Department of Peace Operations

DDR Programming Support Intern

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Duty station
🇺🇸 New York, United States
Country / area
United States
Region
Americas
UN system
Peace Operation
Level
I-1
Category
Affiliate Personnel – Internships
Title
DDR Programming Support Intern
Organization
Department of Peace Operations
Work Location
Hybrid mode with four days in office and one day remote work
Expected duration
3-6 months
Org. Setting
DDR Branch, PBPSO, DPPA-DPO
Posted
7/10/2026, 4:00:00 AM
Closes
7/25/2026, 3:59:59 AM

About this role

This unpaid internship supports the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Branch within the Department of Peace Operations. The intern assists with drafting briefing notes, reports, and internal documents, while conducting research on DDR developments in assigned countries. Key responsibilities include supporting the Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR, reviewing Integrated DDR Standards, and creating data visualizations such as UML diagrams. The role also involves assisting with communication materials, maintaining fact sheets on peacekeeping missions, attending conferences, and providing administrative support. The position is located in New York with a hybrid work arrangement (four days in-office, one day remote). It is open to students in the final year of a bachelor's, master's, or PhD programme, or those who have completed these degrees. No professional work experience is required, but a relevant field of study is necessary. Fluency in English is mandatory, with French and other UN languages as assets. The internship lasts 3-6 months, is unpaid, and requires the intern to cover their own travel and living expenses.

Key requirements

  • Enrolled in or completed Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD
  • Fluency in spoken and written English
  • Field of study closely related to internship

Nice to have

  • Ability to draft news articles or social media posts
  • Ability to design surveys and polls
  • Knowledge of an additional official UN language

Requirements at a glance

Required degree
Enrolled in or completion of a graduate school programme (second university degree or higher) OR enrolled in or completion of the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).
Languages
English

Work Location

Hybrid mode with four days in office and one day remote work

Expected duration

3-6 months, Desired start date is

Duties and Responsibilities

The duration of the internship is for three (3) months with a possibility of extension to six (6) months. The internship is UNPAID and may be either full-time or part-time. It should be noted that full-time internship working hours are 35 hours per week, while part-time internship working hours are 20 hours per week. The internship will be in a hybrid working arrangement at the UN Premise, New York, United States with four days in office and one day remote work.

A full-time internship is for an initial period of three 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 Branch.

Org. Setting and Reporting The Internship is located in the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Branch of the Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO). The DDR Branch provides planning and operational support to DDR programmes and community violence reduction in the following peacekeeping operations: United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). The Section also assists Special Political Missions as well as non-mission settings with planning for DDR and associated processes. Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) was established in late 2025 to strengthen the United Nations’ capacity to prevent conflict and sustain peace by supporting prevention, peacebuilding, and peace support across the full conflict continuum, including early warning, crisis response, peace operations, political missions, mission transitions, and post-mission engagement. (https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/) Responsibilities Within delegated authority the Intern for Security Institutions will be responsible, among others, for:

  • Assistance in drafting and/or reviewing of Briefing Notes, reports, and other internal documents;
  • Conduct of specific research on current developments related to Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) in assigned countries;
  • Support to the work of the Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR, including on the review process of the Integrated DDR Standards;
  • Support data visualization by designing UML diagrams such as use diagram, class diagram, activity diagram and other relevant diagrams;
  • Assistance in the development and dissemination of communication and public information material;
  • Upkeep of fact sheets and other information repositories on peacekeeping missions;
  • Attending conferences and meetings of interest to the DDR Branch and provide verbal or written briefings;
  • Assistance in any administrative work of the DDR Branch, including the organization of meetings;
  • Performing other duties as requested by the supervisor.

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. Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams Ability to draft news articles and/or social media posts in desirable. Ability to design surveys and polls 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.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.

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