Intern to Support B4R in South Asia – Knowledge Management - UNICEF Regional Office

Contract

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

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a future

How can you make a difference?

Background and Rationale:

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential.

For every child, hope

The UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA), through effective support to country offices and strategic engagement with partners, contributes to winning support for the cause of children from decision makers and the wider public particularly on priority issues in South Asia. This includes providing technical assistance, capacity-building and coordination to enhance digital advocacy in the region. UNICEF South Asia works in eight countries and has worked to implement UNICEF’s Strategic Plan for 2018–2021 in South Asia. For more targeted efforts, UNICEF South Asia has translated the Strategic Plan into six headline results (save newborns, stop stunting, every child learns, eradicate polio/fully immunized child, end child marriage, stop open defecation).

Anchored in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF’s strategies for change are aimed to yield concrete results for children, charting a course towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 – and the realization of a better world for every child. UNICEF views the private sector as a vital partner in these global efforts.

Under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, businesses have a responsibility to respect child rights and are encouraged to take voluntary action to promote child rights. UNICEF engages with the business sector at all levels, including small and medium enterprises, multinational corporations, government institutions, independent regulatory bodies, corporate foundations, industry bodies and multi-stakeholder platforms. Types of partnerships range from financial partnerships to working groups dedicated to improving business policy and practices to respect and support children’s rights.

The UNICEF Business for Results (B4R) initiative was launched in 2018 as a whole-of-UNICEF approach to boost the organizational understanding and capacity to incorporate business as one of the key stakeholders to realize strategic results for children. The initiative aims to create a UNICEF in which the potential and relevance of business are mainstreamed into its considerations and decisions on how to achieve results for children, with the necessary ambition, knowledge, skills and resources in place. The B4R strategy is drawn from UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2018–2021. Within the B4R initiative, there are three strategic pillars: 1) Capacity Building and Culture Change; 2) Tools and Systems; and 3) Enabling environment.

UNICEF ROSA actively supports the Regional Office and the Country Offices to effectively leverage the private sector to accelerate programmatic results. It set the years 2020 and 2021 to further implement B4R in the region- and to develop strong capacities for understanding and applying the organization’s goals and processes of Private Sector Engagement (PSE). With this foundation successfully in place, a new strategic plan has been developed for 2022 - 2025 that places a special focus on both public and private sector engagement. By enhancing our engagement with businesses and integrating the role of business more systematically into the UNICEF programming cycle, UNICEF hopes to further ingrain B4R into the organization. Additionally, in South Asia, the 2022 – 2025 Regional Office Management Plan also aims to implement cross-sectoral programming, innovation, and enhanced country support to further ensure B4R plays an important role in the regions success moving forward.

Purpose:

The overall purpose of this internship is to allow an engaged and motivated person to gain exposure and provide support to the strategic workings of UNICEF Public and Private Sector Engagement. The intern will work for a 6-month period starting in October 2021 and provide critical research and coordination support to the B4R implementation work in South Asia, with a special focus on the 2022 – 2025 strategic goals.

This internship will provide the successful candidate an exposure to the working environment of a multilateral organization and a better understanding of UNICEF’s mandate to safeguard the rights of every child, everywhere. This internship will also provide an exceptional opportunity to support UNICEF in strategically developing and implementing a targeted strategy at a regional level.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Working directly under the supervision of the Corporate Alliances Specialist, the intern will undertake the following tasks:

• Conduct private sector analyses

• Conduct scoping and mapping of current public and private sector engagements in the region and review strategic plans by UNICEF programme sections

• Conduct an analysis of current private sector presence and influence in one of the eight country offices in South Asia (country to be decided)

• Provide support in designing and implementation of an existing methodology (to be selected)

• Support knowledge management, dissemination and tools

• Review existing tools and identify gaps

• Develop tools that support country offices in the region with strategically considering the private sector

• Organize knowledge management platform and the weekly newsletters, case studies, and research

  Support international processes and capacity development

• Liaise with relevant programme or country colleagues to identify capacity needs and gaps

• Support in leveraging research support through internships, secondments etc.
• Draft terms of reference for internal and external hires to fill staff capacity gaps
• Assist with preparing briefings, one-pagers and presentation materials
• Provide support to day-to-day Business for Results work at ROSA as needed

In addition to the tasks outlined above, the intern will get an opportunity to advance a topic of his/her choice related to UNICEF ROSA’s programme priorities, such as migration, mental health (to be discussed with the supervisor).

