Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNDRR ROAP) internship is for a period of four to six months depending on the needs of the department.

The internship is UNPAID and full-time.
Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned.

Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disaster risks and to ensure synergies among disaster risk reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 100 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyses action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community.

The UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNDRR ROAP) supports disaster risk reduction efforts across the Asia-Pacific region. UNDRR ROAP works with governments, United Nations Country Teams, regional and international organizations, and other stakeholder groups, to protect people from disasters, build resilience and support sustainable development. UNDRR ROAP covers a total of 39 countries and 13 territories. It is based in Bangkok, Thailand, with a sub-regional office in Suva, Fiji, a liaison office in Kobe, Japan, and an office for North-East Asia in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

Co-created by its Core Partners, Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) is a unique cross-stakeholder initiative to accelerate local resilience. It provides a clear 3-stage rResilience Rroadmap guiding cities and municipalities towards taking a long-term and continuous approach to resilience investments, from awareness raising to enhanced strategic planning and taking a whole-of-society approach to implementation. MCR2030 aims to create access for local governments to many services and expertise available by urban resilience partners globally and serve as a vehicle for localization of national disaster risk reduction and resilience agenda.

As one of the Core Partners, UNDRR provides suite of tools and knowledge kits such as the Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient, the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities and its addendum, and various training programmes to raise awareness and strengthen capacity of local governments and key stakeholders in disaster risk reduction, contributing directly to the achievement of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and other global frameworks including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.

The objective of this internship is to support UNDRR ROAP in its capacity building programmes and technical support on urban disaster risk reduction and resilience in connection with MCR2030. Responsibilities

Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual’s background; the intern’s assigned office as well as the internship period. Duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Support the preparation, delivery, communication and documentation of capacity development training programmes for government officials and partners especially on urban resilience and disaster risk reduction under MCR2030;
• Assist in the development the success stories and MCR2030 newsletters, including conducting interviews with MCR2030 partners, cities, local governments;
• Perform internet-based research and collect information on good practices and case studies, latest research findings especially on urban disaster and climate resilience;
• Assist in drafting and preparing background documents, concept notes, reports, minutes, and presentations;
• Support work programme of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative.

Competencies

The United Nations Core Competencies include:

Communication:
• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively
• Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication
• Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience
• Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed

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

Client Orientation:
• Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view
• Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions
• Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems
• Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects
• Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client

Education

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:
– Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); or (c) have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one year period of graduation;
• Be computer literate in standard software applications including MS Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point);
• Intermediate to advance skills in MS Excel is an advantage
• Skills in design software such as Canva and Adobe InDesign is an advantage
• 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 this internship.

Assessment

Potential candidates may be contacted by the hiring team directly if further information is needed during the review of their application. Due to the high volume of applicants, the hiring office is not in a position to reply to each application and that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further consideration.

Special Notice

Completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
The Cover Note must include:
• 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.
• Explain 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.

Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.

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.