Expected duration
2-6 months
Duties and Responsibilities
The Strategic Planning and Communication Services (SPCS), in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) is responsible for providing strategic planning, communications services and information technology to the Department. Using the Department’s website at https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/ and publishing up-to-date articles and news stories, reflecting the work of the Department and its 9 divisions, SPCS handles the Department’s overall web-based outreach efforts. SPCS distributes two online newsletters – the internal weekly DESAlert and the external monthly UN DESA Voice. SPCS also conducts outreach using social media platforms, including Facebook, X, YouTube and LinkedIn. The internship is for a minimum of two months with an opportunity for extension to a maximum of six months. The internship is unpaid and full-time. Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in SPCS to which they are assigned. The selected candidate will assist the team in its internal and external communication outreach efforts supporting the 9 divisions of UN DESA, mainly through its main channels UN DESA Voice, the website of UN DESA and via its social media platforms, as well as event promotion and coverage. They will assist in implementing communication strategies aligned with UN 2.0, ensuring DESA’s messaging is innovative, data-informed, and impactful. While daily responsibilities will depend on the individual’s background, the intern’s assigned office as well as the internship period, duties may include, but are not limited to: • Covering/attending events/meetings/seminars and conducting research and interviews, resulting in news stories and articles for UN DESA’s website and the external online newsletter UN DESA Voice. • Supporting the management of UN DESA’s social media activities, including preparing engaging text entries for UN DESA’s social media platforms. • Providing design support, creating outreach products, multimedia content and digital assets for online/offline promotion. • Providing research-based strategic advice on the development and use of new social media tools to attract new fans. • Assisting with translations of news stories published on UN DESA’s website into other UN official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and/or Russian). • Assisting in ad hoc requests and projects relating to the internal and external communication efforts of SPCS. • Performing other duties as assigned.
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 a good knowledge of digital technologies and tools such as Drupal, Social media platforms, Photoshop, InDesign, Canva and Trello. Ability to draft news articles and/or social media posts in desirable. Strong communication and digital skills, with an understanding of innovative approaches including data-driven storytelling, and strategic foresight, are desirable. 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 a good knowledge of digital technologies and tools such as Drupal, Social media platforms, Photoshop, InDesign, Canva and Trello Ability to draft news articles and social media posts 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
Not available.
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.