with prior to signing his/her internship agreement.

The costs associated with the internship 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.

Application procedure
The application should contain:

Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;
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.
UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.
Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.

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.

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.
More information available at: http://www.undp.org/internships/.