Political Affairs Intern

Work Location

New York

Expected duration

3-6 Months, starting approximately on 1 July 2026

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) is seeking for a qualified intern for a maximum period of six months to work on advancements in science and technology within the context of international peace and security. This internship is located in the Science, Technology and International Security Unit of the Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), New York. The Science, Technology and International Security unit advises and assists the Office of the High Representative, the Office of the Director, and the Secretary-General in the discharge of their responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations and implements mandates given by the General Assembly, the Security Council and other organs of the United Nation's systems. Its programmatic work focusses on scientific and technological issues in the context of international peace and security, including artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons, information and communications technologies, uncrewed aerial vehicles, missiles technologies, among others. This internship is unpaid, full-time and in-person at the New York duty station. The manager may allow part-time, remote or hybrid internships at the request of the successful candidate. Interns will be assigned to a primary supervisor and must adhere to the established official working hours five days per week with one hour for lunch break. The Intern, under the supervision of a primary supervisor, shall be assigned to the Science, Technology and International Security Unit of the Office for Disarmament Affairs. For more information, please refer to: https://disarmament.unoda.org. Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual's background, the intern's assigned tasks, and the internship period. Interns shall undertake the following duties which may include, but are not limited to:

• Assists in drafting and preparing official documents, summaries, talking points, speeches, remarks and web content.
• Monitors trends and developments on emerging technologies and other cross-cutting issues.
• Conducts research on science and technology related matters, such as cybersecurity/information communication technologies security, artificial intelligence, uncrewed aerial vehicles, lethal autonomous weapons systems etc.
• Assists during conferences and intergovernmental meetings.
• Performs other related duties as required.

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); or (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 Programm...