Internship for Coordination and Knowledge Management – EECA Judges’ Forum on HIV and the Law

Internship

Overview

Support HIV law knowledge sharing and coordination among judges in EECA region

You have:

• Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree program (such as a master’s program, or higher).
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent).
• Have recently graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.
• Have an interest in assisting work with members of the judiciary system and civil society organizations in the context of HIV, PLHIV, and key populations at higher risk of HIV.
• Proficiency in English and Russian; knowledge of other EECA region languages is an asset.
• Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the UNDP Statement of purpose.

Contract

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Background

UNDP is the UN's global development network advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is a founding co-sponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development leverages the organization’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies.

While globally the number of new HIV infections is decreasing, Eastern Europe and the Central Asia (EECA) is one of three regions in the world where the HIV epidemic continues to grow. According to UNAIDS, there are approximately 1.6 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the region.[1] Most new infections in the region are among key populations at higher risk of HIV (KPs),[2] who must contend with punitive legal environments, social ostracization and discrimination. High rates of co-infections are prominent, with tuberculosis (TB) increasingly linked to HIV infection and drug use, while hepatitis C infection is approaching 80 percent prevalence amongst people who use drugs. Nine of the world’s 30 countries with a high burden of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) are within the EECA region[3].

While there has been a significant improvement in the legal environment relevant to HIV in the region, certain gaps persist and they are closely related to the rights situation of PLHIV, KPs and co-infections and the legal and policy regulatory frameworks that govern national efforts in prevention, treatment, care and support. In cooperation with governments, other UN agencies, international organizations, and CSOs, UNDP works to develop the capacity of national legislators, government offices and CSOs on matters of HIV and the law. Through previous work as follow-up to the Report of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, UNDP has sought to support and develop the capacity of non-state actors to address the nexus between human rights, laws, and HIV, as well as to foster effective and efficient dialogues and cooperation between governments and non-state actors in this area. UNDP also works on capacitating and sensitizing judges and law enforcement to the specific needs of PLHIV and KPs and to better protect their rights.

Discriminatory laws and practices continue to render KPs more vulnerable to HIV infection and compromise their access to prevention, treatment, and care services. With criminalization of HIV transmission, drug use, sex work and homosexuality across the region, PLHIV, people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men for fear of prosecution or violence often do not seek HIV and health-related services.

UNDP organized the first ever EECA Judges’ Forum in November 2019 in Chisinau, Moldova. This has triggered the establishment of a regional platform that coordinates communication and sharing of knowledge and best practices between judges who work on cases related to HIV, PLHIV, KP and co-infections. Building on the outcomes of the 1st EECA Judges’ Forum, UNDP together with the Supreme Court of Tajikistan organized the 2nd Judges’ Forum meeting in October 2020. Based on the expressed needs of the Steering Committee the meeting focused on criminalization of HIV transmission, exposure and non-disclosure. A concrete recommendation and outcome of the meeting and Steering Committee of Judges is to further develop and operationalize an interactive platform/website. The 3rd Judges’ Forum meeting in November 2021 organized in collaboration with the National School of Judge of Ukraine focused on criminal and civil law as it related to HIV. The meeting also reiterated as a recommendation the further development of the platform/website as a key priority.

Hence, the HHD EECA IRH team is seeking the services of an intern(s) to contribute and deliver on a set of tasks.

[1] UNAIDS - https://aidsinfo.unaids.org/

[2] UNAIDS considers gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers and their clients, transgender people, people who inject drugs and prisoners and other incarcerated people as the main key population groups. These populations often suffer from punitive laws or stigmatizing policies, and they are among the most likely to be exposed to HIV. Their engagement is critical to a successful HIV response everywhere—they are key to the epidemic and key to the response (UNAIDS Terminology Guidelines, 2015, https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/2015_terminology_guidelines_en.pdf).

[3] Stop TB Partnership, High Burden Countries - http://www.stoptb.org/countries/tbdata.asp

Duties and Responsibilities

The main tasks of the intern will include:

• Knowledge building and sharing
  • Generate and support dissemination of relevant content via platform/website on the role of the judiciary /judges in the context of HIV, TB and co-morbidities and increased protection for KPs and PLHIV.
  • Support collaboration with communication colleagues at IRH and the country offices to ensure that relevant work is shared and given proper visibility.
  • Assist facilitation of active participation and inputs from judges and relevant partners in the region
  • Assist preparation of newsletters, articles, blog posts, videos, e-discussions, webinars etc.
  • Contribute to preparation, organization and knowledge sharing at the 4th EECA Judges’ Forum meeting
  • Assist with the translation relevant products related to the Judges’ platform/website from/to English and Russian.
• Assist the building and maintaining of partnerships
  • Support the maintenance/updating of list of partners in the region including judges, lawyers, prosecutors etc.
  • Assist with making relevant linkages to the work and information generated by other Judges’ from outside the EECA region including the Africa Judges’ Forum and work conducted to build the capacity of judges in the Latin America region
  • Contribute to and support the the coordination of the Judges’ Steering Committee (consisting of 6 judges from across the region)

Competencies

• Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in a team
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback
• Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills
• Strong ability to conduct in-depth research and handle large databases

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.

Preferred areas of studies include human rights, international law, public health, economic, social sciences or similar

Experience:

• Interest to assist work conducted with different members of the judiciary system (e.g., judges, lawyers, prosecutor etc.) and civil society organizations at regional and national levels in the context of HIV, people living with HIV and key populations at higher risk of HIV
• Interest to work with and adapt to working with people in different physical and cultural environments.
• Respect for the principles of the United National Charter and the UNDP Statement of purpose.

Language skills:

• Excellent written and spoken proficiency in English and Russian. Other language of the EECA region is an asset.

5. 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 will receive stipends according to UN rules and regulations.

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 letter from the University confirming enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme;
• 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.

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. More information available at: http://www.undp.org/internships/.

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Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org