Internship- Regional Electoral Support Project for Middle East and North Africa-UNDP Regional Hub

Contract

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

Background

The Regional Electoral Support Project for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is part of the Global Project for Electoral Cycle Support (GPECS), which is UNDP’s main instrument for contributing to the formulation and implementation of electoral policy. The GPECS consists of country, regional, global and gender components that sustainably support policy development, knowledge management and programme support and that use a process-driven approach rather than an event-driven one. In particular, the GEPCS adopts an electoral cycle approach –as opposed to election day- looking at the electoral process over time, while seeking also to integrate electoral assistance into a wider framework of democratic governance and peacebuilding, as well as to engage with different actors throughout the cycle. The overall goal to which GPECS contributes is towards deepening democracy and accelerating human development.

The regional component of the GPECS is carried out with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Its overall aim is to improve accountability, participation and representation in the electoral and political processes in the Arab States by raising awareness and enhancing knowledge and capacity on elections and broader democratic governance topics throughout the region, as well as supporting civic engagement. The project provides expanded technical assistance to institutions, electoral stakeholders, and civil society on electoral issues. Some of the partners the project engages with include the Arab Electoral Management Bodies (ArabEMBs) and the Electoral Affairs Department of the League of Arab States.

Against this background, the project is seeking an intern to support planning and implementation of regional initiatives, reporting and contributing to the conceptualizing and design of the next phase of the project and contributing future direction of the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERNSHIP :

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Electoral Policy Specialist, the intern will support various ongoing project initiatives with research, reporting and implementation. More specifically, the intern will support in documenting the learnings from covid-19 impact webinars, draft and contribute to concept notes on e-learning courses and provide input to the upcoming regional campaign for women’s political participation.

The intern is also expected to acquire and reinforce his/her knowledge on the ongoing political processes in the MENA region, with a particular focus on electoral issues, as well as to strengthen his/her understanding of the structure and modus operandi of the UN system.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Depending on the competencies and interests of the intern, assignments to include among others:

1. Assist in analyzing and drafting a lessons learnt document on the impact of covid-19
2. Contribute to drafting of concept notes on e-learning courses; including conducting a mapping of existing online resources on elections
3. Support in the development of E-learning courses
4. Conducting research and analyze data on electoral systems and processes in the region
5. Support in the drafting and finalizing of the new electoral assistance programme for the Arab Region
6. Support in drafting activity reports
7. Assist in the implementation of other activities related to youth and women political participation
8. Other related tasks as assigned by supervisor.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE INTERN:

• General understanding of the work and mission of UNDP Regional Electoral Support Project, the role of stakeholders and partners at national and global level and their contribution to the political development of the region;
• Becoming familiar with the UN system;
• Becoming more familiar with working in an International Organization and in a multicultural environment;
• Becoming more familiar with the current political situation and ongoing political and social changes in the Arab countries;
• Insight and hands-on experience in organizing, facilitating and organizing projects on a regional level.

DURATION OF WORK?AND WORKING HOURS:

The intern will work for the electoral support project remotely for a period of 6 months. The Intern will work full time, five days per week Sunday to Thursday.

Competencies

COMPETENCIES****:

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to the Electoral Project’s mission, vision and values;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race and age sensitivity;
• Shows ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines with a positive attitude;
• Demonstrates sensitivity, discretion, tact and courtesy in relation to the Electoral sensitivity, development principles and projects, implementing partners, and regional stakeholders.

Functional Competencies:

• Strong analytical, research and writing skills;
• Good communication and interpersonal skills;
• Time management, organizational and prioritization skills;
• Ability to work both independently and in a team;
• Ability to adapt to a difficult working environment, under pressure and with limited timeframes.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

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.

Previous Experience:

Previous experience is not a basic requirement for the selection. However, are considered as an asset:

• Previous working experience or internship with a national or international organization.
• Previous research and analysis working experience.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and demonstrated research abilities and interests.

IT skills:

Internet proficiency and proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point) is required. Good command of social networks is an asset.

Stipend

• 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.
• The monthly amount of the stipend will be determined for each duty station based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit. The stipend will be paid on a monthly basis and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.
• Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will, subject to the rules of such institution, government or third party, pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend.
• No other payments of any kind will be made to an intern by the office in connection with an internship agreement.