Small Island Developing States, Research and Communication Intern

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Sunday 15 Aug 2021 at 23:59 UTC

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Contract

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

Background

UNDP works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results. We offer our expertise in development thinking and practice, and our decades of experience at country level, to support countries to meet their development aspirations and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South, SIDS-SIDS and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

UNDP is committed to Small Island Developing States, working to connect the UN global processes to regionally and locally owned development priorities for SIDS and supporting and advocating for SIDS-specific development solutions. With a broad country presence, UNDP has a major organizational investment, and a multi-sectoral programme portfolio in SIDS. UNDP supports SIDS through strong in country presence covering 50 SIDS countries and territories across seven MCO’s and additional stand-alone country offices.

UNDP was at the forefront of the Third International Conference of SIDS in Samoa in September 2014, with BPPS playing a key role in the preparations of the Conference, and actively following up on actions identified in the outcome document SAMOA Pathway. As a listed agency in the UN Implementation Matrix for the Pathway, UNDP is contributing to sustainable, inclusive and equitable economic growth with decent work, sustainable tourism, climate change, disaster risk reduction, sustainable energy, and oceans work areas; and supporting countries to integrate these priorities into development programmes, based on the trade-offs between resource availability and needs identified within each country aligned with member states’ priorities and requests.

UNDP is committed to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), working to connect the UN global processes to regionally and locally owned development priorities for SIDS, and supporting and advocating for SIDS-specific development solutions. One of the outcomes in the UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021 is tailored to give special attention to “capacities developed across the whole of government to integrate the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and other international agreements (including the SAMOA Pathway) in development plans and budgets, and to analyze progress towards the SDGs, using innovative and data-driven solutions”. UNDP provides support to SIDS through policy and programme development, and implementation that builds on international, national and local priorities. UNDP is committed to support SIDS through a global framework, consisting of three main pillars: Climate Action, Blue Economy and Digital Transformation, with access to sustainable finance as a cross-cutting pillar.

In the context of COVID-19, SIDS have been especially hard hit by the socio-economic shocks triggered. SIDS are defined by their particular development case, while individually unique, they share a set of common structural characteristics that make them acutely vulnerable to these external shocks. Climate change remains the main priority of SIDS, UNDP is supporting SIDS through developing a pathway to a green recovery, a pathway that reconciles the need for maintaining commitment to the Paris Agreement with economic growth.

UNDP provides support to SIDS through policy and programme development and implementation that builds on international, national and local priorities. Through strategic partnerships and advocacy, UNDP aims to bridge gaps and create a network between SIDS and other key stakeholders. UNDP supports SIDS governments to build capacity – institutional, policy, technical – for which, feeds regional support and support the implementation of international normative standards and commitments in their own countries.

UNDP supports SIDS in partnership with other development actors, civil society, private sector, and governments, in order to achieve the SDGs and provide holistic development solutions. Furthermore, with its long in-country presence in many SIDS, policy and programmatic work, engagement, and advocacy, UNDP can be seen as a ‘partner of choice’ to bring visibility, maintain momentum, and influence action in order to ensure SIDS are not left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

UNDP has a large portfolio on sustainable development, including a policy advisory and programmatic focus on Small Island Developing States. To this view, UNDP is seeking to recruit an intern to support its work on SIDS and sustainable development. The intern is expected to 1) provide extensive research and data analytical support and development of reporting tools to inform UNDP’s policy work on SIDS; 2) support knowledge management, data visualization and communications efforts on areas pertaining to digital transformation, climate action and Blue Economy in SIDS.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the UNDP SIDS advisor, the intern will support knowledge management tasks and implementation of a communications strategy including developing social media content:

  • Provide extensive research support on SIDS in particular in topics of climate action, blue economy; digital transformation and sustainable finance;
  • Support compilation of communication materials, project stories, and dissemination and develop digital content on issues related to SIDS and to countries responding towards energy transitions in light of the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 recovery;
  • Draft elements for the bi-weekly external newsletter with news and resources from within and outside UNDP on the most pressing issues SIDS face;
  • Support the research needs of the growing Community of Practice on SIDS and SparkBlue platform;
  • Monitor social media content relevant to SIDS and topics of climate action, blue economy and digital transformation;
  • Support the SIDS portfolios’ ad hoc tasks as they arise.

Competencies

Corporate

  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Professionalism

  • Works toward creative solutions by analyzing problems carefully and logically;
  • Has a dynamic, positive and adaptive attitude towards work-related challenges;
  • Facilitates discussions and meetings effectively and efficiently;
  • Resolves conflicts as they arise;
  • Sets priorities, produces quality outputs, meets deadlines and manages time efficiently;
  • Highly organized, detailed oriented.

Communication

  • Writes and presents clearly and convincingly.

Required Skills and Experience

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

  • Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a Master’s program or higher) in the fields of Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Graphic Design, Journalism or related;
  • Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (such as Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the fields of Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Graphic Design, Journalism or related;
  • 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;
  • Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program

Experience:

  • Any experience in strategic communication and social media management;
  • An understanding of development issues pertaining to SIDS is an advantage;
  • Voluntary / internship experience in conducting research in international development or related field;
  • Demonstrated research and ability to extract and compile information based on research undertaken as part of University coursework or outside work;
  • Extensive IT skills including design software such as Adobe suite and social media applications, Microsoft suite.

It is an advantage for applicants to have experience in:

  • Very good knowledge of United Nations System is desirable;
  • Experience with infographic design preferred;
  • Experience creating content for the web and/or managing different media platforms (SharePoint) is desirable.

Language requirements

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English language is required.

In case an applicant is successfully selected, s/he will be requested to provide electronic versions of:

  • letter from his/her university confirming current enrollment and graduation date;
  • letter of recommendation from a professor;
  • copy of his/her most recent school transcript;
  • copy of passport;
  • a copy of US Visa if the intern is not a US Citizen;
  • completed UNDP internship application form;
  • signed UNDP Internship Agreement;
  • Medical Certificate of Good Health;
  • Proof of medical insurance.
  • Kindly note the above documentation is required within one week after selection.

Institutional Arrangements

The intern will report to the UNDP SIDS Advisor based in UNDP’s New York office within the Nature, Climate and Energy team.

Interns’ Expenses

Interns may be given a stipend under conditions prescribed in the section on stipends, below. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, passports, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of:

(a) The nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or

(b) The intern.

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, will be paid by UNDP.

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.

Interns will accrue leave at the rate of 1.5 days per month. Any accrued leave days not used by the end of the internship will be forfeited. Any unjustified absences during the internship period exceeding a total of nine days, will be deducted from the monthly stipend.

Insurance

Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship with UNDP. UNDP will not reimburse the medical insurance of the intern. Any costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship assignment will be the responsibility of the intern. Applicants for internships must show proof of valid medical insurance for the duty station in which they will intern. For applicants which are neither nationals or residents of the duty station, the insurance must include adequate coverage in the event of an injury or illness during the internship duration which:

  • Requires transportation to the home country or country of residence for further treatment;
  • Results in death and requires preparation and return of the remains to the home country, or country of residence.

Subsequent Employment

There is no expectation of employment with UNDP following an internship. Interns cannot apply for, or be appointed to, any position during the period of their internship.

Third-party claims

UNDP is not responsible for any claims by any parties where the loss of or damage to their property, death or personal injury was caused by the actions or omission of action by the interns during their internship.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org