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United Nations

  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Economic Affairs Intern null

New York

Opportunity Expired

Drive global economic progress, contributing to innovative solutions, policy analysis, and strategic partnerships that reduce inequality and foster sustainable development.

Opportunity details

Opportunity Type
Internship, Clerkship or Placement

Application dates

Minimum requirements

Accepting International Applications
No
Qualifications Accepted
B
Business
Business Administration
International Business
Economics

Hiring criteria

Entry Pathway

See details

Working rights

United States

  • US Citizen
  • US Permanent Resident
  • US Student Visa
Read more

Your role

About the position:

The position is located in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) / Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC), Operational Activities Policy Branch (OAPB).

Responsibilities:

Daily responsibilities will depend on the work programme for the internship period which includes official meetings and negotiations among Member States, preparation of official reports of the Secretary-General and substantive preparations requiring research, data and information collection and analysis. Additional tasks should be expected on short notice due to the nature of support to senior officials of the UN system and Member States.

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

  • Conduct research on relevant topics in sustainable development and operational activities for the UN development system.
  • Analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and prepare data visualizations and infographics based on tables, figures, and statistical results.
  • Support the development and implementation of surveys on operational activities for the UN development system.
  • Assist in organizing high-level panels and seminars for the General Assembly and ECOSOC, and prepare summaries of their outcomes.
  • Support informal consultations on intergovernmental legislation.
  • Follow various intergovernmental meetings in ECOSOC and the General Assembly, and prepare draft summaries of intergovernmental discussions and consultations upon request.

Duration: This internship is designed to be full-time (35 hours) and in-person in New York, but can be adjusted based on the needs of the successful candidate. Duration is 6 months (September 2024 - February 2025).

About you

Qualifications/Special Skills:

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

  • Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or higher); or
  • Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); or
  • Subject to review on a case-by-case basis, applicants within a few years from graduation who could not apply earlier and who are at an early stage of their careers; as a first-time entry into the workforce; are changing careers or due to compelling family circumstances.
  • Applicants must be computer literate and have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.
  • Must have excellent drafting skills in English, the ability to synthesize and extract essential information on short notice, and the ability to work independently with limited supervision and overall guidance.
  • The successful applicant must be detail-oriented, diligent, and deliver high-quality outputs.

Work Experience:

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.

Additional Information

Assessment:

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a written assessment, which may be followed by an interview.

G-4 Visas for interns:

  • All interns assigned to a UN Organization, including Funds and Programmes, at a United States-based duty station, who are not United States citizens or United States legal permanent residents (LPR) will be required to obtain G-4 visas before travelling to the United States.
  • Prospective interns who are already in the United States in another nonimmigrant status may need to apply for a change of status to G-4 before joining the United Nations for an internship.
  • Prospective interns are responsible for ensuring that they have an appropriate valid visa and employment authorization allowing them to undertake the internship.
  • If the applicant is in F-1 status and has a valid EAD, they may undertake an internship within the scope of their F-1 visa without seeking a change of visa status. Please note, however, that interns in F-1 status who wish to undertake an internship following completion of their academic programme as part of Optional Practical Training (OPT) 'may' need to seek a change of visa status to G-4 (This process currently takes about 8-10 weeks) or obtain G-4 visa overseas.
  • To qualify for G-4 nonimmigrant status, interns must be serving essentially full-time, i.e. 35+ hours per week.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the Internship Programme. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Intern Specific text:

The United Nations does not financially remunerate interns. 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.

Benefits

The internship is unpaid, full-time.

If you join as a full-time employee, you will get the following benefits:

  • Holidays and leave
  • Health insurance
  • Retirement pension
  • Tax exemption
  • Allowances
  • Discover the invaluable experiences, skills gained, and career-boosting opportunities throughout the journey.

Training & development

Throughout this internship, you will acquire practical skills in sustainable development research, data analysis, and international policy formulation at the UN. You will hone their abilities in drafting reports, coordinating high-level meetings, and facilitating intergovernmental consultations, fostering expertise in diplomacy and global governance.

Career progression

You will be allowed to work with the United Nations people. As part of their team, working directly with outstanding and inspiring career professionals and senior management, you will be exposed to high-profile conferences, participate in meetings, and contribute to analytical work and organizational policy of the United Nations. Initially, you will take on the amount of responsibility you can shoulder; the growth potential, however, is yours to develop.

Sources

The following sources were used in researching this page:

  • youtube.com/unitednations
  • careers.un.org/payandbenefits
  • careers.un.org/job-level CP

Hiring criteria

You should have or be completing the following to apply for this opportunity.

Entry Pathway
Degree or Certificate
Minimum Level of Study
Bachelor or higher
Study Field
B
Business
Business Administration
Economics

Work rights

The opportunity is available to applicants in any of the following categories.

country
eligibility

United States

United States

US Citizen

US Permanent Resident

US Student Visa