Intern - International Investment Agreements Section

The position is in the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The IIAs Section strives to expose interns to all three pillars of UNCTAD's activities: research, intergovernmental meetings and technical assistance to Governments mainly from developing countries. Tasks during the internship will include:

Research

• Assist in collecting data on IIAs – bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and treaties with investment provisions (TIPs), e.g. for the G20 reporting, IIA database.
• Assist in collecting data on the investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) cases, e.g. for the update of the ISDS database.
• Assist in conducting research on recent investment policy trends and developments, including monitoring of national and international policy developments as reported in UNCTAD’s regular reporting, in the World Investment Report, as well as in other publications.
• Assist in updating (in excel format) the “mapping” of IIAs in line with the criteria developed from UNCTAD’s Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development, e.g. for Investment Policy Reviews, for the World Investment Report, for the update of the Mapping of IIA Content, and upon specific requests by stakeholders.
• Assist in conducting (in excel format) “mapping” of other IIA features, including on emerging issues (e.g. investment facilitation, cooperation).
• Assist in conducting background research for and help finalize IIA Issues Notes on specific topics related to IIAs and ISDS and any other issue related to IIAs as requested.

Intergovernmental meetings

• Assist with the organization and preparation of UNCTAD’s intergovernmental processes, e.g. organization of expert meetings such as the Annual IIA Conference, the World Investment Forum, Multistakeholder Platform on IIA Reform and other meetings.
• Assist with invitations, confirmations, inputs for speech writing and presentations by UNCTAD senior staff.

Technical assistance

• Assist in conducting background research and analysis for the delivery of technical assistance e.g. ad hoc advisory work such as the review of country’s IIA network and/or model treaty commentary.
• Assist with the organization of capacity-building activities, e.g. prepare slides, exercises or background material for the training; organise face to face or virtual meetings, seminars or workshops.
• Assist with proof reading and editing of publications.
• Assist with updating the Investment Policy Hub website and with the use social media, tweeting, webinars.
• Assist in preparing inputs for reporting on programme activities.

To work remotely the applicant shall have full access to a computer with a modern browser in which to run the latest version of Office 365 applications that will allow him/her to perform the tasks within the scope of the internship. The computer must have basic IT security best practices implemented.

Qualifications/special skills

The United Nations internship programme is intended to expose students or recent graduates to the United Nations in order to enhance their educational experience and to help them to gain experience in the work of the Organization. Therefore, applicants to the programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or, (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent).

Moreover, interns should: 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 ideals of the Charter; and have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Languages

Fluency oral and written in English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset. In addition to English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish are official languages of the United Nations.

Assessment

Candidates will be assessed based on their Personel History Profiles (PHP). Individual interviews may be conducted for further assessment. A complete online application (Cover Note and Personal History profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The cover Note must include: Title of the degree; Graduation date; List the IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in; Explain why you are the best candidate for the internship position.