Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch Intern (Start ASAP)

Duties and Responsibilities

This internship is in the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA), Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch (WMDB). ODA provides substantive and organizational support to various United Nations bodies in the area of disarmament. The Office is mandated to provide objective, impartial and up-to-date information on disarmament issues and activities to Member States, States Parties to multilateral agreements, intergovernmental organizations and institutions, departments and agencies of the United Nations system, research and educational institutions, civil society, especially non-governmental organizations, the media and the general public. WMDB provides substantive support in the area of the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical and biological weapons). It supports and participates in multilateral efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation of WMD and in this connection cooperates with the relevant intergovernmental organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, in particular the IAEA, the OPCW and the CTBTO PrepCom.

The Political Affairs intern works under the overall guidance of the internship coordinator and direct supervision of a staff member in the Branch to which they are assigned. This internship is unpaid and is designed to be full-time and in-person at the New York duty station. The manager may allow part-time, remote or hybrid internships at the request of the successful candidate. Interns will be assigned to a primary supervisor and must adhere to the established official working hours five days per week with one hour for lunch break. Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual's background, the intern's assigned tasks, and the internship period.

The intern shall undertake the following duties which may include, but are not limited to:

• Provide assistance in drafting and preparing official documents, summaries, talking points, speeches, remarks and web content;
• Attend and summarize conferences and meetings;
• Conduct research, including document, media and internet searches;
• Provide assistance during conferences and meetings;
• Fulfill other duties as required.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's degree or equivalent). Interested candidates must be pursuing or pursued their degree in areas related to this Job Opening.

In addition, interested candidates must:

• Be computer literate in standard software applications including MS Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point);
• 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 a demonstrated 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

Languages

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.

Intern Specific text

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.