Org. Setting and Reporting

The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote regional cooperation for inclusive economic and social development and support regional cooperation and integration in the Asia and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership, through analytical, normative, and technical cooperation, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region. The Subregional Office for North and Central Asia (SONCA) covers Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan as a member of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA). SONCA is located in Almaty, Kazakhstan and is offering an internship opportunity for a minimum of three months with possible extension up to six months.

SONCA currently has openings for interns in two areas: 1) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-related research; and 2) multistakeholder engagement and coordination, details of which are highlighted below. Please indicate in your application which of these two areas you wish to be considered.

More details are available at: https://www.unescap.org/subregional-office/north-central-asia

The internship is UNPAID, full-time and may be expected to be conducted remotely or in person, subject to the rules of entry of the host country. Interns work five days per week under the supervision of a staff member in the division or section to which they are assigned.

Responsibilities

Under the general guidance of the Deputy Head of Office and the direct supervision by the Associate Economic Affairs Officer, the intern will assist with conducting research and producing meeting materials related to economic development in North and Central Asia. Specifically, the tasks expected include:
• For the role of SDGs-related research, assist in data collection and analysis, note-taking, drafting and editing background notes, official documents, speeches, and presentations about one or several following SDGs: SDG 1 – No Poverty, SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequality, and SDG 13 Climate Actions, and support other research and analytical activities of the SONCA upon request;
• For the role of multistakeholder engagement and coordination, support organization of subregional meetings to discuss priority areas for sustainable development and regional cooperation in North and Central Asia;
• For both roles, backstop and provide logistical support to conferences, expert group meetings, capacity-building workshops, and other events organized by SONCA in on-site, online, and hybrid settings.

Competencies

The United Nations Core Competencies include:

• 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 clients’ point of view.

Education

The United Nations internship programme is intended to expose students or recent graduates to the United Nations in order to enhance their educational experience and to help them to gain experience in the work of the Organization. To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, applicants must, at the time of application, meet one of the following requirements:

a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or,
b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent).

Applicants shall:

a) have studied areas such as macroeconomics, international economics, regional economics, econometrics, data science and data analysis related fields that focused on countries of North and Central Asia, or related areas;
b) be computer literate in standard software applications, statistical knowledge is an asset
c) have knowledge on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related goals and indicators;
d) have a keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter;
e) have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of diverse 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 Russian is an asset.

Assessment

Potential candidates will be contacted by hiring manager directly for further consideration.

Special Notice

A completed online application (Cover Note and Candidate Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The Cover Note MUST INCLUDE:

i. Your motivation for the internship (explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme and why you are the most suitable candidate for this internship)
ii. Your most relevant skills, competencies and experiences (data analysis, research, language, etc.) that can be an asset to your application for this internship
iii. Your availability period for the internship (when are you available and for how long)

In your online Candidate Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, education history, and three references.

Please note that due to the large number of applicants, the office is not in a position to reply to each application and that only short-listed applicants will be contacted for further consideration.

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.

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.