Background
As an integral part of the UNDP’s Regional structure in Africa, the East and Southern Africa Sub-Regional Platform (SRP) has been established as an anchor for strategic sub-regional initiatives and strategic support to and representation of UNDP in the Regional UNDG Team. The sub-region is confronted with significant development challenges, most prominently visible during the 2011 Horn of Africa drought and the continued peace and security challenges in the Great Lakes Region.
Thus there are two primary geographic areas of focus for the assignment of the intern:
Great Lakes
The deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region resulted in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2076, in November 2012. On 24 February 2013, recognizing the recurring cycles of conflict and violence that permeate the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), eleven countries of Africa signed a Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the region.? At a five- year anniversary workshop in Addis Ababa in February 2018 the guarantors of the PSC-F noted the limited progress in implementing the PSC-F commitments and called for stronger action to address deficits in trust and to implement concrete regional and cross border socio economic and peacebuilding initiatives.
In May 2014 in Kigali, UN Resident Coordinators (RCs) and the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for the Great Lakes region discussed appropriate responses by UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to crises in the region. Subsequently in 2015, based on a joint regional conflict and socio economic analysis, a? Great Lakes regional strategic framework (the GLRSF- www.glrsf.org) focusing on the core area of conflict namely the eastern border area of the DRC with Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda was developed aligning the development work of the UN with the Road Map of the Special Envoy to facilitate PSC-F implementation..? In December 2015, the GLRSF was validated, by UNCTs, R-UNDG, regional organizations and IFIs. It was further endorsed by the UN Security Council in March 2016 during the Open Debate on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Prevention and Resolution of conflicts in the Great Lakes region.
The implementation of the GLRSF is co-championed by UNDP and WFP, and coordinated by the Chair of the R-UNDG for Africa and the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes.
The GRLSF is a fine example of the New Way of Working, bringing together the peace and security, development, humanitarian and human rights pillars of the UN in accordance with the agenda of the new Secretary General. The member states of the UN Peacebuilding Commission strongly supported the GLRSF’s cross pillar approach at a dedicated meeting on the GLRSF in November 2017.
The UNCTS of Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Tanzania are strongly engaged in the implementation of this regional strategic framework, both in terms of coordination efforts of the development approach and in ensuring the timely response of GLRSF Pillars specific initiativesThe sub regional platform is also responsible for ensuring appropriate UNDP technical input to the work of the pillars.in particular on justice, conflict prevention, economic integration and durable solutions. .
Horn of Africa
In October 2014 the UN Secretary General, the World Bank President, the President of the Islamic Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Union launched a joint regional effort to address the drivers of conflict in the Horn of Africa. The initiative aims to boost economic growth, increase stability, reduce poverty and promote business activities in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda) through, among others, cross-border cooperation particularly in borderland areas in the Horn.
UNDP promoted in 2015-2016 an assessment to identify the strategic responses to development challenges in the Horn of Africa. The assessment seeks to generate fresh approaches to ‘ending need indeed’ in the Horn of Africa, through breaking cycles of climate and conflict-related emergency, addressing root causes, and improving development outcomes. UNDP will seek to ensure that the wider strategy for the Horn builds on the work already underway in the existing UNDP regional project in support to IGAD and the cross border initiative between Kenya and Ethiopia. The Regional UNDG is committed during 2018 to develop a coherent regional approach reflecting the humanitarian development nexus.
Duties and Responsibilities
Programme Management and Support
Provide support to strategic planning and development in the Great Lakes Region AND/OR Horn of Africa and contribute to the overall implementation of the Regional Frameworks;
Assist in preparation of the work plan, activities, targets, budget, standards for measuring progress and results;
Support in drafting donor reports and other corporate reporting
Contribute to the assessment of programmes impact and assist in providing accurate monitoring of progress and results.
Knowledge Management
Assist in knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned, ensuring that knowledge sharing and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools;
Support horizontal sharing of good practices between the COs to increase the efficient implementation of the programmes;
Communication and advocacy
Support in the design of products/tools for external communication on the regional frameworks;
Assist in the identification of key advocacy messages and development of an information kit and/or joint calendar of advocacy events or special occasions and/or appropriate tools on the regional frameworks;
Actively support in the development of an internal information sharing system for the regional frameworks.
Support the management of the online presence of the GLRSF (official website www.glrsf.org and social media platforms).
Competencies
Core competencies:
Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
Communication: Ability to speak and write clearly and effectively in English and French
Planning and Organizing: Ability to develop clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies
Creativity: Ability to actively promote new ideas and different options
Functional competencies:
Demonstrate research and analytical capacity;
Excellent organizational, inter-personal, communication and administrative skills;
Ability to manage diverse and complex tasks, with tight deadlines;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty;
Commitment to UNDP’s vision, mission, and strategic goals.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Degree programme in public administration, political science, sociology, international relations, law, gender studies, development studies, communications or other relevant fields.
Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application 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);
Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.
Experience:
Familiarity with the UN system, and/or other international organisations, multi-lateral and other academic and international institutions;
Interest and good knowledge of the Africa region, including the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region would be an advantage;
Experience with web-based applications and websites, Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) is required.
Conditions of the Internship:
UNDP internship programme does not provide a salary or remuneration for the internship;
All the expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring Government or institution;
UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship;
Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;
The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship;
The intern will be evaluated at the end of the contract and due recognition of work will be issued in writing.
In case an applicant is successfully selected, s/he will be requested to provide electronic versions of the following documents:
Copy of the applicant’s most recent resume or curriculum vitae;
Letter from his/her university confirming current enrollment and graduation date;
Letter of recommendation from a professor;
Copy of his/her school transcript;
Copy of passport;
Medical Certificate of Good Health (to be provided upon selection);
Proof of medical insurance (to be provided upon selection).
Application process:
Upload a current CV and cover letter explaining your motivation for the internship.
Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document
Please Note that only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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