Org. Setting and Reporting
The Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division (MPFD) Internship is for minimum of three months, with a possibility of extension up to six months, if required by the Division.
The internship is unpaid and full-time. Interns work five days per week (37.5 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the Division or Section to which they are assigned.
MPFD provides a combination of normative-analytical and capacity-development activities to 53 member States and 9 associate members of ESCAP, taking into account the significant variation in their geographic, demographic, and socio-economic conditions. The Division undertakes analytical studies and policy-oriented research on medium- to long-term macroeconomic and development issues facing the region, including for the development needs of the region’s least developed countries and other countries with special needs.
More details are available from www.unescap.org/our-work/macroeconomic-policy-financing-development.
Responsibilities
Under the general guidance of the Section Chief and the direct supervision of a responsible officer, the intern will make a contribution to the research work of the Division. While responsibilities change according to the needs of the Division, typical tasks include the following:
- Undertake research and analysis in such areas as:
- Macroeconomic policy and analysis: monetary policy, fiscal policy, tax cooperation, public financing efficiency and governance, econometric analysis for policy evaluation
- Financing for development: domestic and external resource mobilization, capital market development, infrastructure financing, public-private partnerships, financial inclusion (e.g., small business’ access to finance); foreign direct investment, official development assistance (ODA), remittance and climate finance.
- Special support to least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States: poverty reduction, LDC graduation, economic diversification, structural transformation, development cooperation
- Identify key short- to medium-term risks to sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region;
- Prepare summary tables, graphs, and other inputs, as needed, for ESCAP publications such as the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, Asia-Pacific Countries with Special Needs Development Report, working papers and policy briefs; and
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Competencies
The United Nations Core Competencies include:
- Communication: Ability to draft clearly and concisely, good written and oral language skills.
- Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from different national and cultural backgrounds to achieve organizational goals.
- Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view.
Education
To qualify for an internship with the ESCAP Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:
- 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); or
c) have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.
- Have studied areas such as macroeconomics, finance, international economics, development, econometrics, applied statistics, business administration, engineering/physics/mathematics or related areas;
- Shall be computer literate in standard software applications and in statistical packages such as Stata, Eviews, SPSS and R;
- Have demonstrated a keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; and
- Have demonstrated the 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
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the Internship Programme. Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
Assessment
Potential candidates will be contacted by hiring manager directly for further consideration.
Special Notice
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 degree programme (What are you currently studying or what have you studied?);
- Graduation date (When will you be graduating or when did you graduate from the programme?);
- List of IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in;
- List of your top three areas of interest;
- Explanation about why you are the most suitable candidate for this specific internship; and
- Explanation of your interest in the ESCAP Internship Programme, especially with MPFD.
- Indication of your available period for internship, i.e. when and how long (note: the minimum duration of an internship is three months and can be up to six months).
In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three names of references and contact information.
Please note that due to the large number of applications, divisions are not in a position to reply to each application and that only short-listed applicants will be contacted for further consideration.
