Research and Communications Intern

Contract

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

Background

The World Humanitarian Summit was organized in May 2016 to address the scale of human suffering greater than at any time since the Second World War. The Summit generated more than 3,000 commitments to action and launched more than a dozen new partnerships and initiatives to turn the Agenda for Humanity into meaningful change for the world's most vulnerable people.

Leading up to the Summit, consultations with more than 900 companies called for more strategic private sector engagement across disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery. They also called for networks and a mechanism to be created to facilitate coordinated private sector engagement. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a number of partners launched the Connecting Business initiative (CBi) as a response to this demand. CBi is a multi-stakeholder initiative that provides a mechanism for the private sector to engage with the United Nations system, national governments and civil society in a coordinated manner across all stages of disaster management.

CBi is supported by OCHA’s Emergency Response Section in Geneva and UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD). These units collaborate with multiple other global units, as well as regional and country offices of OCHA and UNDP, as well as with many other private sector organizations, UN Agencies, NGOs and governments.

The CBi Internship is home-based. The Intern will report to the CBi Programme Coordinator in Geneva and UNDP IICPSD Director in Istanbul.

Read more about CBi at www.connectingbusiness.org, follow CBi Twitter @Connecting_biz and learn more through CBi YouTube videos.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main duties and responsibilities of the intern will include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide research support in developing CBi’s monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and impact measurement framework by researching on disaster risk management (e.g., preparedness, response, recovery) key indicators;
• Assist in enhancing database management on CBi member network activities in disaster preparedness, response and recovery;
• Assist in preparation of various written outputs (e.g., draft background paper, concept note, inputs to relevant CBi publications);
• Participate in relevant activities together with the CBi Secretariat, member networks and other partners;
• Other relevant tasks as deemed necessary by the supervisor.

Competencies

Technical/Functional Competencies

• Excellent writing skills, as well as strong analytical aptitude and strong communication skills;
• Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision and collaborate with a wide range of colleagues while meeting deadlines;
• Excellent interpersonal skills: being able to listen and collaborate with a wide range of players, being able to work independently, being pro-active and taking initiative;
• Be able to work both independently and as part of a team.

Personal Competencies:

• Commitment to UNDP's mission, vision and values;
• Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences;
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience:

Education:

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

1. Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);
2. Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);
3. 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;
4. Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

• Holds a Master’s Degree or enrolled in the Master’s Degree programme in geography, environmental study, development study, disaster management, or related areas is desirable.

Experience:

• Solid experience in academic writing, research and analysis in disaster risk management, and/or international humanitarian aid is desirable;
• Research experience in private sector engagement in the context of disaster risk management is desirable;
• Previous experience in supporting the implementation of disaster risk management capacity-building activities (e.g., workshops) for private sector and/or international organization is desirable;
• Previous experience on project designing and implementation is desirable;
• Demonstrated keen interest in the work of the UN, and of UNDP in particular, and have a personal commitment to UNDP's Statement of Purpose and to the ideals of the UN Charter is desirable;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs is desirable;

Language:

• Strong spoken and written English is required;
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset;

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 intern, 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;
• Official document(s) confirming your education status;
• Copy of the school transcript;
• Endorsement letter or letter of reference from a faculty member;

Please group the above documents into one (1) single PDF document and upload the document.

The selected intern will be requested to submit the following document.

• Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out.

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.

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/.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Stipend

Interns will receive stipends according to the UNDP rules and regulations, provided that they are not financially supported by any other institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation, or scholarship programme.

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.