Internship: UNESCO regional office in dakar- Natural sciences sector.
Valeurs fondamentales de l’UNESCO : Engagement envers l’Organisation, intégrité, respect de la diversité, professionnalisme

Overview of the functions of the post
The Natural Sciences Sector in Dakar is seeking highly motivated graduate students, who wish to gain professional experience within an international organization.
Under the overall authority of the Regional Director of UNESCO Dakar Office and the supervision of – Chief of Section for Natural Sciences, the intern will be required to carry out the following duties:

• Study the structure and functioning of UNESCO and acquire knowledge of programs and projects in the Section;
• Compose and up-date country profiles on political, economic, scientific and social situations of West African countries covered by Dakar office, using sources such as documents and official reports from (UNDP, World Bank, OECD, UIS UNDAF Strategies for Poverty Reduction, etc.), and perform a content analysis of UNESCO’s Natural sciences program implementated in the countries;
• Assist in the implementation of ongoing projects and activities of the Natural Sciences section and report on the key performance indicators of activities/projects.
• Contribute to data analysis for mapping of existing STI policy instruments in West African countries and developing monitoring tools;
• Contribute to UNESCO’s work on Open Science, notably the implementation of UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science.
• Participate in the Section’s activities, such as organization of meetings, preparation of concept notes, briefings, reports and communication materials on ongoing activities.


Learning objectives
• Knowledge of project management and UNESCO’s structure, mandate and how it operates.
• Strengthen skills in data analysis
• Strengthen skills in event organization, communications and online platforms’ management
• Strengthen skills in the context of teamwork and in a multicultural environment

Competencies (core / managerial)
Required qualifications
Age: You must be at least 20 years old to apply.


Academic qualifications
• At the time of your application to the internship programme:
• You are currently enrolled in a graduate programme (Master’s degree, PhD, or equivalent, second university degree or higher).
• You have recently graduated with a Master’s degree or PhD (or second degree as defined above), 12 months prior to the start of the internship.

Please note that candidates who have completed their full-time bachelor’s degree but are not enrolled in a graduate programme are not eligible to apply.
Applicants in secretarial/assistant or technical/professional assignments must be enrolled in a secretarial school or in a specialized technical/professional institution, and must have reached the last year of their studies, or have recently graduated (within the last 12 months) from their school or institution.

Languages:
You should have an excellent command, both written and spoken, of English or French. A working knowledge of the other language (English or French) is an asset.
Computer skills: You must have an excellent knowledge of computer systems and office-related software.


Team player:
You should be able to work well in a team and adapt to an international working environment.
Communication skills:
You should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable qualifications
• First professional experience in (digital) communication, community management, social media
• Good command of other UN language(s) (Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Chinese)
Benefits and entitlements
• UNESCO does not remunerate interns. There is no compensation, financial or otherwise for internship assignments.
Interns are entitled to 2.5 days of leave per month during their internship.


Selection and recruitment process
The internship program is open until February 15th, 2024. Candidates shall apply to the vacancy that matches their personal expertise and domain. Candidates who successfully applied to the vacancy will stay in the intern talent pool and will be further assessed and selected by relevant hiring managers. The candidature will be valid for 6 months. Candidates who have been selected will be contacted directly by the relevant hiring manager.


Keep in mind
Have your motivation letter and résumé ready before filling out the application form. You only have one hour to finish the process.
Make sure your contact details will be valid in next 6 months.
You can only use either English or French in applying. Please provide an unofficial French or English translation of your documents if they are not in these languages.

UNESCO does not remunerate interns. There is no compensation, financial or otherwise for internship assignments. Even if you are eligible, there is no guarantee of placement. We receive more applications from qualified candidates than we can place.
Your application will be further accessed by UNESCO managers around the world and will stay in our internship portal for a period of six months.
We do not respond to each candidate. If selected, you will be directly contacted by the manager. If you do not receive any update within six months, it means that your application has not been successful.