Political Affairs Internship at #UnitedNations Office at #Geneva

Org. Setting and Reporting

The internship is located in the Geneva office of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) within the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) in the Department of Peace Operations (DPO). Established in 1997, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) works to eliminate the threat posed by mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices by coordinating United Nations mine action, leading operational responses at the country level, and supporting the development of standards, policies and norms.

As a specialized service of the United Nations located within the Department of Peace Operations, UNMAS operates under UN legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council.
UNMAS also responds to specific requests for support from the UN Secretary-General or designated official.

For more information, please visit: https://www.unmas.org/en.

The UNMAS/OROLSI/DPO Geneva internship will last a maximum of 6 months.

The internship is UNPAID and full-time.

Interns work five (5) days per week (40 hours) under the supervision of a staff member to which they are assigned.

Responsibilities

Duties of the intern include, but are not limited to:
– Conducts research and drafts official documents related to priorities of UNMAS;
– Assists on treaty-related matters, including the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
– Assists on other relevant policy matters, including the use of explosive weapons in populated areas;
– Attends conferences and meetings of interest to UNMAS, and provides verbal and written briefing notes to colleagues;
– Supports the work of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Mine Action;
– Supports the office’s engagement with the humanitarian community;
– Contributes to the team’s day-to-day tasks as needed, including administration and communications matters;
– Performs other duties as requested by the supervisor.

Competencies

Communication:
– Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
– Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
– Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
– Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience;
– Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Planning and Organizing:
– Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;
– Identifies priority activities and assignments;
– Adjusts priorities as required;
– Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work;
– Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning;
– Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary;
– Uses time efficiently.

Teamwork:
– Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals;
– Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise;
– Is willing to learn from others;
– Places team agenda before personal agenda;
– Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position;
– Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations, 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 level or equivalent).

Interested candidates must be pursuing or pursued their degree in areas related to this Job Opening.

In addition, interested candidates must:
– Be computer literate in standard software applications including MS Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point);
– 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 include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Work Experience

No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required and knowledge of French is desirable.

Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Assessment

Potential candidates may be contacted by the hiring team directly if further information is needed during the review of their application.
Due to the high volume of applications received, only candidates who have been short-listed will be contacted.

Special Notice

Completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The cover note must include:
– Date of availability.
– Title of degree you are currently pursuing.
– Graduation date (when will you be/have graduating/graduated from the programme?).
– IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in.
– Top three areas of interest.
– 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. Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.

There should be no expectation of employment by the United Nations upon completion of the internship.

Interns are responsible for all internship-related expenses that they incur. The United Nations accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship. Therefore, upon award of an internship, interns are responsible for securing adequate insurance coverage and are required to sign and return a statement confirming their understanding and acceptance of these conditions of service.

A person who is the child or sibling of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. An applicant who bears to a staff member any other family relationship may be engaged as an intern, provided that he or she shall not be assigned to the same work unit of the staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of the staff member. For purposes of this instruction, “child” means (i) the child of a staff member; (ii) the child of the spouse of a staff member (stepchild); and (iii) the spouse of a child of a staff member or a staff member’s spouse (son- or daughter-in-law). “Sibling” includes the child of both or either parent of a staff member and the child of the spouse of a parent of a staff member (that is, also half- and step-sibling).

Candidates of certain nationalities must obtain a visa authorizing their stay in Switzerland before they depart for Geneva to begin their internship. While this is the overall responsibility of the selected candidate, we will provide information and supporting documents in this regard.

**In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship remotely in view of constraints regarding visa issuance, international travel and access to UN premises. Applicants must be willing and prepared to undertake the internship remotely for a part or the entirety of the internship.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.