Org. Setting and Reporting
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the Secretariat Department responsible for strengthening international human rights mechanisms; Enhancing equality and countering discrimination; Combating impunity and strengthening accountability and the rule of law; Integrating human rights in development and in the economic sphere; Widening the democratic space; and Early warning and protection of human rights in situations of conflict, violence and insecurity.
This announcement broadcasts international internships with the OHCHR East Africa Regional Office (EARO). Established in 2002, the Regional Office assists the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) offices, United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Djibouti, the Africa Union (AU), governments and civil society in strengthening human rights based approaches. In particular, OHCHR EARO works closely with AU, UNCTs and civil society on capacity building and mainstreaming human rights in their work, as well as providing support in their engagement with the regional and international human rights organs, including advising national authorities upon request. Thematic priorities for the Regional Office’s work are: Strengthening rule of law and accountability for human rights violations; Increasing implementation of the international human rights mechanisms` outcomes; Enhancing and Protecting Civic Space and People’s Participation; Integrating human rights in sustainable development; Enhancing equality and countering discrimination; and Early warning, prevention and protection of human rights in situations of conflict and insecurity.
Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the general guidance of the Regional Representative/ Head of Office, the intern reports to the respective Human Rights Officer of Programme Management Officer within the area of assignment. This internship assignment may be offered for an initial period of three (3) months, renewable for a combined period of six (6) months, upon further approval by the supervisor, with a commencement date ranging/starting from June 2020 to June 2021. PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE RESULTING GLOBAL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, THE INTERNSHIP WILL ONLY START ONCE THESE RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN LIFTED. THEREFORE, INTERESTED CANDIDATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO INDICATE THEIR LATEST DATE OF AVAILABILITY TO START THEIR INTERNSHIP.
This internship is an UNPAID and full-time engagement that provides a framework through which students from diverse academic backgrounds gain exposure to the work of the United Nations by way of their service within Secretariat entities. Applicants should have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations with a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter, and have the demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs – which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
THE UNITED NATIONS IS COMMITTED TO BUILDING A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE AND WELCOMES APPLICANTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO MIGRANTS AND/OR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
APPLICANTS SHOULD INDICATE THEIR PRESENT MATRICULATION STATUS AND PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY IN THE APPLICATION COVER LETTER.
Responsibilities
The intern shall support OHCHR in fulfilling its mission: to work for the protection of all human rights for all people; to help empower people to realize their rights; and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented.
In general, daily responsibilities of Regional Programme Management intern will depend on the individual’s background and specific duties may include but are not limited to:
Daily responsibilities of Regional Programme Management interns will depend on the individual’s background and duties may include but are not limited to assisting the team in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of training and human rights promotion activities in cooperation with the concerned governments, national institutions, regional organizations (i.e. African Union, Economic Commission for Africa), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and United Nations agencies, and in particular, the intern may: Contribute to the development of activities aimed at promoting international and regional human rights conventions among AU Member States and advocating for its ratification; Participate as appropriate, in various meetings, consultations and coordination with various partners in the region; Participate in internal staff meetings and following-up on relevant issues upon request; Assist in the day-to-day work of the office which may also include provision of support in the organization of training workshops, conducting research on requested topics, preparing reports documentation and/or /presentations, drafting correspondence letters, et cetera; and Perform other tasks as assigned by supervisor, as appropriate.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations.
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.
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
CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
Education
To qualify for the United Nations Secretariat internship programme applicants must, at the time of their submission, be enrolled in the final academic year of a first-level university degree programme programme (i.e. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree); be enrolled in a graduate school programme (i.e. Master’s degree or equivalent degree, or higher) or have completed an aforementioned academic degree, preferably in the area of business or public administration, finance, accounting, law, management, economics or a related field, AND, if selected, must commence the internship on the date indicated on the acceptance letter.
Work Experience
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship fluency in English is required.
Assessment
Incomplete applications/personal history profiles (PHPs) will not be reviewed. OHCHR East Africa Regional Office hiring managers will directly contact short-listed applicants for an interview. For this reason, in the application cover letter it is important that you:
- Specify your general interest in OHCHR, including in international programme management, particularly in the East Africa region and/or the Regional Office;
- Indicate recently obtained academic degree or the scheduled graduation for university study currently underway;
- Specify your period of availability and earliest commencement date; and
- Indicate information technology (IT) skills and programs in which you are proficient.
IN ADDITION TO SPECIFYING THREE REFERENCES IN THE SUBMISSION, APPLICANTS ARE ADVISED TO SUMMARIZE THEIR PRIMARY THEMATIC AND/OR GEOGRAPHICAL PILLARS AREA(S) OF INTEREST IN THE APPLICATION COVER LETTER.
Download the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which is available for the hearing impaired, in both official working languages HERE at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=eng OR https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=frn
IN ADDITION TO SPECIFYING THREE REFERENCES IN THE SUBMISSION, APPLICANTS ARE ADVISED TO SUMMARIZE THEIR PRIMARY THEMATIC AND/OR GEOGRAPHICAL PILLARS AREA(S) OF INTEREST IN THE APPLICATION COVER LETTER.
Special Notice
Family relations: Applicants who are children or siblings of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. For the purpose of participation in the internship programme, “child” means: (a) the child of a staff member; (b) the child of the spouse of a staff member (stepchild); or (c) the son- or daughter-in-law of a staff member. “Sibling” includes a half-sibling or step-sibling.
Terms and conditions: Feel free to download the UN Secretariat internship programme administrative policy document in either of the Secretariat’s official working languages (English and French) at: http://undocs.org/ST/AI/2020/1
Application process: Qualified individuals who have already established an Inspira account (https://inspira.un.org/ ) may apply directly to this and other opportunities with the United Nations Secretariat at: https://careers.un.org
Working hours: Interns must adhere to the established weekly working hours of the duty station where the assignment is located though not exceeding five days per week (35 hours) with one hour for a lunch break.of the duty station where the assignment is located though not exceeding five days per week (35 hours) with one hour for a lunch break.
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.
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 ACCOU
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa
