Intern - Parliament (for nationals only)

Contract

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

Background

UNDP Sri Lanka's Flagship Portfolio on SDG16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions brings together inclusive governance and peacebuilding work under one umbrella. The Portfolio is implemented by UNDP as part of its Country Programme and the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework and enables the provision of cohesive and integrated support to Sri Lanka.

Under this portfolio, UNDP has been providing technical assistance to the Parliament of Sri Lanka as a trusted development partner for many years, with a view to strengthening its core functions (law-making, oversight, representation and budgetary) ensuring that the Parliament of Sri Lanka is positioned as a strong and people's institution.

Post Context:

Under the direct and overall supervision of the Secretary-General of Parliament, the interns will provide support to the Parliament of Sri Lanka and work in close collaboration with Parliamentary Staff to support day to day administrative tasks such as coordination, documentation, research, communication, and general support. The interns will have the opportunity to experience the role of Parliament and its legislature while also learning about its office systems and management. The interns will be based at the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

The internship placements will include one intern assigned to the Secretary-General's Office and four interns assigned the Committee Offices. The Head of Department/Section/ Chair of the Committee has the discretion to assign duties to the interns.

The focal point of the Internship Programme will be the Assistant Secretary-General of Parliament. The interns shall be under the supervision of the Head of the Department/Head of the Section/their immediate supervisor. From UNDP, the Parliament and Media Specialist and the Project Associate – Parliament will provide overall supervision to the Interns.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties/ functions will include but are not limited to;

• Assisting in organizing and coordinating committee meetings, preparing agendas, distributing notices, and providing support at committee meetings.
• Supporting the preparation of minutes and proceedings of meetings, maintaining official documents and reports, and assisting in the preparation and distribution of parliamentary documents and correspondence.
• Conducting research on legislative issues, preparing background briefs and summaries, and supporting the preparation of official documents.
• Facilitating communication with external parties, assisting in organizing public consultations, and ensuring compliance with parliamentary rules and procedures.
• Supporting the management and supervision of parliamentary staff in daily administrative work.
• Any other duties assigned on the service requirement of the Department/Office/ Committee the Intern is assigned to.

Competencies

• Proactive (able to pro-actively undertake tasks that fall under TORs)
• Team Player
• Excellent writing skills
• Quick learner
• Good computer skills
• Polite and outgoing

Ethical Values

Integrity

• Interns are required to act honestly and abide by the policies, the procedures and directions of the Parliament Secretariat.

Impartiality

• Interns must ensure that their personal interest, financial and non-financial associations and activities do not conflict with assigned duties or functions.

Efficiency

• Interns must use their work time and resources meaningfully.
• Interns must complete assignments in a timely manner and be responsive to the time constraints of others.

Confidentiality

• Information gained in the course of work must not be used for personal benefits.

Trust and Commitment

• Interns must be committed to protecting the integrity of Parliament and respect the trust placed in them by the Secretariat and Committees.

Responsibility

• Interns must observe the rules, regulations and customary practices of the Parliamentary secretariat.

Required Skills and Experience

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

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

(d) Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Family Relationship

A person who is the child or sibling of an UNDP staff member is not eligible to apply for an internship at UNDP. An applicant who bears any other family relationship with a UNDP staff member may be engaged as an intern, provided that they must neither be assigned to the same work unit of the staff member nor be placed under the direct or indirect supervision of the staff member.

Medical Insurance

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.

Stipends, insurance and interns' expenses

Where an intern is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme, a stipend intended to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station, must be paid by the receiving office.

Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, passports, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of:

(a) The nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or

(b) The intern.

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