UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up.

For every child, HIV/AID, Health

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, and every adolescent, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. The focus on equity accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. Ending AIDS among children is vital to ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. This is a priority in UNICEF’s global HIV programme.

How can you make a difference? 

The selected intern will have a deep passion for applying the science of ‘What Works’ to programming, and will:

• Contribute to the knowledge management function of UNICEF’s HIV Section and its contribution to the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, including preparation of literature reviews, programmatic toolkits, programming briefs, advocacy pieces, landscape analyses snapshots, case studies, vignettes, resource libraries, and technical updates on adolescent-responsive programming.
• Engage in collaborative learning communities to advance the state of the art in programming for the most marginalized and vulnerable populations, specifically adolescents living with HIV, adolescent girls and young women at substantial risk of acquiring HIV, adolescents from the key populations, and pregnant adolescents.
• Foster engagement, including knowledge curation and technical advocacy, with a group of Young Champions for Equality and the networks of adolescent and young key populations to advance robust knowledge communities and support the successful performance of youth-led organizations.
• Contribute to high-level technical advocacy and strategy-setting for key and priority populations of adolescents and young people living with and affected by HIV.
• Advance global visibility of emerging centers of excellence and expertise nodes and cultivate the strategic engagement of these adolescent and youth networks within and beyond the global HIV, health, and gender response.
•  Support curating the tacit knowledge and experiences of adolescent and young key populations, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, through tasks such as study management, survey tool development, convening consultations, and data analysis and visualization.
• Participate in HQ-based technical assistance and technical exchanges between regional and field offices.
• Participate in the preparation of various internal and external consultations and convenings.
• Any other tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications (Academic, Language, etc.):

Education: Currently enrolled in a degree program of an institution of higher education, or recently completed such a degree (within the last two years). Specifically, enrolled in one of the following programmes or related:

• Medical Anthropology
• Medical Sociology
• Psychology
• Public Health
• Statistics/Biostatistics
• Epidemiology
• Community Psychology

Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience in gender diversity and equality at the local/community, national, or regional level.
• Experience in HIV and/or sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programming.
• Demonstrated experience within the youth networks at national, regional, or global levels would be a distinct advantage.
• Motivation to gain and apply new skills in mid- to higher level knowledge management approaches.
• Demonstrable analytical skills preferred.
• Demonstrable design skills would be a distinct advantage.
• Strong writing and conceptualization skills required.

Language:

• Fluent in at least one UN official language widely used in the sub-Saharan Africa Region – specifically, English, French, and/or Portuguese.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Have the following eligibility requirements.
• A proof of current enrollment in a degree program of an institution of higher education or recently completed such a degree (within the last two years) in Medical Anthropology, Medical Sociology, Public Health, Community Health, Epidemiology, Community Psychology, or related.
• Experience in gender diversity and equality at the local/community, national, or regional level.
• Experience in HIV and/or sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) Programming
• Demonstrated experience within the key populations' national, regional, or global networks would be a distinct advantage.
• Motivation to gain and apply new skills in mid- to higher-level knowledge management approaches.
• Demonstrable analytical skills preferred.
• Demonstrable design skills would be a distinct advantage.
• Strong writing and conceptualization skills required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

Benefits to Intern:

The intern will enhance their professional and educational experience through practical work assignments, exposure to the work of UNICEF, and learning opportunities related to international educational development and project management, especially relating to education in emergencies.

Stipend: A monthly stipend will be provided by UNICEF based on the intern’s work location UN GS Salary Scales

Duration:

14 weeks, part-time (30 hours/week)

Insurance:

UNICEF will not be responsible for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the intern’s service, whether on or off UNICEF premises. Therefore, the selected candidate must provide valid proof of enrolment in a health/accident plan prior to starting the internship. The insurance certification should cover the whole internship period.

Required documents as part of internship application. For full details, visit the site: eligibility requirements.

• Proof of enrollment in a university programme (or proof of completion during past 2 years)
• Copy of most recent official transcript showing excellent academic performance
• Copy of Identification Card (ID)
• One letter of signed recommendation from an academic institution on letterhead or from a professional email address
• Proof of health insurance coverage

Modality of hiring the Intern (please specify):

Internship: Vacancy Announcement (competitive selection)

For every Child, you demonstrate Dedication to results.

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

During the recruitment process, we may test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our interns, including leave entitlement and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

 Remarks:  

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

UNICEF Interns must have proof of medical insurance covering their time at the duty station.

UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer, without compensation, if a visa or Proof of health insurance coverage is not obtained, or necessary medical/inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

There is no expectancy of employment at the end of this internship.