Background

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to tackle the injustices of poverty, inequality, and climate change on a global scale. Working with our broad network of experts, host governments and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. UNDP has been working in Afghanistan for more than 50 years on climate change and resilience, gender, governance, health, livelihoods, and rule of law.  

Following the power shift in August 2021, the situation for the country remains largely uncertain and fragile, with approximately 75% of the population estimated to be subsistence insecure. Over the recent years, international assistance has played a vital role in averting a socioeconomic collapse by providing lifesaving, resilience-building and livelihoods-sustaining assistance to millions of people, hundreds of critical healthcare and educational centres, and tens of thousands of small and medium enterprises, often owned and managed by women. Nevertheless, the humanitarian challenge in Afghanistan is one of the biggest in the world, and basic human needs and priorities remain extremely high. 

The Area-based Development Emergency Initiative (ABADEI) is an integrated approach to support basic human needs, complementing short-term humanitarian life-saving assistance with safeguarding livelihoods and strengthening community resilience. It is centered around addressing worsening poverty and vulnerability, supporting community resilience and social cohesion, addressing climatic vulnerability, and enabling the rehabilitation of small-scale infrastructure vital for basic human needs. It supports the creation of immediate sources of income through vocational skills training, cash-for-work, cash for the market, small businesses, and livelihood opportunities with a particular focus on agri-business and regenerative agriculture infrastructure and services (critical for food security) that are under threat. It is sensitive to the chronic and newly emerging vulnerabilities of Afghan women and girls and aims to provide them assistance in a manner that does not exacerbate their susceptibility to violence and deprivation of opportunities and rights.

Japan is the largest donor of UNDP Afghanistan including ABADEI, with almost 200 million USD in contributions since 2021. In this context, ABADEI is recruiting an intern to support the team in reporting and donor relations. 
 

Duties and Responsibilities

a)    Provide support in the drafting and translation of various donor reports, including Japan. 
b)    Assist in the identification and mapping of potential Japanese institutional actors (e.g., NGOs, academic institutions, private sector) for partnership opportunities.
c)    Develop tailored outreach materials (presentations, concept notes) for donor engagement.
d)    Coordinate and support meetings and briefings for Japanese stakeholders.
e)    Maintain a contact database and engagement tracker for Japanese partners and donors.   
f)    Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the project.
 

Institutional Arrangement

The intern will work under the direct supervision of the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and under the overall guidance of the ABADEI Project Manager. 
 

Competencies

Core
Achieve Results:  LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
Learn Continuously:  LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility:  LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 
 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Business Direction & Strategy - Entrepreneurial Thinking- Identify and seize opportunities to service and add value to clients, create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners, develop clear service offers responding to client needs in line with UNDP’s organizational priorities and mandate
Business Development - Knowledge Generation - Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply  existing concepts to new situations, and to develop  new concepts to generate workable solutions and  new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be  useful in addressing new situations.
Business Management - Partnerships Management - Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•     Currently enrolled in a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in international relations, development studies, social sciences or similar field. Or
•     Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);
•     Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);
•     Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
•     Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.
 

Experience:

•     Prior internships and other experiences with an international organisation. 

Required skills: 

•   At least 1 prior internships and/or professional experience with an international organization or NGO, especially in the areas of donor reporting and partnerships, will be an asset. 

    Must be available to work for at least 3 working days a week. 

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

•     Previous experience drafting reports
•     Previous experience translating documents from Japanese to English and vise-versa
•     Previous experience working on public relations
•     Experience coordinating meetings is desired
 

Required Language(s):

•     Written and spoken English and Japanese are required

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.