UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, hope.

The UNICEF Internship Programme offers qualified and eligible students at both Headquarters (HQ) the unique opportunity to acquire direct practical experience in UNICEF's work and the United Nations system under the direct supervision of experienced UNICEF staff.

This internship is to be completed with Education Cannot Wait (ECW), which is a UNICEF-hosted fund. The selected intern will be joining the ECW Secretariat Strategic Planning and Accountability team.

How can you make a difference? 

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls, and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth. ECW is administered under UNICEF’s financial, human resources and administrative rules and regulations; operations are run by the Fund’s own independent governance structure.

Under the overall guidance of the Director of ECW and the direct supervision of the Chief, Strategy, Planning and Accountability (who leads ECW’s Strategic Planning and Accountability Team), the intern will provide technical and operational assistance to various processes while learning about Organisational processes to support the implementation of the ECW work plan. The focus of the internship will be on implementation of 2024-2025 safeguarding deliverables, which will contribute to strengthened safeguarding practice in the areas of both child safeguarding and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).

Main duties

The intern will work primarily with ECW’s Senior Safeguarding Specialist across the ECW investment portfolio on a range of deliverables, including:

• developing and maintaining ECW’s safeguarding capacity assessment database.
• conducting a stock-take of existing PSEA capacity assessments of ECW partners and identifying assessment gaps.
• initiating PSEA capacity assessments of ECW partners, reviewing partner safeguarding self-assessments, contributing to the development of PSEA action plans and monitoring implementation.
• reviewing safeguarding frameworks of UN Agency partners and preparing a summary document.
• developing safeguarding templates, tools and guidance for staff and grantees; and
• monitoring safeguarding risk trends and contributing to ExCom risk reports.

Qualifications

• Be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
• Be enrolled in a master’s degree programme or have graduated from a bachelor’s or master’s degree within the past three years.
• Have an academic background in any of the following fields:
  o Education, Social Work, Psychology, Law
  o International development/human rights/humanitarian affairs
  o Liberal Arts or Sociology, particularly with a focus on women’s and gender studies
• Be fluent in English (speaking, writing, and reading) up to the highest standard.
• Proficiency in French and/or Spanish is a plus.
• Have no immediate relatives (e.g., father, mother, brother, sister) working in any UNICEF office or in the ECW Secretariat.
• Not be disqualified under the UNICEF Child Safeguarding Personnel Standards (DHR/STANDARDS/2019/001), or as amended.

Before applying, candidates are strongly encouraged to read ECW last annual report and understand ECW’s overall strategic and education objectives.

For every Child, you demonstrate... 

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF and ECW are committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all national, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.

Office space is available in New York based on discussion. Applicants who are in the USA at the time of application (for the US with a valid OPT/CPT if international student) are personally responsible for arranging any visa or immigration requirements, covering the entire period of their internship.

The internship is full-time (35 hrs. per week). Working hours are flexible and will be established with the ECW supervisor, taking into account the intern’s existing study commitments. Interns will be linked to the ECW Secretariat and the SPA section in New York. Interns may take up to 2.5 days per month of leave for any reason, including for medical reasons. The stipend will be reduced for any absence beyond this quota.

Two interns, one starting date February 2025 for 6 months and the second July 2025 for 6 months. An internship may be terminated by either party, with a notice period of at least two weeks.

Monthly stipend:

Interns will receive a stipend based on their location. USD 1,700 per month in New York, Geneva, and Copenhagen; or 70% of the monthly salary of the GS level 3 step 1 in all other duty stations.

UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

1. Builds and maintains partnerships
2. Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
3. Drive to achieve results for impact
4. Innovates and embraces change
5. Manages ambiguity and complexity
6. Thinks and acts strategically
7. Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to selected candidates who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.