Background

CORPORATE BACKGROUND:

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

UNDP is working to strengthen new frameworks for development, disaster risk reduction and climate change. We support countries' efforts to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals, which will guide global development priorities through 2030. The key 2030 Agenda principle of leaving no one behind and stamping out inequality is at the core of everything we do.

UNDP focuses on helping countries build and share solutions in three main areas:

• Sustainable development
• Democratic governance and peacebuilding
• Climate and disaster resilience

In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women, minorities and the poorest and most vulnerable.

INTERNSHIP OFFICE BACKGROUND:

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

BPPS supports UNDP’s 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, focusing on 7 outcomes including strengthening institutions to progressively deliver universal access to basic services (outcome 3). The HIV, Health and Development Group (HHD), within BPPS, is helping to contribute towards this outcome.

HIV, Health and Development Approach

UNDP is a founding cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development leverages the organization’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies. UNDP delivers three types of support to countries in HIV, health and development.

First, UNDP helps countries to mainstream attention to HIV and health into action on gender, poverty and the broader effort to achieve and sustain the Millennium Development Goals. Second, UNDP works with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights and health responses. Third, as a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multisectoral health projects, while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. The UNDP/Global Fund partnership is an important part of this work, facilitating access to resources for action on MDG 6 by countries that face constraints in directly receiving and managing such funding. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions.

Access and Delivery of New Health Technologies for Neglected Tropical Diseases

The majority of deaths caused by infectious disease are of poor people living in low- and middle-income countries with many occurring in children under five. HIV, malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and other epidemics continue to devastate communities throughout the developing world. The prevalence of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), endemic in 149 countries, also remains high. As part of its work on accelerating progress on the MDGs, UNDP is committed to working with partners to achieve the health related MDGs including MDG 8.E specifically aimed to address the sector gap in research and development (R&D) funding for new global health technologies for global diseases and their availability: “in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.”

The Access and Delivery Partnership (ADP) is a five-year (2013-2018) project that aims to help LMICs enhance their capacity to access and introduce new health technologies for TB, malaria and NTDs. New health technologies are broadly defined as drugs, diagnostic tools and vaccines that are relevant for the prevention, treatment or cure of TB, malaria and NTDs, but are not yet available for market introduction or have not been introduced in LMICs. The introduction of new health technologies can place a weighty burden on existing health systems. These burdens may include new requirements for drug regulation, supply and distribution, and health personnel training. Accordingly, the Access and Delivery Partnership focuses on building capacity of LMIC stakeholders to enable the development of the systems and processes required to effectively access new health technologies, and introduce them to populations in need. Led and coordinated by UNDP, the ADP is a unique collaboration among UNDP, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases at the World Health Organization (WHO/TDR) and PATH. Working together, the ADP project partners leverage the expertise within each organization to provide the full range of technical skills necessary to strengthen capacity in LMICs.

For more information on the Access and Delivery Partnership programme visit http://adphealth.org/

Duties and Responsibilities

Competencies

• Interest and motivation in working in an international organization;
• Good analytical skills in gathering and consolidating data and research for practical implementation;
• Outgoing and initiative-taking person with a goal oriented mind-set;
• Communicates effectively when working in teams and independently;
• Good in organizing and structuring various tasks and responsibilities;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Responds positively to feedback and differing points of view;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Candidates must meet one of the following educational requirements:

• currently in the final year of a Bachelor’s degree; or
• currently enrolled in a Master’s degree; or
• have graduated no longer than 1 year ago from master’s degree or equivalent studies.

Field of study: public health, international development, public policy or equivalent.

Experience:

• Experience working in a professional setting, preferably in the area of public health or development;
• Demonstrated experience conducting desk and/or field research on contemporary challenges relating to global health or development;
• Good understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and the relevance to UNDP’s core mandate;
• Proficient writing and communication skills, for a range of different audiences and media;
• Experience working collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment;

IT skills:

• Knowledge and a proficient user of Microsoft Office productivity tools;

Language skills:

• English required;
• Knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.

INTERNSHIP CONDITIONS

• UNDP internships are not remunerated. All expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern or her/his sponsoring entity;
• UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
• Interns are responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
• Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship;
• Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan;
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;
• Interns are expected to work full time but flexibility is allowed for education programmes;
• Interns need to obtain financing for subsistence and make own arrangements for internship, travel, VISA, accommodation, etc.

NOTE: If selected for the position, interns are requested to provide a letter from university confirming current enrollment and graduation date, a copy of school transcript, a letter of endorsement from professor, a medical certificate of good health, a copy of medical insurance coverage during internship assignment in Thailand, and a copy of passport.