Intern: Economic Affairs

Job Description

Work Location: Geneva

Expected duration: 06.04.26 to 03.07.26

Duties and Responsibilities

The position is at the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Internship Programme is unpaid and full-time, i.e., an intern is expected to work five days per week (40 hours). The internship is offered either on an in-person basis.

For in-person internships, interns must have a valid visa. All costs of travel, accommodation, medical insurance and living expenses must be covered by the intern.

The position is located in Geneva in the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies (DGDS). The internship will start in April 2026 for an initial period of three months with a possibility for extension for an additional three months.

The internship position is in the Macroeconomic and Development Policies (MDPB), in the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies in UNCTAD. The main purpose of the MDPB work is to produce the annual Trade and Development Report (TDR) of UNCTAD.

The TDR analyses current global economic trends, emerging shifts and major policy issues of international concern and provides policy proposals to address these issues at the national, regional and multilateral levels.

The intern will support the MDPB work with the following tasks:

• Document and internet research
• Compiling data and statistics for charts and visual outputs and incorporating that in Power BI dashboards
• Editorial assistance with texts, charts and overall layout
• Assistance with preparing substantive inputs
• Working on power-presentations
• Assistance with communication materials

Qualifications/special skills

The United Nations internship programme is intended to expose students or recent graduates to the United Nations in order to enhance their educational experience and to help them to gain experience in the work of the Organization. Therefore, applicants to the programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

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

Moreover, interns should:

• Should be computer literate in standard software applications;
• 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 includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. 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.

Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage.

Applicants must have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Teams. MS Power BI is desirable.

Languages

Fluency spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.

DEADLINE: March 25, 2026