Learning and Development:

Some learning components of this internship include:

• Improving knowledge on child rights and business
• Understanding of how to engage with business to accelerate outcomes for children
• Improving understanding of UNICEF’s activities, policies and organization
• Improving organization, communication and coordination skills

The intern will receive supervision, guidance and coaching by the immediate supervisor from the start of the assignment.

Working Conditions:

• Duration: The internship will last 6 months, starting in October 2021.
• Location: The intern will work remotely (with the possibility to work at the South Asia Regional Office in Kathmandu, Nepal to be determined due to Covid-19). The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for interns.
• Financial support: Should the intern be able to travel to the duty station, UNICEF regional office will support the intern’s round-trip travel costs up to USD 1000 – if this is not covered by the University. UNICEF will also provide a monthly stipend in accordance with UNICEF rules and recommendations – if this is not covered by the University. All other costs will be borne by the university/candidate.
• Leave: Interns may take up to 2.5 days per month off work for any reason, including for medical reasons. The stipend will be reduced for any absence beyond this quota. The quota is cumulative over the duration of the internship, but there will be no compensation or carry-over to another appointment for unused leave days at the end of the internship.

Terms and conditions:

• Interns are not staff members. Notwithstanding this status, interns shall observe all applicable rules, regulations, instructions and procedures and directives of UNICEF.
• Interns shall respect the impartiality and independence required of UNICEF and shall not seek nor accept instructions regarding the services performed under the internship agreement from any Government or from any authority external to UNICEF.
• Unless otherwise authorized by the hiring office, interns may not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, government or any external source any information which has become known to them by reasons of their association with UNICEF. They may not use any such information without the written authorization, and such information may never be used for personal gain. These obligations do not lapse after the end of the internship.
• Interns shall refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on UNICEF and not engage in any activity which is incompatible with the aims and objectives of UNICEF.
• The UNICEF internship programme is not connected with employment and there is no expectancy of such. Interns cannot apply for posts advertised internally to UNICEF staff during the period of internship.

To be considered for an internship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or Ph.D. degree programme or have graduated within the past two years in business, economics, politics, communication or similar discipline.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.
• Strong communication skills, written English skills, and ability to write clearly, succinctly and for a variety of audiences
• Knowledge of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and computer skills such as SharePoint
• Strong research and analytical skills, including the ability to distil lengthy and often complex content into brief summaries
• Knowledge of child rights and UNICEF’s engagement strategy with business (or keen willingness to learn) is an asset
• Developing country work experience is considered an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate:

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this internship are...

• Builds and maintains partnerships - Build a network of external stakeholders and alliances with government counterparts, civil society, the media and the private sector, in order to promote and advance the work of the organization
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness - Self-aware of own strengths, limitations, working style and deeply held convictions and biases. Displays ethical awareness through behaviors that are consistent and compliant with the standards of conduct for international civil servants, UNICEF’s values and relevant UNICEF policies and procedures
• Innovates and embraces change - Is open to and proposes new approaches and ideas. Adapts and responds positively to change.
• Drive to achieve results for impact - Commits to action and assumes responsibility and ownership for own performance and the associated outcomes.
• Manages ambiguity and complexity - Demonstrate resilience and composure, get things done despite challenges and maintain performance levels in pressured, adverse and uncertain environments.
• Thinks and acts strategically****- Understands the big picture and can identify potential opportunities for action and challenges that exist. Forms sound evidence-based judgements in the delivery of UNICEF’s results.
• Nurtures, leads and manages people - Establish and maintain mutually supportive working relationships, demonstrating sensitivity to people of diverse backgrounds, respecting differences and ensuring that all can contribute and succeed.

• Works collaboratively with others - Provide exemplary management and leadership, motivating and developing colleagues to perform at their best, while building diverse and inclusive teams.

  To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.