Internship on Decent Work in Supply Chains

Department

The internship is hosted by the Decent Work in Supply Chains team under the Advancing Decent Work in Bangladesh (ADWIB) project. The team's core mission is to ensure that decent work is at the heart of efforts to build resilient supply chains and promote equitable growth through trade and investment.

A key area of focus is supporting Bangladesh in its preparation for graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026. This transition requires strengthened frameworks for sustainable and inclusive economic growth. In this context, investor and buyer confidence is increasingly influenced by a country's demonstrated commitment to fair, rules-based international trade, labour standards, and value-added production. As such, advancing decent work and resilient supply chains is becoming decisive for Bangladesh's ability to retain competitive, preferential access to its major export markets.

The intern will work closely with the Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) Cell at the Ministry of Commerce. The Cell was created to align Bangladesh's trade and investment ecosystem with emerging international standards on human rights due diligence, labour rights and environmental responsibility, and to coordinate across government agencies, regulatory bodies, business associations, workers' representatives and development partners. For the Ministry, RBC has shifted from a compliance question to a strategic economic priority: as LDC graduation phases out long-standing trade preferences, demonstrated responsible business practice is increasingly tied to investor confidence, buyer trust, and continued access to high-value markets such as the EU.

The intern will support multi-stakeholder coordination, and evidence-gathering across the project's focus sectors, including leather, aquaculture and plastics — as part of a coordinated effort to embed decent work and responsible business conduct in Bangladesh's supply chains.

Learning areas

As an intern in the Decent Work in Supply Chains team under the ADWIB project, you will gain hands-on experience at the intersection of research, policy, and field-level implementation. The internship offers a unique opportunity to work with a government coordination unit while contributing to a dynamic, multi-disciplinary ILO team promoting decent work and sustainable supply chains in Bangladesh.

You will be exposed to a wide range of thematic areas, including:

• Responsible business conduct (RBC), human rights due diligence, and labour rights across global, regional and local supply chains
• Trade and investment policy as it relates to decent work, market access, and economic diversification in the context of LDC graduation
• Supply chain traceability and transparency in Bangladesh's exporting sectors
• Multi-stakeholder engagement and coordination across government, employers' and workers' organizations, and development partners

As part of your role, you will support the ILO’s RBC work and the team’s engagement in one to two priority supply chains, including focus sectors such as leather, aquaculture, and plastics. You will contribute to research, data collection, and programmatic efforts aimed at improving labour standards, promoting social dialogue, and strengthening responsible business practices and enterprise compliance on labour law.

Typical tasks may include:

• Conducting desk research and literature reviews on responsible business conduct, human rights due diligence, supply chain governance and traceability, trade preferences, and labour market trends
• Supporting the development and adoption of a National Policy on RBC, including mapping international standards and frameworks and benchmarking against comparative countries
• Collecting, organizing, and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from field activities, stakeholder consultations, and project reports, including for communication purposes
• Drafting background notes, briefing materials, or concept notes to support programmatic and policy dialogues
• Assisting in the preparation, coordination, and documentation of stakeholder meetings, workshops, and technical convenings hosted or supported by the DWSC team
• Supporting monitoring, reporting and communication efforts, including the synthesis of key findings and lessons from pilot initiatives across the focus sectors

You will also have the opportunity to observe and contribute to multi-stakeholder engagement processes - including policy dialogues and technical consultations involving representatives from government, social partners, and international organizations.

The intern will be closely supervised and mentored by experienced professionals across the ILO team and will gain first-hand insight into how field-level interventions and research inform national and international policy discussions.

The intern should expect to devote approximately 10% to 20% of their time to administrative and coordination tasks that support the smooth running of the team and the Cell.

Required profile

Education

Development Studies, Public Policy, International Relations, Economics, Labour Studies, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or other relevant social sciences.

• The candidate should be enrolled in their final year of graduate degree programme or should have completed such a programme no longer than 1 years ago.

Experience

• • Demonstrated interest or experience in areas such as labour rights, responsible business conduct, human rights due diligence, international trade, sustainable supply chains, or inclusive economic development is highly desirable.
  • Prior experience in research, data collection, policy analysis, or project support (e.g. internships, academic projects, consultancies) is an asset.
  • Familiarity with the Bangladeshi LDC context, RBC/due diligence frameworks, or similar development settings is an added advantage.

Languages

Excellent command (oral and written) of English and Bangla is required.

Competencies

• • Analytical and research skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural and multidisciplinary team.
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Ability to meet deadlines, manage multiple tasks, and adapt to changing priorities.
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• Additional requirements:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required.
• Familiarity with online collaboration tools (e.g. MS Teams, SharePoint) is an advantage.
• Experience using communications tools (e.g. Canva, Mailchimp, Adobe Creative Suite, or social media management platforms) to support the development of videos, infographics, or digital content is an added asset.

Demonstrated interest in the work of the ILO and commitment to its mandate is expected