Internship Programmes at UNODC Philippines Office

General

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) accept unpaid interns on an ad hoc basis. The purpose of our Programme is to offer students from diverse academic backgrounds an educational experience through practical work assignments within the international environment of the UN, while offering the United Nations the assistance of qualified students specializing in various professional fields.

The main eligibility criteria for the UNOV/UNODC internship programme are:

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate/postgraduate university programme, both at the time of application and during the entire period of envisaged internship (for which they have to provide official documentary evidence from the university);
Applicants pursuing their studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages must have completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a graduate degree (for which they have to provide official documentary evidence from the university);
Applicants must be available for a minimum duration of two months.

Also please bear in mind that:

United Nations interns are not paid. All costs related to travel, insurance, accommodation and living expenses must be borne by either the interns or their sponsoring institutions;
Selected candidates are responsible for obtaining the necessary visas and for arranging their travel;
Interns are responsible for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the internship and must show proof of a valid major global medical insurance coverage.

UNODC Philippines Office offers two internship programmes:

Internship in Programming
Internship in Administration

Before applying, please read the internship descriptions carefully to determine which internship is most suitable for you given your educational background and qualifications.

Terms of Reference

1. Objectives of the programme

A. Internship in Programming

The mission of UNODC Philippines Office is to promote and facilitate actions against transnational organised crime, corruption, money laundering, and drugs and HIV.

The internship programme aims at providing an opportunity for outstanding graduate and postgraduate students to acquire practical experience in UNODC's programme work on drugs and crime, more specifically relating to:

Main Activities of the Programme Interns

This Internship Programme comprises the following training activities:

The intern will review relevant information and documents related to UNODC's work in order to acquire a basic understanding of the mandates, strategies, and framework of programmes/activities of the organization
The intern will assist the office in maintaining close contact with relevant UN agencies and other partners and stakeholders
The intern will assist in the planning and organisation of meetings and workshops
The intern will conduct research and gather documentation for the preparation of technical papers and speeches
The intern will be involved in selected field work and programme/project activities

B. Internship in Administration

The mission of UNODC Philippines Office is to promote and facilitate actions against transnational organized crime, corruption, money laundering, and drugs and HIV.

This internship programme aims at providing an opportunity for students to gain practical working experience in the administrative functions and processes underpinning the UNODC Philippines Office.

Main Activities of the Administrative Interns

This internship programme comprises the following training activities:

The intern will assist in optimising and maintaining the archiving system and related processes
The intern will assist in office procurement
The intern will undertake logistical work tasks, e.g. booking of flights and accommodation for official meetings and training activities
The intern might be able to take part in staff trainings related to administration

2. Eligibility

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

Applicants must be enrolled in a degree programme in a graduate school (second university degree or higher) both at the time of application and during the entire period of internship; or
Applicants pursuing their studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages must have completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a graduate/post-graduate degree.

In accordance with staff rule 104.10 (Family relationships), the children or siblings of UNODC staff cannot be considered for an internship at UNODC.

Please use the following table to check your eligibility for the Internship Programme before you send us an application:

Eligibility self check

You are currently enrolled in a Master or PhD (or similar programme) and will be during the entire internship, or you are pursuing studies in a country where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages, and you are currently enrolled in your fifth year (or higher) at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree.
You are able to obtain the necessary visa and to arrange your travel to Philippines
You are able to cover the costs of travel, accommodation, as well as living expenses of the internship.
You will be able to provide valid medical insurance coverage for your stay in Philippines, a medical certificate stating that you are in good health and an official proof of enrolment in graduate (post-graduate) studies.
You are able to communicate fluently in English.

To be eligible, you should satisfy the conditions imposed.
If you answer "No" to one or more of the above question(s), you should consider postponing your application until the above requirements are met.

3. Fields of study

Fields of study include social and political sciences, psychology, economics, journalism, finance, information technology, accounting, business administration, international relations and international law.

4. Duration

The minimum duration of an internship is two months, which may be extended depending on the needs of the office to a maximum period of six months.

The internship programme is normally on a full-time basis. Interns are expected to work five full days a week in the Division that has selected them, under the supervision of an experienced staff member.

5. Medical insurance and certificate

Interns are required to provide proof that they have valid health or medical insurance coverage in Philippines during their internships. UNODC accepts no responsibility for the medical insurance of an intern or compensation in the event of death, injury or illness during an internship. Interns have to provide a medical certificate of good health issued by a duly qualified medical practitioner.

6. Expenses

The United Nations does not remunerate interns in any way. All costs related to an intern's participation in the programme must be borne by the applicant who will have to make his/her own arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation, etc.
Interns do not receive a salary or emoluments from the United Nations.

Costs incurred by an intern in the discharge of his/her functions shall be reimbursed by the United Nations under the same rules as costs reimbursed to staff members

7. Claims, privileges and immunities

The United Nations is not responsible for any claims by any parties where the loss of or damage to their property, death or personal injury was caused by the actions or omission of action by an intern during his or her internship.

The United Nations is also not responsible for compensation for damage to property or for service-related death, injury or illness incurred by interns during their period of internship.

Interns are not staff members and therefore are not entitled to the privileges and immunities extended by the host country to the staff of UNOV/UNODC. They shall not be sought or accepted as substitutes for staff to be recruited against posts authorized for the implementation of mandated programmes and activities.

8. Commencement of the internship

Interns will be requested to report to the Internship Coordinator at the beginning of the first day of their internship to complete the necessary formalities, which include: signing a waiver, providing proof of medical insurance and the certificate of good health, and receiving an induction briefing.

9. Duty Station

The intern will be working at the UNODC Philippines Office in Manila.

10. Confidentiality

Interns are required to keep confidential any and all unpublished information acquired during the course of their internships and may not publish any reports or papers on the basis of information obtained, unless authorized to do so by UNOV/UNODC.

Interns are also expected to provide the receiving office with a copy of all materials prepared by them during the internship. The United Nations shall be entitled to all property rights (including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks) with regard to material that bears a direct relation to, or is made in consequence of, the services provided under the internship. At the request of the United Nations, the intern shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to the Organization in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law.

11. Reports

On completion of the internship, the intern's supervisor is required to complete a written evaluation of the intern's performance and organize a meeting with the intern to provide constructive feedback. In turn, the intern must complete a questionnaire on his or her experience.

12. How to Apply

Applications must be accompanied by documentary evidence (i.e. a letter of confirmation from a university) of continuing matriculation, university transcripts, an up-to-date curriculum vitae and a short essay in English (about 150-250 words) outlining the applicant's motivation for doing an internship. Completed applications and accompanying documentation should be submitted to the relevant before the intended start of the internship.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Only those applicants who are successful will be contacted.

Applicants are required to submit their applications through the UN Careers website (https://careers.un.org/home) for UNODC's available internship openings.

Due to a high volume of internship applications we cannot respond to applications individually and only successful applicants will be contacted.

United Nations

UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific