Duties and Responsibilities
This position is located primarily at the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Internship Programme is unpaid and full-time, i.e., an intern is expected to work five days per week (40 hours). This internship position is offered on an in-person basis. For in-person internships, interns must have a valid visa. All costs of travel, accommodation, medical insurance and living expenses must be covered by the intern. The internship will be located in the Division on International Trade and Commodities (DITC) at the Trade, Gender and Development Programme. The internship will tentatively start on 2 March 2026 for a period of six months. Training and mentoring will be provided throughout the internship. Carrying out his/her tasks under the supervision of the Senior Economic Officer, the intern will perform the following functions: • Attend meetings and support coordination activities including the ones related to the online course on trade and gender, preparing administrative summaries and follow-up notes as required. • Provide day-to-day administrative and technical support to the team and for the delivery of the online course on trade and gender, including managing course content, learning modules, discussion forums, assessments, surveys, and certificates. • Support participant management processes, including registration, screening, enrollment, maintenance of participant databases, and preparation of participant profiles, as applicable. • Provide first-line support to course participants, responding to inquiries related to access, participation, platform use, and course requirements, and escalating issues as needed. • Support the preparation, dissemination, and management of course-related communications, including invitations, confirmations, reminders, and follow-up messages. • Assist in the organization, coordination, and servicing of webinars, live sessions, round tables, and other virtual or hybrid activities. • Monitor participant engagement, attendance, completion rates, and feedback using learning platform tools, and contribute to the preparation of administrative summaries and monitoring reports. • Prepare inputs and supporting materials for presentations and training sessions delivered by members of the team. • Support communication, visibility, and outreach activities related to the work programme, including dissemination of course information and results. • Perform other related duties as required. Training and mentoring will be provided throughout the internship by the supervisor(s) and colleagues. More generally, interns shall: 1. Observe all applicable rules, regulations, instructions, procedures and directives of the Organization notwithstanding their status as described in section 4 of the UN Internship Programme Administrative Instructions ST/AI/2000/9 & ST/AI/2005/11. 2. Provide the receiving departments/offices with a copy of all materials prepared by them during the internship. The UN shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material which bears a direct relation to or is made in consequence of, the services provided under the internship. At the request of the UN, the interns shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to the UN in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law. 3. Respect the impartiality and independence required of the UN and of the receiving department/office and shall not seek or accept instructions regarding the services performed under the internship agreement from any Government or from any authority external to the UN. 4. Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the receiving department/office, they may not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or any other external source any information which has become known to them by reason of their association with the UN or the receiving department/office, that they know or ought to have known has not been made public. They may not use any such information without the written authorization of the appropriate official, and such information may never be used for personal gain. These obligations also apply after the end of the internship with the UN. 5. Refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on the UN or on the receiving department/office and will not engage in any activity which is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the UN.
Qualifications/special skills
The United Nations internship programme is intended to expose students or recent graduates to the United Nations in order to enhance their educational experience and to help them to gain experience in the work of the Organization. Therefore, applicants to the programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or, (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent). Moreover, interns should: • Should be computer literate in standard software applications; • 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 includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views. Applicants must preferably pursue studies in journalism, marketing, public relations or communications-related fields. No working experience is required for this internship. Applicants must preferably pursue studies in economics, law, international relations, data and computer sciences or trade-related fields. No working experience is required for this internship. However, for this position the University degree must be in the area of economics, development, law, political science or other social sciences deemed appropriate. Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required.
Additional Information
ASSESSMENT: Candidates will be assessed based on their Personel History Profiles (PHP). Individual interviews may be conducted for further assessment. A complete online application (Cover Note and Personal History profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The cover Note must include: - Title of the degree; - Graduation date (when will you be graduating from the programme, if not yet graduated); - List the IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in; - Explain why you are the best candidate for the internship position. In your Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experience, if any; IT skills and three (3) references. Due to high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted. SPECIAL NOTICE: This profile is for the sole purpose of the Internship Programme of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development. There should be no expectation of employment within the UN after the internship. Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, positions at the professional level and above carrying international recruitment status in the Secretariat for a period of six months following the end of their internship. Applicants who are children or siblings of a staff member are not eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. Applicants who are otherwise related to a staff member may be engaged as interns, provided that they are neither assigned to the same work unit as such. staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of such staff member.
