Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Intern

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With presence in 170 countries and territories, UNDP endeavors to help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships and institutions so they can sustain their progress. UNDP personnel are united by a common purpose: to help countries and communities across the world pursue peaceful, prosperous lives, lived in harmony with the planet.

In July 2020, the UNDP Administrator assigned a core team of staff members to facilitate a series of transparent and honest discussions across UNDP on racism and racial discrimination as part of a UNDP Anti-Racism Team. This team submitted a report with recommendations in December 2020 which provided some important reflections on the experiences of racism in UNDP and proposed number of recommendations targeting areas of concern in three areas: organizational culture; policies, procedures, and practices, and monitoring and accountability. In March 2021, an Action Plan was developed and endorsed by UNDP management. Its intent is to ensure UNDP is set up for success as an actively Anti-Racist organization.

In addition, UNDP was recently awarded the EDGE Gender Equality certificate for its achievements in advancing gender equality in the workplace. The certificate was awarded after a significant review process was conducted, and areas for improvement and further investments, were identified. As part of UNDP’s response, an Action Plan was developed to ensure gaps and areas of improvement received dedicated resources and to track progress.

UNDP is seeking an intern to work in the Bureau of Management Services, Office of Human Resources (BMS/OHR) in its Headquarters located in New York, United States or Remotely. Working under the guidance and supervision of HR Specialist, Diversity, and Inclusion the intern will support the implementation of the Action Plan on Anti-Racism and the Gender Equality EDGE Action Plan. The intern will specifically focus on developing content, including communications, knowledge assets and learning materials aimed at building UNDP’s capacity and knowledge on racism and other biases.

The internship manager is committed to providing the intern with the training, guidance and support necessary to complete the below duties and responsibilities effectively and within the internship period. This will include, but not be limited to, scheduled meetings (weekly) to assess output progress, systems training (where required) and completion of required university reports for the purpose of meeting any necessary Degree requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and curate a weekly anti-racism/inclusion nudges email for OHR staff, with bite-size issue content aggregated from external and internal sources
• Help manage and contribute to the development of an online discussion (using Sparkblue) and event on Racism, track participation and help moderate the discussion. Lead the development of an outcome report and findings.
• Collaborate, support and help coordinate the implementation of the EDGE Action Plan on Gender Equality with research and analysis as needed, with a focus on gender diversity and intersectionality.
• Support the communications plan of the EDGE certificate announcement with content and expert input, working cross functionally with communication specialists.
• Support the D&I Specialist in their work with the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Anti-Racism, with a focus on the bias in recruitment workstream.
• Attend external online events on DEI issues, including knowledge sharing, networking, and upskilling opportunities, and provide a report back to the team to support learning and development.

Competencies

Core

Innovation

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

• Ability to persuade others to follow

People Management

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery

• Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement.

Technical/Functional:

• Analytical: Excellent research skills, combined with a proven analytical aptitude and ability to tap into a vast array of traditional and new knowledge sources.
• Communication: Excellent writing skills, as well as strong analytical aptitude and strong communication skills.
• Organizational: Strong organizational, time management, communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work flexibly.
• Team work: Demonstrates intercultural sensitivity in a multicultural environment.

Secondary:

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Candidate must be enrolled in a degree programme.

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

• (a) Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• (b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);
• (c) 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.

Desirable Skillset & Experience:

• Experience in community organizing, issue-activism and/or youth engagement.
• An ability to deliver content in an engaging style and humanize data for a wide range of audiences, with a keen eye towards visualization and layout.
• Be able to work independently and keep track of tasks and deliverables.
• Must demonstrate empathy, curiosity and a collaborative spirit.
• Solid understanding of international development.
• Working knowledge of MS office and access to Internet is essential.
• Proficiency in design tools such as Canva, InDesign or Illustrator is a bonus.

Languages:

• Fluency in English required.
• Knowledge of other UN languages will be considered a plus.

General Internships Terms & Conditions

• UNDP Internship programme is governed by the UNDP Internship Policy Framework & Rules.
• Under the new revised UNDP Internship Policy, UNDP will provide a modest monthly internship stipend to its interns, in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship policy. All expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern or her/his sponsoring entity/institution. Stipends are available only for full-time/on-site internships at this time.
• Selected Interns must be able to share proof of education enrolment and/ or graduation, medical/health and life/accident insurance, valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out and be able to provide insurance documentary proof at the time of their selection.
• The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an Intern’s studies and learning growth. There is no expectation of employment at the end of these internships.