Obtaining a fixed-term position at the United Nations is notoriously difficult, yet much coveted by many in the international development sector. Some are able to simply apply and secure a job but more often than not, candidates find other ways to navigate the system. That might be via an internship, recruitment program, or consultancy depending on the stage they are at in their career.
“It’s a global bureaucracy and it is not the easiest to get on board,” said Mollin Luta Shaba, a lawyer from Zimbabwe who now works for the U.N.-EU Spotlight Initiative on gender-based violence in Uganda.
Right now, it’s even more difficult than it may have been previously, said Chiara Frisone, a communication specialist at UNICEF’s regional office for East Asia and the Pacific, as funding is more limited and United Nations agencies look to retain the talent they have. “To apply to enter the U.N. and enter through the staff route is difficult because [they] are prioritizing more and more internal candidates to retain talent,” she said.