INTERN - PUBLIC INFORMATION

Contract

This is a I-1 contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about I-1 contracts.

Org. Setting and Reporting The Strategic Planning and Communication Services (SPCS), in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) is responsible for providing strategic planning, communications services and information technology to the Department. Using the Department's website at https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/ and publishing up-to-date articles and news stories, reflecting the work of the Department and its 9 divisions, SPCS handles the Department’s overall web-based outreach efforts. SPCS distributes two online newsletters – the internal weekly DESAlert and the external monthly UN DESA Voice. SPCS also conducts outreach using social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The internship is for a minimum of two months with an opportunity for extension to a maximum of six months. The internship is unpaid and full-time. Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in SPCS to which they are assigned.

Responsibilities The selected candidate will assist SPCS in its internal and external communication outreach efforts supporting the 9 divisions of UN DESA, mainly through its main channels UN DESA Voice, the website of UN DESA and via its social media platforms. Key tasks will include: •To cover/attend events/meetings/seminars and conduct research and interviews, resulting in news stories and articles for UN DESA's website and the external online newsletter UN DESA Voice. •To support the management of UN DESA's social media activities, including preparing engaging text entries for UN DESA's social media platforms; and communicating with fans and followers. •To provide design support, creating outreach products and digital assets for online/offline promotion - To provide research-based strategic advice on the development and use of new social media tools to attract new fans. - To assist with translations of news stories published on UN DESA's website into other UN official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and/or Russian). •To assist in adhoc requests and projects relating to the internal and external communication efforts of SPCS. •To assist in the drafting of multimedia content for the DESA website using the content management system Drupal. - To perform other duties as assigned.

Competencies The United Nations Core Competencies include: - Communication: Ability to draft clearly and concisely, good written and oral language skills. - Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from different national and cultural backgrounds to achieve organizational goals. - Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view.

The intern is expected to: - Have demonstrated a keen interest in the work of the UN and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; and - have demonstrated the ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant to differing opinions and views.

Education To qualify for an internship with the United Nations New York Headquarters Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:

Applicants to the United Nations 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, i.e. Master’s or equivalent, Ph.D. or post-graduate degree); b) be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); or (c) subject to review on a case-by-case basis, applicants within a few years from graduation who could not apply earlier and who are in an early stage of their careers; as a first time entry into the workforce; are changing careers or due to compelling family circumstances.

Applicants must be computer literate in standard software applications.

Work Experience No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the Internship Programme. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Assessment Potential candidates will be contacted by the hiring manager directly for further consideration.

Special Notice A completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The Cover Note must include: - Title of degree you are currently pursuing - Graduation date (when will you be graduating from the programme) - List the IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in - List your top three areas of interest - Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship - Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme

In your Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills and three references. Due to a high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.

REMOTE INTERNSHIPS (COVID-19): In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship remotely in view of constraints regarding visa issuance, international travel and access to UN premises. Applicants must be willing and prepared to undertake the internship¿remotely for a part or the entirety of the internship.

G-4 VISAS FOR INTERNS: All interns assigned to a UN Organization, including Funds and Programmes, at a United States based duty station, who are not United States citizens or United States legal permanent residents (LPR) will be required to obtain G-4 visas prior to travelling to the United States.

Prospective interns who are already in the United States in another nonimmigrant status may need to apply for a change of status to G-4 prior to joining the United Nations for an internship. It should be emphasized that prospective interns are responsible for ensuring that they have an appropriate valid visa and employment authorization allowing them to undertake the internship.

If the applicant is in F-1 status and has a valid EAD, they may undertake an internship within the scope of their F-1 visa without seeking a change of visa status. Please note, however, that interns in F-1 status who wish to undertake an internship following completion of their academic programme as part of Optional Practical Training (OPT) ‘may’ need to seek a change of visa status to G-4 (This process currently takes about 8-10 weeks) or obtain G-4 visa overseas. To qualify for G-4 nonimmigrant status, interns must be serving essentially full-time, i.e. 35 + hours per week. Please also be advised that all candidates working in New York Headquarters will be required to submit proof of Covid-19 vaccination status.

United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.