Duties and Responsibilities
The position is at the United Nations 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 on an in-person or remote 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 Transport Section, Trade Logistics Branch (TLB), Division of Technology and Logistics (DTL). The internship will commence in October 2025 for an initial period of three months, with the possibility of extension for an additional three months.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The intern will work in the Transport Section under the overall supervision of a Senior Economic Affairs Officer. The Intern will conduct research and analysis on Transport and Logistics issues with a focus on Maritime Transport (shipping, ports and hinterland connections) in developing countries, particularly Africa. This work will feed into the Section’s technical assistance and capacity-building activities aimed at leveraging transport and logistics to enable greater regional and continental economic integration and the achievement of sustainable, smart and resilient transport and trading systems.
Training and mentoring will be provided during the internship by the supervisor and other staff and colleagues working in the Transport Section.
Tasks and responsibilities under this internship include the following:
• Assist in undertaking research and analysis as well as drafting of papers and documents focusing on Transport and Logistics issues, and more specifically issues relating to maritime transport in developing countries, including Africa. The research and analytical work should be evidence-based and include both quantitative (data use, quantitative and statistical methods) and qualitative assessments.
• Provide support to the Transport Section as deemed appropriate, including by attending and servicing meetings, workshops, events of relevance to Transport and Logistics; supporting implementation of activities under the technical assistance projects falling under the responsibility of the Transport Section.
• Assist in preparing digital and paper-based products (such as brochures, presentations, articles, etc.) as well as media material, visuals and web-related products to promote the work carried out by the Transport Section. This includes updating website content.
• Assist and contribute to collecting relevant data on Transport and Logistics, in particular maritime transport (ports and related KPIs, transport costs, etc.) in developing regions, particularly Africa.
• Participate in meetings, prepare draft summaries of proceedings and discussions and represent UNCTAD, as deemed at meetings as deemed appropriate.
• Support the conduct of day-to-day activities of the Section as required, including by providing administrative assistance.
To work remotely, the applicant shall have full access to a computer with a modern browser in which to run the latest version of Office 365 applications, allowing for the tasks within the scope of the internship to be executed. The computer must have basic IT security best practices implemented.
At a minimum, the applicant should have:
• Installed on his/her computer the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, software and security updates as soon as they are issued.
• Enabled the built-in software firewall that comes with the operating software of the computer.
• Enabled the password manager for the creation of strong passwords and to secure access to all UNCTAD/UN-related resources. More generally, interns shall:
1. Observe all applicable rules, regulations, instructions, procedures and directives of the Organization notwithstanding their status as described in section 5 of the UN Internship Programme Administrative Instructions ST/AI/2020/1.
2. Provide the receiving departments/offices with a copy of all materials prepared by them during the internship. The UN shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material which bears a direct relation to or is made in consequence of the services provided under the internship. At the request of the UN, the interns shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to the UN in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law.
3. Respect the impartiality and independence required of the UN and of the receiving department/office and shall not seek or accept instructions regarding the services performed under the internship agreement from any Government or from any authority external to the UN.
4. Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the receiving department/office, they may not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or any other external source any information which has become known to them by reason of their association with the UN or the receiving department/office, that they know or ought to have known has not been made public. They may not use any such information without the written authorization of the appropriate official, and such information may never be used for personal gain. These obligations also apply after the end of the internship with the UN.
5. Refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on the UN or on the receiving department/office and will not engage in any activity which is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the UN.
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.
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 French would be an asset.
