Political Affairs Intern: Supporting the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions

Job Description

Duties and Responsibilities

The duration of the internship is for six (6) months. This internship is UNPAID in person and full-time (35 hours per week), on the United Nations premise working arrangement from (New York, USA). This internship is designed to be full-time and in-person but can be adjusted based on the needs of the successful candidate to part-time (20 hours per week) and/or remote. This position is located in the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) in the Department of Peace Operations (DPO). OROLSI includes five components: Police Division; Justice and Corrections Service; Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Section; Security Sector Reform Unit; and UN Mine Action Service. Under the new peace and security architecture, OROLSI is mandated to serve as a UN system-wide service provider for mission and non-mission settings and on all issues related to rule of law and security institutions. It works closely with the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, particularly the Peacebuilding Support Office and the regional structure, including by embedding specialists, as well as with relevant offices in the Department of Peace Operations, the Department of Operational Support and other United Nations entities, including through inter-agency arrangements such as the Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law. Thematic policy issues covered by the Office include the following, as they pertain to the OROLSI mandate: Prevention of Violent Extremism & Counter-Terrorism (PVE-CT); Sustaining Peace; Conflict Prevention; Women, Peace and Security; Youth, Peace and Security and Communications.

Under the overall supervision of the Political Affairs Officer, the Intern for Political Affairs will:

•Monitor activities in relevant countries and regions identifying trends and assessing emerging political and operational issues which may affect OROLSI activities

•Attend meetings and prepare concise summary notes with action points •Conduct research on thematic topics

•Monitor and prepare summary reports on developments in inter-governmental fora pertaining to policy and operational priorities of the Office

•Support OROLSI Front Office and Policy and Operational Support Team priorities •Support the drafting of notes, background papers, talking points, presentations and speeches for senior UN officials as they pertain to OROLSI mandated activities and priorities

•Support the planning and implementation of meetings, events, policy dialogues and other activities related to rule of law and security institutions

•Coordinate, collect and consolidate information/inputs from Offices on various reports and prepare submissions in accordance with standard UN practice

•Performs other related duties as required.

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).
• 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.

Deadline : Jul 4, 2025