Org. Setting and Reporting

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide direct assistance and protection to a population of 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

The UNRWA Human Resources Department is divided into three divisions: Human Resources Operational Services, Organizational Design and Classification Services, and Human Resources Policy and Development Division. 2023 internship opportunities for law, business management, or human resources students or graduates are available to various functions in the Organizational Design and Classification Services Division (ODCS) in collaboration with the Human Resources Policy team. Should sufficient internship candidates be identified, coordination of placement with the UNRWA Legal Department may also be possible. This opportunity would be uniquely suitable for candidates interested in in-house experience or international policy.

Responsibilities

Interns may be assigned matters including but not limited to:
• Policy support to HR – ODCS staff members:
– review and summarize essential issues regarding policies development;
– present visualized reports in an engaging format, and perform qualitative analysis;
– research to provide insights aligning with UN best practices;
– prepare research papers;
• Participate in strategic communication brainstorming, develop meeting minutes, and attend other special events (workshops, career development forums, etc.).
• Develop and revise the intranet sites.
• Apply advanced technologies to find innovative solutions (e.g., office automation).

On completion of the internship, the candidate will have gained:
• Excellent knowledge of UNRWA, its mandate, structure, and operation mode.
• Valuable experience in human resources management under a multicultural context, with a particular focus on policy research.
• A deeper understanding of humanitarian assistance, including underlying opportunities and challenges.
• Writing skills for literature review and communication skills.
• Capacities for multitasking and prioritizing.

Competencies

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

• Learning and researching: Commits to continuous learning. Keep abreast of new developments in own occupation. Embraces knowledge from diverse areas. Actively conducts research to integrate and organize information. Performs critical thinking and analyzing.

• Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes. Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet needs. Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas. Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”. Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things. Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

• Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology. Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office. Seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks. Shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education

Bachelor’s degree (or higher) from an accredited educational institution in human resources management, business management, public administration, international politics, human rights, psychology, law or related field.

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

Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Assessment

Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further selection process.

Special Notice

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
• Specialization in Human Resources Management.
• Experience in Policy matters.
• Advanced IT Skills – focusing on Software Applications, Organizational Networks or Cloud Computing or Youtube.
• Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.
• Creative thinking and growth attitude.

The motivation letter must include:
• Name of accredited university for both undergraduate degree obtained and the law degree in progress, recent graduates are also welcome;
• IT skills and programs that you are proficient in;
• Explain your interest in UNRWA and why you are the best candidate for this specific internship.

UNRWA staff and complementary personnel are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality at all times. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity, and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. UNRWA is an equal-opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all genders. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified females.

This is an unpaid internship opportunity. No travel is required as the placement is sought on a remote working basis. All costs connected with an intern’s participation must be borne by the intern. Microsoft Word and Microsoft Teams will be required software for the intern. Interns are responsible for negotiating course credit with the law school for independent study/intern credits where feasible.

At the stage of acceptance of an internship placement, interns must prove to the satisfaction of UNRWA that they have adequate medical and accident insurance coverage prior to commencing the placement.

Intern placements shall not constitute employment by UNRWA. Interns are considered to be complementary personnel with non-staff status. The purpose of the internship program is not to lead to further employment with UNRWA but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship. Interns are eligible to apply as external candidates for UNRWA staff vacancies in accordance with normal selection procedures.

Please note that UNRWA does not charge fees at any stage of the application process.

UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.

United Nations Considerations

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her.

UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups.

At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

UNRWA Considerations
UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA 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. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List.
UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

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.