ABOUT THE POSITION
The United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is accepting applications for internships.
The UNFFS provides leadership in promoting the implementation of the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests (UNSPF) and the achievement of its Global Forest Goals, and the effective implementation of the UN Forest Instrument. It provides substantive secretariat support to the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), which is composed of all Member States of the United Nations and specialized agencies.
The prospective intern should have a background in environmental issues, economics, sustainable development, data science, or computer science-related areas. Experience or knowledge of project management or IT-related work is desirable. The internship is for three months, with an opportunity for extension up to a maximum of six (6) months, depending on the needs of the Office.
The selected intern(s) will be responsible for one or more of the following duties in support of the work of the UNFF and its Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN), depending on his/her education background:
- Conduct desk research and collect information on forest financing. This would include information on financing opportunities, learning materials and good practices at the international level;
- Assist in drafting and entering data entries into the documents database of the online Clearing House of the GFFFN.
- Assist in preparing analytical papers, issue briefs, presentation materials and news stories on forest financing, for publication through the UNFF website.
- Assist in website development and updates for GFFFN Clearing House website (under development) and the UN Forum on Forests, using WordPress and Drupal;
- Assist in preparations for the fifteenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF15), including its side events and other related meetings.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
The United Nations Core Competencies include:
- Communication: Ability to draft clearly and concisely, good written and oral language skills.
- Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from different national and cultural backgrounds to achieve organisational goals.
- Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view.
The intern is expected to:
- 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 demonstrated the 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.
To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:
- Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
- be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
- be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); or
- have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one year period of graduation
- Be computer literate in standard software applications.
- Knowledge of issues in the context of sustainable development would be an advantage.
HOW TO APPLY
For more information and to apply, click here.
