Economic Affairs - Intern

Job Description

Work Location

• New York

Expected Duration

• 3 months, with a possibility of extension up to 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) serves as a critical interface between global policies and national actions across the economic, social, and environmental spheres. Its work is guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015.

The Economic Analysis and Policy Division (EAPD):

• Provides research and policy analysis on:
• • Global macroeconomic trends and prospects
  • Frontier and emerging issues
  • Development challenges of countries in special situations
• Serves as the Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), an advisory body to ECOSOC that:
  • Offers recommendations on cross-cutting development issues
  • Reviews the status of Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
• Manages capacity development projects in developing countries through:
  • Research
  • Training
  • Workshops

The intern will report to the Economic Affairs Officer in the Development Policy Branch, EAPD. Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting research focused on:
• • The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • Economic and social development
  • Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
• Performing country-specific research on:
  • LDC graduation experiences
  • Macroeconomic and environmental policy issues
• Supporting:
  • Meeting organization
  • Communication and dissemination of the Branch’s work

Qualifications / Special Skills
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school program (second university degree or equivalent, or higher), or
• Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent)

Languages

• Fluency in spoken and written English is required
• Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage
• The official languages of the UN Secretariat are: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish

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 the intern or their sponsoring institution
• Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the host country may need to obtain a visa and work/employment authorization
• Successful candidates should discuss visa requirements before accepting the internship offer

Deadline : Aug 14, 2025

About the Organization

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which Member States of the United Nations draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options; it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and it advises interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.