Work Location
Hybrid mode with four days in office and one day remote work
Expected duration
3-6 months. Desired start date is 23 March 2026, or sooner.
Duties and Responsibilities
The duration of the internship is for three (3) months with a possibility of extension to six (6) months. The internship is UNPAID and may be either full-time or part-time. It should be noted that full-time internship working hours are 35 hours per week, while part-time internship working hours are 20 hours per week. The internship will be in a hybrid working arrangement at the UN Premise, New York, United States with four days in office and one day remote work. A full-time internship is for an initial period of three months, and a part-time internship is for an initial four months. Internships may be extended up to a maximum of six months, depending on the needs of the Branch. Org. Setting and Reporting The Internship is located in the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Branch of the Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO). The DDR Branch provides planning and operational support to DDR programmes and community violence reduction in the following peacekeeping operations: United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). The Section also assists Special Political Missions as well as non-mission settings with planning for DDR and associated processes. Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) was established in late 2025 to strengthen the United Nations’ capacity to prevent conflict and sustain peace by supporting prevention, peacebuilding, and peace support across the full conflict continuum, including early warning, crisis response, peace operations, political missions, mission transitions, and post-mission engagement. (https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/) Responsibilities Within delegated authority the Intern for Security Institutions will be responsible, among others, for: • Assistance in drafting and/or reviewing of Briefing Notes, reports, and other internal documents; • Conduct of specific research on current developments related to Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) in assigned countries; • Support to the work of the Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR, including on the review process of the Integrated DDR Standards; • Assistance in the development and dissemination of communication and public information material; • Upkeep of fact sheets and other information repositories on peacekeeping missions; • Attending conferences and meetings of interest to the DDR Branch and provide verbal or written briefings; • Assistance in any administrative work of the DDR Branch, including the organization of meetings; • Performing other duties as requested by the supervisor.
Qualifications/special skills
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent). 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. Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PH.D. Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage. Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams Ability to draft news articles and/or social media posts in desirable. Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
Additional Information
The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. The United Nations does not financially remunerate interns. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation, and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. For internships in the United States of America, interns who are not United States citizens, permanent residents, or not currently in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa status will be required to obtain a G-4 visa. If already in the United States of America on another non-immigrant visa status other than G-4, interns will be responsible for ensuring that they have a valid visa and, if required, employment authorization, allowing them to undertake the internship. For internships outside the United States, interns who are not citizens of the country, permanent residents, or not currently in the country's nonimmigrant visa status will be required to obtain a valid visa and work permit, allowing them to undertake the internship. The United Nations must ensure all applicants for an internship, regardless of citizenship or national origin, are authorized to work from the country where the internship will be undertaken either remotely, hybrid or on the UN-premise duty station. Before resuming an internship, the applicant must submit proof of visa and/or work authorization. Applicants who have previously served six months, in total, as an intern in one or more UN Common Systems cannot be engaged as an intern. Applicants who are children, siblings, and sons or daughters-in-law (including stepchildren, half-siblings, or stepsiblings) of an active staff member in a UN Common System cannot be engaged as an intern. In your Motivational Statement, please indicate when you would like to start your internship. Please note that the start and end dates are flexible. A complete online application is required. reviewed. The Motivational Statement must also include: • Title of degree you are currently pursuing. • Graduation Date (When will you be graduating/have graduated from the programme?) • Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship • Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three references.
Intern Specific text
Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.
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.
