Background

Anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in line with the priorities outlined in the UNDP Strategic Plan, the Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) supports the Arab States region to achieve sustainable development by eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, accelerating structural transformations for sustainable development, and building resilience to crises and shocks. Within this work, the Regional Bureau for Arab States responds to needs across development settings including Least Developed Countries, Middle Income Countries, Net Contributor Countries and countries affected by crisis, with a view to support the building of resilience, fight climate change, leverage the promise of innovation, and prioritize the advance of women, youth and vulnerable groups as part of its commitment to the principles of universality, equality and leaving no one behind in an increasing challenging regional context which has been further impacted by various crises.

RBAS supports partners in the region to develop integrated, transformative, and scalable solutions to tackle the interconnected challenges of poverty, vulnerability, inequality and exclusion, in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. The team assists in enhancing prospects for inclusive growth, jobs and livelihoods at national and local levels, including through economic recovery and resilience-building in crisis and post crisis contexts, focusing on empowering women and youth, and advancing opportunities for the most vulnerable. It also supports research, policy, and program guidance around: macroeconomic stability, private and financial sectors, fiscal policy and public finance management, economic transformation, social protection, women economic empowerment, urban and digital economy, etc.

The intern will report to the Strategic Initiatives Advisor in RBAS New York and will support the work on policy and research, including the Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) and ongoing socio-economic analyses examining the implications of conflicts and other shocks for growth, employment, poverty, inequality and human development in the Arab States region.

Duties and Responsibilities

Research and analysis: Conducting data collection, desk reviews of existing research and literature on one or two of the areas that the inclusive growth team is currently working on (namely, macroeconomics, public finance management, social protection, informality, labor market, poverty and inequality, private sector development (including micro, small and medium enterprises), SDG financing).
Policy Brief Development: Assist in the drafting and preparation of policy briefs, technical notes, and economic assessments tailored for regional stakeholders and decision-makers.
Advanced Quantitative Analysis: Support the team by conducting quantitative data analysis using reliable sources and tools to identify and visualize regional economic trends.
Event and Dialogue Support: Provide logistical and substantive support in organizing regional consultations, webinars, and other forums related to inclusive growth and economic development.
Regional Monitoring: Regularly monitor and summarize macroeconomic indicators, ongoing socio-economic developments, and policy shifts across the Arab States region to inform the team's ongoing programmatic work.
Knowledge Management: Assist in maintaining and updating internal databases, knowledge repositories, and community-of-practice platforms with the latest research and data findings.
Assist in the development: of new or ongoing initiatives, including review of policy literature in respect to the subject to enhance UNDP programming in the relevant field within the Arab Region.
Document good practices: Including cases studies, innovations and pilot models for wider dissemination and sharing.
Concept notes: Prepare conceptual framework / concept notes on new areas of work or development challenges.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Strong sense of collaborative work, excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
Keen attention to detail;
Proven record of interest and work in the development field;
Excellent analytical and research skills using state of the art quantitative analytical tools such as STATA, R;
Research experience;
Interest in the Arab States region and possibly some background in researching the region;

Professionalism:

Demonstrated problem-solving skills and judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of complex issues/problems;
Ability to negotiate and to influence others to reach agreement;
Ability to work under pressure;
Shows pride in work and in achievement;
Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter, especially economic development and resilience;
Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns;
Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges;
Remains calm in stressful situations;
Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
Takes responsibility for incorporating the perspective of youth and ensuring the equal participation of young people as in all areas of work.

Communication:

Speaks and writes clearly, concisely 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.

Planning & Organizing:

Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;
Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required;
Allocates appropriate amount of time and resource for completing work;
Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning;
Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary;
Uses time efficiently.

Accountability:

Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honor commitments;
Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards;
Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules;
Supports subordinates, provide oversight and take responsibility for delegated assignments;
Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Creativity:

Actively seeks to improve program or services;
Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs;
Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas;
Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas;
Thinks “outside the box”;
Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things;
Not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Technological Awareness:

Keeps abreast of available technology;
Understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office;
Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks;
Shows willingness to learn new technology.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher) in subjects relevant to the work of Inclusive Growth Team (economics, development studies, public policy, international development and related fields).
Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in subjects mentioned under (1) above.
Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (1) and (2) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.
Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Experience:

Experience with quantitative data analysis using software like R, Stata, or Python is a strong asset.
Demonstrated ability to work well both independently and within a multicultural team.
Good command of information and communication technology.

Languages:

Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Arabic and French language skills would be an asset but not necessary for the assignment.

Stipend:

Where an intern is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme, a stipend intended to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station, must be paid by the receiving office.
The monthly amount of the stipend will be determined for each duty station based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit. The stipend will be paid on a monthly basis and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.
Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will, subject to the rules of such institution, government or third party, pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend.
No other payments of any kind will be made to an intern by the office in connection with an internship agreement.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

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Internship, Data Analysis and Report Synthesis with UNDP RBAS in NY, USA (Office-Based)