Economic Affairs Intern

Job Description

Job Opening ID: 270165
Job Network : -
Job Family : Economic Affairs
Category and Level : Internship, I-1
Duty Station : NEW DELHI
Department/Office : Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Date Posted : Jan 19, 2026
Deadline : Mar 4, 2026

Work Location: New Delhi, India (In Person)

Expected duration: 3 to 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia (ESCAP-SSWA), based in New Delhi, offers an internship opportunity for a minimum of three months and maximum of six months. The internship is UNPAID and full-time. Interns work five days per week (37.5 hours) from the office under the supervision of staff member(s) in ESCAP-SSWA to which they are assigned.

ESCAP-SSWA covers ten member States in South and South-West Asia, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Türkiye. A key mandate of ESCAP-SSWA is to support the countries in the subregion to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The work programme of ESCAP-SSWA covers carrying out analytical and normative work, providing policy support, technical assistance and capacity building to member States, promoting policy advocacy, building networks among various stakeholders, etc., along the subregional priority areas, as per the mandate received from UNESCAP member States:

• Inclusive growth, supporting achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), structural change and job creation, gender equality and women’s empowerment, social protection, and sustainable development
• Strengthening connectivity, trade and transport facilitation, and regional economic integration
• Regional cooperation for climate change, sustainable energy transition, green investment and disaster risk reduction
• Assisting LDCs and LLDCs in implementation of the Istanbul and Almaty Programmes of Action as well as SDG targets

Learning Opportunities during the course of internship:

ESCAP-SSWA provides interns with an opportunity to enhance their understanding of:

1. Socio-economic challenges the subregion is facing in particular within the 10 countries served;
2. The processes of regional and multilateral cooperation;
3. Mandates and operations of United Nations in developing countries in its efforts to provide policy advice, capacity building and platform for governments to create space for economic and political integration.

Responsibilities

Under immediate supervision by a staff member(s), the intern is responsible for contributing to the research project(s) related to the work programme of SSWA for the implementation of the SDGs. The topic of the project will depend on the intern’s background, skills, and interest.

Other duties may include undertaking the following:

• Regular monitoring of relevant developments, policy trends and news articles related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in the subregion;
• Monitor and collect details on national policies on selected sustainable development issues of ESCAP-SSWA member States;
• Collect data, generate figures and tables, describe and analyze the tables and results to support ESCAP-SSWA staff in related research and analytical work;
• Attend conferences, seminars, meetings and other events and provide written highlights and briefing notes;
• Assist in content creation and media outreach, enhance the UN’s digital presence through effective social media support;
• Provide administrative, organizational and conference management support for ESCAP-SSWA events;
• Other activities as may be decided by the supervisor.

Competencies

The United Nations Core Competencies include:

• Communication: Ability to draft clearly and concisely, good written and oral language skills.
• Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from different national and cultural backgrounds to achieve organizational goals.
• Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view.
• Planning & Organizing: Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work and monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments, and delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards.

Special Notice

We go through the pool of applications periodically during the application period and recruit the candidates in an ongoing manner.

A complete online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

IMPORTANT: The Cover Letter MUST include the information stipulated in the selection criteria above. Please make sure you organize the cover letter clearly showing the following information:

• Planned internship period: Please specify the expected internship duration, starting and ending dates. Note that a commitment to a 6-month internship could be advantageous.
• Software skills that you possess at a good or excellent level of knowledge.
• Relevant courses you have taken in the areas of Economics, International Trade Economics, Development Economics, Finance, Environment, Energy management, Data Analysis, International Laws, and Communication.
• Highlights of research or work experience related to Economics, International Trade Economics, Development Economics, Finance, Environment, Energy management, Data Analysis, International Laws and Communication.

Should there be a need for an intern that matches the Applicant’s profile, the Applicant will be contacted directly by the Office. Please note that due to the many applicants, the Office is not necessarily able to reply to each request, and only short-listed applicants will be contacted for further consideration.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).

Candidates studying or having a degree in Economics, Environment, Energy Management/ Finance, Statistics, Communication, and IT are preferred.

Work Experience

Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for participation in the programme but shall be computer literate in standard software applications. Familiarity with econometrics and empirical data analysis methods and relevant software package (e.g. EViews, Stata, SPSS, R and Python) or IT tools is desirable. Data handling skills and skills in using spreadsheets, Excel is also an asset. Familiarity with use of social media is desirable.

Assessment

Potential candidates will be contacted by ESCAP staff for further consideration.

United Nations Consideration

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts.

The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.

The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship.

Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required for the Internship Programme.

Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

DEADLINE: March 4, 2026