Org. Setting and Reporting

The internship is located in the Joint Inspection Unit, United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). The internship is for a minimum duration of three (3) months and can be extended up to six (6) months depending on the need of the service.

The internship is UNPAID and full-time, and interns work five (5) days per week (40 hours) under the supervision of the Evaluation and Inspection Officer in the department or office to which they are assigned.

The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) is the only independent external oversight body of the United Nations system mandated to conduct evaluations, inspections and investigations system-wide.
Based on priority areas relevant to its mandate, the Unit developed a results-based Strategic Framework for 2020-2029, providing a roadmap for increased oversight in response to stakeholders’ demands (Annex III of A/63/34), which was subsequently acknowledged by General Assembly resolution 63/272.

Responsibilities

Interns undertake duties, supporting the work of a team for a specific report, under the supervision of an Evaluation and Inspection Officer. The intern will be assigned to different tasks depending on the status of implementation of the annual work programme of the Unit.

Interns will be requested to assist the Inspector(s) in the research work related to on-going projects of the annual work programme. Interns can also be involved in supporting future work programmes and other internal tasks of the Unit.

Normally, she/he will be assigned to support research outputs for one or two of the JIU’s reviews, under the direct the supervision of an Evaluation and Inspection Officer. As part of his/her duties, s/he will contribute to the research (desk review, review of basic documentation) and drafting work to support the review prepared by one or more Inspectors of the Unit. This entails analysis of key issues for the review, including comparative analysis of the work of the 25 participating organizations in this area, preparation of questionnaires and interview guides, analysis of information received, participation in interviews and preparation of minutes, preparation of analytical charts, graphs, tables etc.

Duties may include, but are not limited to:
– Assistance in drafting and preparing official documents
– Attending and summarizing conferences and meetings
– Document, legal and internet research
– Assistance during conferences
– Working on web-presentation
– Evaluation of projects
– Compiling statistics
– Media analysis

Competencies

Communication: Ability to draft clearly and concisely, good written and oral language skills.

Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from different national and cultural backgrounds to achieve organizational goals.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from client’s point of view.

Education

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
(a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
(b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent).

Interested candidates must be pursuing or pursued their degree in areas related to this Job Opening.

In addition, interested candidates must:
– Be computer literate in standard software applications including MS Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point);
– Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; and,
– Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Work Experience

No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship.
Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Assessment

Potential candidates may be contacted by the hiring team directly if further information is needed during the review of their applications. Due to the high volume of applications received, only candidates who have been identified as potential will be contacted.

Assessment method may include an interview.

Special Notice

Completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The Cover Note must include:
– Dates of availability.
– Title of degree you are currently pursuing.
– Graduation Date (When will you be/have graduating/graduated from the programme?).
– IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in.
– Top three areas of interest.
– Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship and tell us about your
interest in the United Nations Internship Programme.

In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three references.

There is no expectation of employment by the United Nations upon completion of the internship.

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns are responsible for all internship-related expenses that they incur. The United Nations accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship. Therefore, upon award of an internship, interns are responsible for securing adequate insurance coverage and are required to sign and return a statement confirming their understanding and acceptance of these conditions of service.

A person who is the child or sibling of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. An applicant who bears to a staff member any other family relationship may be engaged as an intern, provided that he or she shall not be assigned to the same work unit of the staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of the
staff member. For purposes of this instruction, “child” means (i) the child of a staff member; (ii) the child of the spouse of a staff member (stepchild); and (iii) the spouse of a child of a staff member or a staff member’s spouse (son- or daughter-in-law). “Sibling” includes the child of both or either parent of a staff member and the child of the spouse of a parent of a staff member (that is, also half-and step-sibling).

Candidates of certain nationalities must obtain a visa authorizing their stay in Switzerland before they depart for Geneva to begin their internship. While this is the overall responsibility of the selected candidate, we will provide information and supporting documents in this regard.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.