Intern - Political Affairs

Flexible (Strong preference for in-person)

3-6 months. Desired start date is 25 September 2026, or sooner.

The duration of the internship is for three (3) months with a possibility of extension for an additional (3) months. This internship is UNPAID in person and full-time (35 hours per week), on the United Nations premise (working arrangement from New York, USA). This internship is designed to be full-time and in-person, but may be adjusted based on the needs of the successful candidate to remote work (preference will be give to in-person availability). The Leadership Support Section (LSS) is mandated to support the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and of Peace Operations in the UN Secretariat with the identification and appointment of senior leadership in UN Field Missions, including Special Representatives of the Secretary-General, Deputy Representatives of the Secretary-General, and Special Envoys across all Peacekeeping and Special Political Missions. The Section is focused on sourcing senior talent, vacancy management and recruitment processes, as well as offering support to currently serving leaders. The Section is also responsible for outreach and partnership-building initiatives designed to expand and diversify the pool of potential candidates for these senior posts. Our purpose is to support the Secretary-General on the leadership agenda in the field and to empower values-driven leaders to fulfil their mandates in pursuit of bringing and sustaining peace, stability and prosperity to and for the people they serve. Under the supervision of the Programme Management Officer, the intern will carry out the following duties: • Conduct online research to update the database of potential candidates for senior leadership positions, create new profiles, and conduct due diligence checks using open sources. Information contained in this database must be treated with the utmost level of confidentiality. • Support database clean-up and reviews of profiles for selection processes as required. • Prepare mission and country profiles with background documentation and mapping of key stakeholders in support of high-level recruitment processes. • Support outreach initiatives by assisting with the preparation of meeting documents, as well as promotional materials that require basic graphic design skills (Canva, Adobe products). • Monitor and provide weekly reports on global leadership news within the UN, regional organizations and Member States. • Collect data on leadership trends in the field and support the preparation of internal progress and data reports using Excel, PowerPoint and Canva, among other applications. • Attend webinars and other information sessions within the United Nations at the request of the Supervisor or Section Chief and produce short summaries. • Provide support to other ongoing projects administered by the Section upon request, such as leadership support initiatives, strengthening of assessment processes, onboarding processes, and end-of-assignment processes.

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. Demonstrated interest in the work of the United Nations, most specifically in the peace and security field and a personal commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter is required. Demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals from different genders, cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views is required. Knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Teams is required. Knowledge of data management using Power BI or other software (for example Salesforce or other CRM software) to collate and present data effectively is desired, as well as knowledge of graphic/visual editing software (e.g. Canva). Ability to draft news articles and/or social media posts is required. Ability to design surveys and polls is desired.

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.

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. 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. 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.

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.