Internships

UNITED NATIONS- POLITICAL AFFAIRS INTERN

Deadline: 16 October 2021

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Job Type: INTERN – CIVIL AFFAIRS

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is in the Office of the Special Envoy of The Secretary-General for the Great Lakes in Nairobi.

Nairobi is classified as a “B” hardship duty station and a family duty station.

The incumbent reports directly to a designation Supervisor – OSESG-GL Nairobi.

The duration of this Job Opening will be six (6) months only.

In February 2013, 11 nations signed the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the region, in a renewed drive to end the recurring cycles of devastating conflict in eastern DRC which impacts stability and development in the Great Lakes area of Africa. On 31 January 2014, two more countries, Kenya and Sudan, became signatories of the PSC Framework. The framework aims to help “address the root causes of conflict and put an end to recurring cycles of violence” in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes Region. In its Resolution 2098 (2013), the Security Council welcomed the signing of the PSC Framework. It called on the Special Envoy, in coordination with the Special Representative for the DRC to “lead, coordinate and assess the implementation of national and regional commitments under the PSC Framework, including through the establishment of benchmarks and appropriate follow-up measures”.

The Security Council further encouraged the Special Envoy to “lead a comprehensive political process that includes all relevant stakeholders to address the underlying root causes of the
conflict”.

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the designated Supervisor, the Intern will:

•Conduct research on various issues, including political and security developments, human rights, economic and social developments, humanitarian issues in the Great Lakes region;
•Contribute to the preparation of concept notes, project proposals, weekly reports, background papers, briefing notes, Talking Points and other relevant documents;
•Provide support in the coordination and substantive servicing of meetings, including coordinating participation of key stakeholders, contributing to the preparation of relevant documents and undertaking other related tasks;
•Support the preparation of presentations and other visual materials;
•Assist in the development of databases and other office management tools;
•Support the production of web stories and updating of social media; and
•Undertake other assignments as required.

Competencies

Professionalism:
•Demonstrates professional competence; 
•Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; 
•Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; 
•Be able to interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs; and
•Be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Communication:
•Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
•Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
•Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
•Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; and
•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; and
•Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:

1. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
•Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or
•higher);
•Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum
•Bachelor’s level or equivalent);
•Have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.

2. Be computer literate in standard software applications.

3. Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal
commitment to the ideals of the Charter.

4. 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

Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for participation in the programme. However, exposure to political affairs and/or peacekeeping operations is an asset.


Applicants are required to be either a student enrolled in a Bachelor’s (final year), Master’s or
Ph.D. program or equivalent. Applicants who recently completed their degree must be able to
commence the internship within a year of graduation.


Applicants should be able to cover the cost of travel including visa, accommodation and other
living expenses for the duration of the internship.


Applicants should have a field study closely related to the internship they are applying for.


Knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel is required.
Knowledge in managing data using excel or other tools to collate and present data effectively
is desirable.


Applicants should have a field of study closely related to the internship they are applying for is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of French is an advantage.

Assessment

Candidates will be assessed based on their Personal History Profiles (PHP). Individual interviews and/or tests may be conducted for further assessment.

Special Notice

A completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The Cover Note must detail your degree programme and graduation date, time availability, IT and social media skills as well as motivation.

In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experience 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.

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.

TO APPLY, VISIT> https://careers.un.org/lbw/jobdetail.aspx?id=125089&Lang=en-US

IF YOU WANT MORE UPDATES, JOIN OUR MAILING LIST SIMPLY BY SENDING US AN EMAIL WITH A MESSAGE “ADD ME” ON THE FOLLOWING [email protected]

admin

African Union Commission Scholar || Founder @ Youth Opportunities Hub || Former RBA COST/Sahel Team at UNDP || TEF Alumni ||

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button

Adblock Detected

Please consider turning off the ad blocker. Ads are our source of revenue. Thank you.