The Europe and Central Asia region covers a vast geographic area that is diverse in terms of ethnic, religious and cultural makeup. It consists of 18 countries and territories in Central Asia, South Caucasus, Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Turkey, many of which (re)emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Although the region has achieved middle-income status and relatively high levels of human development, persistent challenges to sustainable peace, effective and inclusive governance, and human rights remain. Challenges to sustainable peace include active and protracted conflicts, violent extremism, lack of social cohesion based on identity divides, persistent polarization, repressive and discriminatory practices of duty bearers, elite capture and political exclusion, weak rule of law and national human rights protection systems, among others.

UNDP has been working in conflict, post-conflict and politically complex settings in the Europe and Central Asia region for more than 15 years. Understanding the causes and drivers of conflict, mapping key stakeholders and locating entry-points for peace are critical to prevent conflict and promote social cohesion. UNDP relies on its expertise in conflict-sensitive approaches to development, using development assistance to build confidence and heal differences. UNDP addresses ongoing tensions between communities and prevent outbreaks of violence, by helping build social cohesion, investing in conflict prevention capacities of government and non-government partners, build resilience to conflict risks, including violent extremism across communities, invest in infrastructures for peace, promote reconciliation and peacebuilding, uphold the rule of law and human rights, ensure democratic governance and inclusive service delivery, and invest in resilience, early warning and response and post-conflict recovery, as outlined in UNDP’s Signature Solutions and under the guidance of the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Secretary General’s Sustaining Peace Agenda.

The Governance and Peacebuilding cluster of UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub, covering ECIS region, provides advisory services to the countries to strengthen their national and civil society capacities, raise their awareness, offer evidence based analysis and facilitate sharing of experience on implementation of conflict prevention and peacebuilding programming.  The intern is expected to support Governance and Peacebuilding (GPB) cluster, and specifically the Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding team (CP/PB) in the implementation of existing programmatic work and country office support functions.

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

• Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher)(b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent) (c) Have recently graduated with a university degree in gender studies, international affairs, conflict resolution, political sciences, international law, social sciences or relevant development (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
• Demonstrated strong interest and academic background in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, prevention of violent extremism, conflict resolution, security and peace issues is a requirement;
• Experience in writing analytical products, drafting, and editorial work is an asset;
• Prior research or programmatic experience in the ECIS region is an asset;
• Written and spoken proficiency in English is a requirement; knowledge of Russian is an asset;
• A desire to work with and gain the confidence and respect of people with a different language, national and cultural backgrounds
• Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the UNDP Statement of Purpose.

Notes:

Financial Issues

Internships within the UN system are subject to conditions the applicant must get familiar with before signing his/her internship agreement. 

Starting from January 2020 interns may receive stipends according to UN rules and regulations.Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will, subject to the rules of such institution, government or third party, pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend.

Any further 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 arrangements for travel, accommodation and other costs. 

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 document(s) confirming your education status stated in Section 4;

·       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.

Conditions:

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. 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.

More information available at: http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/rbec/en/home/about_us/jobs/internships/