UNDP Jobs - 84483- Intern – Effective Development Cooperation

Intern – Effective Development Cooperation

Location :

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

01-May-2019

Application Deadline :

15-Apr-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English

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

Present in 166 countries and territories, UNDP supports governments in developing strong policies, institutions and partnerships to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It does so in part through its comprehensive knowledge network, which includes expert practitioners that provide focused advice and support in strategic policy areas.

UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. The GPN assists UNDP and its partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. The GPN also supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data-driven, including in its programme support efforts.

Within the GPN, the Effectiveness Group provides crucial support to ensure that UNDP is an effective, accountable and transparent thought leader and partner of choice for sustainable development. Through support to the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) and International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), the Effectiveness Group fosters multi-stakeholder actions for more effective cooperation and partnerships, including strengthening policies, institutions and systems, as well as cultivating strategic partnerships to make the best use of all available resources to realise national development goals. Drawing on the comparative advantages of UNDP in strengthening country capacities to manage and coordinate development cooperation, the Effectiveness Group supports the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, as part of the OECD-UNDP Joint Support Team, as well as the International Aid Transparency Initiative, as part of a wider Secretariat consortium.

UNDP’s work in this area is guided by principles of effective development cooperation and supports global policy dialogue and mutual learning on effective development cooperation, helping increase the availability of transparent data on development cooperation, while supporting countries in implementing and monitoring the effective development cooperation principles. In addition, cultivating networks of partners and development practitioners is another key element of UNDP’s support to the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation and the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the overall supervision and guidance of Global Policy Adviser and with day-to-day reporting to the Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist, the intern will focus on the following:

Policy Research and Analysis (30%):

Under the direct supervision of senior team members, research trends in development effectiveness / co-operation and identify linkages / key areas of support for UNDP's work in advancing the global development effectiveness agenda. This includes specific support to implementation of the GPEDC’s 2017-2018 Work Programme and the IATI programme of work, as needed; and
Under the direct supervision of senior team members, contribute to policy research and development of policy / practice products such as a Global Compendium of Good Practices on effective development co-operation, issue briefs, discussions papers and practice notes etc.

Knowledge Management (50%):

Support the preparation of monitoring data for refinements to the Global Partnership’s data visualization dashboard; and
Act as the day-to-day focal point for an online community of practice / knowledge-sharing platform for effective development cooperation practitioners, including through day-to-day management, outreach, synthesis of knowledge / lessons learned, etc.

Logistical / Event Support (20%)

Provide logistical support to various events organized under the auspices of the Global Partnership, including workshops, side events and Steering Committee meetings, among others.

Competencies

Competencies:

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 and other materials;
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.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications:

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, is an asset, and experience in developing countries is desirable.
Knowledge of, or direct experience working with effective development co-operation issues, the GPEDC or IATI us an asset.

Language:

Excellent written and oral communication skills in English - competency in other UN language(s), especially Spanish and/or French, is an asset.
IT skils:

Storong online research skills and good knowledge of the Microsoft Office Package. Advanced excel and data base management skills in particular are considered an asset.

Working arrangements

UNDP will provide office space, access to internet and a printer during the assignment. The intern will be responsible for providing his or her own laptop.