Vacancy Announcement – Internship (2 positions)

UNIOGBIS invites qualified students to apply for the internship position highlighted above. Applicants are requested to complete form P.11 available at UNIOGBIS Human Resource Office and clearly indicate the vacancy number they are applying to and attach copies of the following:Proof of Guinea-Bissau nationality (Birth Certificate/National Identity Card/Passport), Educational documents and reference letter from the University/School.  Incomplete P.11 forms will not be processed.

Please note that you can also apply by email to uniogbis-recruitment@un.org . Kindly note that applications upon receipt will be reviewed and only short-listed candidates will receive acknowledgement.

Special Notice:

Completed application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile <P.11>) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The cover note must include:

– Title of degree you are currently pursuing.
– Graduation Date (When will you be/have graduating/graduated from the programme?)
– IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in.
– Top three areas of interest in the human rights field.
– Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship.
– Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme.

– Include the dates of availability for the internship (start and end dates).

In your Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experience, if any, IT skills and three references.

Org. Setting and Reporting:

The internship at the Human Rights Section of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau is for a period of two to six months depending on the needs of the Section and the availability of the intern.

The internship is unpaid and full-time. Interns are not staff members of the Organization and do not represent it in any capacity.

Interns work five days per week (35 hours).

This internship is located in the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

Responsibilities:

The Human Rights Section of UNIOGBIS comprises two thematic units, a regional presence in Bafata and a front office, which assist the Section Chief in the strategic planning, monitoring evaluation and management of the section and of the human rights programme. The thematic units include: Human Rights Support for Institutional Reform and Capacity-Building; Human Rights Monitoring, and Reporting; Human Rights Mainstreaming, coordination and outreach. Details on UNIOGBIS mandate and activities are available on UNIOGBIS’ website: https://uniogbis.unmissions.org/en. Each applicant is required to specify in which thematic unit or in which areas he/she would like to intern, although depending on the needs of the section, and the profile and areas of expertise of the intern, s/he intern might be assigned additional tasks from a  human rights-related thematic or programmatic unit or area.

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit, or of the Chief of the Human Rights Section, the interns’ duties might include, but might not be limited to:

– Assistance in drafting and preparing weekly, monthly, thematic and public human rights reports in English and/or French (or Portuguese);

– Undertake thematic research on human rights issues in-focus;

– Assist in the preparations of the weekly radio programme on human rights (in English and/or in Portuguese or in Bissau-Guinean creole;

– Assist in the preparations of meetings of the Working Group on Human Rights, established by the United Nations Country Team members (UNCT);

-Assist in the implementation of human rights policies such as the Policy on Public Reporting by Human Rights Components of United Nations Peace Operations; the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy and/or the Human Rights Up-Front Initiative;

-Assist in the planning, preparation and/or undertaking of human rights capacity-building activities and Institutional Reform initiatives undertaken by the Human Rights Section in Bissau, for activities to be undertaken in Bissau or in the regions;

-Assist in strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation of impact of the work of the Human Rights Section;

-Assist in the implementation of strategies to improve general knowledge of human rights, in the country and to disseminate human rights material;

-Assist in the provision of training on United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms and international standards on human rights;

-Assist in the elaboration of the end-of-cycle report of the implementation of the OHCHR Management Plan 2014-2017 in Guinea-Bissau and in the consultations for the elaboration of the future Strategic Direction for 2018-21;

-Assist in the elaboration of progress reports on the implementation of the 2017 Results-Based-Budgeting (RBB) and the 2017 OHCHR Expected Accomplishments for Guinea Bissau;

– Assist in the formulation, planning and implementation of activities in celebration of various UN days, including the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims; the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture; the Nelson Mandela International Day; the World Day against Trafficking in Persons; The International Day of Older Persons; the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty; The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists; The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women; The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery; The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and the Human Rights Day;

-Assist in the overall implementation of the strategic and thematic priorities of the section, including the establishment of National Mechanisms for Reporting and follow-up of recommendations issued by international human rights mechanisms;

– Undertake other human rights-related activities, according to the Section workload.

Competencies:

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view ; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect ; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions ; monitors on-going developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems ; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects ; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education:

To qualify for the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:

– Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); (c) Have graduated with a university degree, as defined above, and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation;

-Be computer-literate in standard software applications;

-Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideas of the Charter;

-Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Work Experience:

No professional work experience is required for participation in the Internship Programme.

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 French is an asset. Knowledge of Portuguese or Bissau-Guinean creole is an asset.

Assessment:

Not applicable

United Nations Considerations:

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-check process to verify the information provided in the application.

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.

Preference will be given to equally qualified women candidates. Completed detailed applications documentation as specified above referring to Vacancy: UNIOGBIS/INTERN–001/2017 should be forwarded to the attention of: Human Resources Section (HRS), UNIOGBIS Headquarters, Bairro Penha, P.O.Box 222, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.