Political Affairs Intern: Information Integrity Unit (Hybrid)

Job Description

Work Location: Flexible (Hybrid, Remote, or In-person)

Expected duration: 2-6 months.

Desired start date: 2 March 2026, or sooner.

Duties and Responsibilities

This internship is located in the Information Integrity Unit in the Policy and Best Practices Service (PBPS), Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training (DEPT) in the Department of Peace Operations (DPO). The Unit supports peacekeeping missions in addressing harmful speech (including mis- and disinformation and hate speech) which threaten the safety and security of peacekeepers and the ability of missions to implement their mandates.

The Intern will report to the Senior Programme Management Officer of the Information Integrity Unit.

The Policy and Best Practices Service (PBPS) is part of the Policy Evaluation and Training Division (DPET) of the Department of Peace Operations. The core function of PBPS is to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations through:

• Exchange of good practices between missions,
• Development of guidance material that reflects lessons learned, and
• Thematic policy support in selected areas.

This internship is UNPAID and is designed to be in person and full-time (35 hours per week) on the United Nations premises (New York, USA). This internship can be adjusted based on the needs of the successful candidate to part-time (20 hours per week) and/or remote.

Full-time internship is for an initial period of two months, and a part-time internship is for an initial four months. Internships may be extended up to a maximum of six months, depending on the needs of the Division.

Responsibilities include:

• Assist in conducting research on issues related to mis/disinformation and hate speech;
• Assist in monitoring and analysing the information environments within peacekeeping settings, using various digital platforms;
• Assist in the production and review of various policies, papers, and other documents/materials;
• Assist in preparing reports, concept papers, policy documents, talking points, articles and other materials;
• Assist in the development of strategic communications, presentations and visualizations;
• Attend and take notes at conferences and meetings;
• Assist in servicing conferences and meetings;
• Assist in maintaining/managing databases;
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications/Special Skills

• 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.
• Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study closely related to the type of internship is required. The field of study should be political science, international relations, peace and conflict studies, communications, media and information studies, journalism, data science, or a related field.
• Experience in supporting the development of policies, papers, guidelines, training materials, presentations, and visualizations is desirable.
• Experience in conducting research and analysis is desirable.

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 an additional official UN language is an advantage.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

DEADLINE: Feb 12, 2026