General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity. 

As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031. 

As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, UNOs, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector.  By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders.  UNCDF’s work is focused on three priority areas, including: 

• SME Finance 
• Sub-National Finance
• Digital Finance 

UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States. 

UNCDF’s new structure includes a Strategic Funds Unit (SFU) to augment its capacity to deploy grants, loans, and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact.  The SFU is dedicated to developing and overseeing trust funds, in partnership with UN agencies and other partners, that deploy blended finance approaches to leverage investment and sustainable revenue streams to mobilize capital at scale, expand pipelines of investable solutions, and strengthen alignment with global climate, biodiversity, and SDG commitments. The SFU integrated secretariat services, include: 

• Provision of technical and administrative support to Strategic Funds Steering Committees ;
• Management of day-to-day operations of funds; 
• Development the funds’ resource mobilization strategies  and engages with contributing partners; 
• Provision logistical and operational support to the respective funds’ steering committees;  
• Ensure the monitoring of the operational risks and Funds performance;  
• Support the development of high-quality proposals  and facilitate collaboration and communication between partner UN agency and other partners to ensure programmes are implemented effectively;  
• Management of  calls for proposals and appraisal processes; 
• Consolidation of annual and final narrative reports; 
• Liaising with the administrative agent on fund administration issues, including issues related to project/fund extensions and project/fund closure. 
   

In this capacity, the intern’s duties and responsibilities will include:

Strategic Engagement and Coordination:

• Support coordination of strategic engagement activities, and help track progress toward resource mobilization targets.
• Conduct background research on UN institutional processes, including how initiatives move through the UN system (e.g., from UNGA to UNEA), and the roles of key bodies.
• Assist in mapping and analyzing multilateral and intergovernmental negotiation processes and entities related to ocean governance (e.g., UNFCCC, CBD, BBNJ Agreement, International Seabed Authority, IMO, ITLOS, IOC-UNESCO).
• Help track stakeholder meetings and follow ups, as well as regularly update partner, donor, and stakeholder contact lists and outreach notes.
• Support the preparation of donor briefings, speaking points, background materials, and technical briefs.
• Assist in researching donor priorities, funding mechanisms, and upcoming opportunities relevant to UNCDF’s thematic areas.
• Support planning for missions and events, including itineraries, logistical coordination, and preparation of background materials.

Research and Initiative Development:

• Assist in conducting desk research on global finance mechanisms, including their governance structures, and precedents (e.g., Gavi, UNITAID) to understand how initiatives are anchored within the UN system.
• Support mapping of international and regional organizations that work on ocean and climate finance, plastics, blue economy, and marine governance.
• Help prepare summaries, briefs, and background notes on relevant multilateral processes, funding opportunities, and emerging policy trends.
• Assist in maintaining work plans, activity trackers, and databases to support ongoing initiatives. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Strong planning and organizational skills 
• Proactive problem-solving skills and a results-oriented drive to meet deadlines
• Ability to translate complex and abstract ideas into clear visual concepts
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and international environment.  
   

Eligibility:

Applicants to the UNCDF internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• 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.

Languages: Fluency in English required. Knowledge of other UN languages will be considered a plus.

Given that this is a remote internship, interns will be responsible for providing their own equipment, internet and communication access and workspace. Interns will be expected to be flexible with the availability to join team calls. 
 

Main Internship Conditions:

• Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan
• UNCDF accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship
• Interns may be given a stipend according to the Internship Policy: the stipend is to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNCDF in any official capacity.