Economic Affairs Intern

Work Location

New York

Expected duration

4 Months (with the possibility of extension)

Duties and Responsibilities

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC), in the Inter-organizational and Inter-institutional Support Branch (IISB). OISC, under DESA, provides substantive support to the work of the United Nations General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.un.org/ecosoc/en/desa The internship is for four months, with an opportunity for extension, pending on the needs of the Department.

The internship is UNPAID, full time and in-person. Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in IISB, to which they are assigned.

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Contributing to the monitoring and analysis of the work of UN intergovernmental bodies, including meetings of the 81st session of the General Assembly and its main committees, as well as those of ECOSOC on a broad range of issues (sustainable development, climate change, quality education, reduced inequalities, youth and stakeholder engagement, as well as, gender issues);
• Following and reporting on Member States' negotiations on UN draft resolutions, in particular in the Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) of the General Assembly;
• Monitoring the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly, as well as formal and informal UN meetings and preparing reports and summaries of those meetings and on key issues and major developments in the economic, social and environmental fields;
• Assisting in the substantive and organizational preparations of the annual 2027 ECOSOC Coordination Segment, ECOSOC Youth Forum and UNITAR-DESA ECOSOC orientation course;
• Undertaking research on trends and key issues on the agenda of ECOSOC 2026-2027;
• Assisting in the Branch's work on stakeholder engagement and NGO participation in ECOSOC meetings;
• Supporting the organization of panel discussions, roundtables, special meetings and briefings for the membership of ECOSOC;
• Providing inputs to statements, speeches, briefing materials, talking points and background notes for the President of ECOSOC and UN DESA Senior officials;
• Providing inputs for communications, including contributing content to the ECOSOC website, newsletter, brochure, social media channels, press releases and news articles; and
• Undertaking other tasks as required.

Qualifications/special skills

Eligibility – To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:

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 must be computer literate in standard software applications.
• 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.
• Strong research and report writing skills are desirable;
• Interest in sustainable development issues, stakeholder engagement and the work of the UN in advancing the SDGs is desirable. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples. 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? Please explain below. 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 be computer literate in standard software applications. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. Fluency in written and spoken English is required for this position. Knowledge of an additional UN language is an asset. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the UN Secretariat.

Additional Information

This internship will be in-person.

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.