Background

On the ground in about 170 countries and territories, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. We help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships and institutions so they can sustain their progress. UNDP’s work in the Philippines focuses on the following main areas:

• Democratic Governance - focuses on the development and inclusive growth that are anchored in the quality of governance. Projects and initiatives support local, catalytic strategies that strengthen democratic systems to empower women, indigenous peoples, and disadvantaged groups to claim their human rights.
• Resilience and Peacebuilding - prioritizes the design and implementation of initiatives in areas that are vulnerable to or are affected by natural disasters and armed conflict. It seeks to contribute to national efforts to address the needs of affected populations and institutions, help build their resilience, and provide support in the transition to long-term and sustainable development.
• Inclusive and Sustainable Development - works on providing technical advisory support in policy development in the two main areas – improved natural resilience, and climate action. It seeks to enhance the environment's carrying capacity to support the country's sustained economic growth, alleviating poverty in the process.
• Management Support - is responsible for monitoring and evaluation as well as strategic planning, reporting and communications, and resource mobilization. It also acts as the focal point for SDG initiatives of the country office and develops strategic partnerships with Government and non-government actors to position UNDP Philippines as a relevant and credible partners for Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

UNDP in the Philippines is establishing a roster from which to pool qualified interns during the course of 2018 for a minimum period of 6 weeks and a maximum period of 6 months, subject to the needs of their respective host teams.

Internships offer a small group of outstanding undergraduate and graduate-level students the opportunity to acquire direct exposure to UNDP's work.

Internships are not alternative forms of employment. They are a way to offer students the opportunity to complement their studies with hands on experience. This is excellent outreach for UNDP Philippines as well as a chance to have resources for a short period of time for focused contributions. As interns are not paid, it is the relationship of the work experience to their studies and/or their future academic or career ambitions which gives the internship assignment value. They cannot be used to replace support staff or conduct strictly support functions. While some routine functions may be components of internship assignments, they are intended to be learning and developmental experiences that compliment advanced studies. Providing an opportunity to make substantive contributions to an office’s work is an essential requirement of offices taking on interns.

Assignments vary greatly in terms of content. Every attempt is made to match the interests of the intern with the needs of the organization. Internship assignments vary in length according to the availability and academic requirements of the intern, as well as the needs of UNDP. Assignments are available on a part-time and full-time basis throughout the year depending on the availability of meaningful assignments and the needs and capacity of offices to receive and supervise interns.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP Philippines is looking for interns who will work in any of the following areas:

• public relations, content writing and graphics design, communications and knowledge management;
• monitoring and reporting;
• democratic governance;
• peacebuilding;
• climate and disaster resilience;
• energy and environment;
• human rights, gender, combating HIV/AIDS; and
• Sustainable Development Goals.

Typical Tasks performed by interns:

• Conducting research;
• Drafting documents;
• Cataloguing information;
• Assisting in the organization of meetings, conferences, or other collaborative events;
• Preparing knowledge products (stories/best and worst practices);
• Identifying innovative development solutions in specific areas;
• Provide operational and administrative support;
• Undertake field visits and attend meetings and workshops where appropriate; and
• Supporting monitoring and evaluation, communications and resource mobilization.

During the internship they will acquire practical experience in various aspects of project management in an international work environment.

Competencies

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in both oral and written English and Filipino

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to work in a diverse and multi-cultural environment;
• Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure and?to meet strict and competing deadlines;
• Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Demonstrates self-management, including conflict management/negotiating skills on interpersonal issues;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Filipino;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work effectively in teams, delivering through and with others;
• Computer literate; good knowledge of Microsoft Office Applications

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Required Skills and Experience

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 (as defined in (a) and (b)?above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Internship Conditions:

A few key points regarding internships with UNDP:

• Interns are not financially remunerated by UNDP. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of  the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or the intern, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence through private sources.
• Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship with UNDP and must provide a medical certificate of good health prior to starting the internship. UNDP will not reimburse the medical insurance of the intern. Any costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship assignment will be the responsibility of the intern.
• The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
• UNDP accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to personal effects that may occur during the internship.
• Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship;
• The intern must provide proof of enrollment in health insurance plan;
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;
• 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.