Disability Inclusion Intern TGU at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): (Deadline 14 March 2022)

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

UNDP is working to strengthen new frameworks for development, disaster risk reduction and climate change. We support countries’ efforts to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals, which will guide global development priorities through 2030. The key 2030 Agenda principle of leaving no one behind and stamping out inequality is at the core of everything we do.

UNDP focuses on helping countries build and share solutions in three main areas:

• Sustainable development
• Democratic governance and peacebuilding
• Climate and disaster resilience

In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women, minorities and the poorest and most vulnerable.

INTERNSHIP OFFICE BACKGROUND:

The internship policy provides guidance on the UNDP internship programme and provides information on the administration of UNDP interns.

Purpose

The purpose of the Internship programme is to provide students and recent graduates from diverse academic backgrounds exposure to development issues and a first-hand experience with the day-to-day working environment of UNDP. The internship programme supports young graduates with skills and knowledge that help them in their future career, thus supporting national efforts to promote employment for all.

Globally, UNDP supports governments, Civil Society (CSOs) and private sector to protect, respect and fulfil human rights and to improve legal and policy environments to protect the vulnerable and leave no one behind. UNDP’s work on disability inclusion contributes to achieving International goals under international instruments like United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD). UNDP also supports disability inclusion to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specifically SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 10 (reducing inequalities) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and SDG 8 (descent work and economic growth.

Since 2014, UNDP has been supporting disability inclusion initiatives in Rwanda through various initiatives. Currently, UNDP is supporting disability inclusion in in Rwanda, in partnership with the Private Sector Federation (PSF), the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Justice, the Rwanda bar Association, the National Union of Disability Organizations in Rwanda (NUDOR) and other Organisations of persons with disabilities.  As part of the Leave no-one behind principle of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, UNDP Rwanda increased its support to empower persons with disabilities (PWDs) and promote their rights. Based on extensive consultations with Government and civil society, UNDP Rwanda initiated partnerships with a range of ministries, institutions and development partners to implement a variety of activities at policy and grassroots level. Some of these activities focus on building capacities of Civil Society Organisations working on directly empowering PWDs, while others aim at ensuring inclusive access to services including justice, information and finance, and an enabling environment through up-to-date policy and legal frameworks. Some of the activities substantially contribute to data generation and studies for evidence-based decision making.

UNDP also supports national and local level advocacy and awareness raising activities to address stigma and discrimination. The important partnerships established around the empowerment of persons with disabilities were further formalized through a newly established framework: a multi-partner disability platform. The platform brings together various public and private sector institutions, UN agencies, development partners and civil society organizations to create synergies around efforts to transform the lives of persons with disabilities in order to avoid scattered interventions and to pool resources when possible. The platform is also functioning as a high-level advocacy forum, where heads of institutions actively prioritize lending their voice to messaging related to disability inclusion.

At the technical level, technical counterparts find each other in working spaces to brainstorm challenges and priorities, and co-create solutions, resulting in an inclusive workplan of activities of the multi-partner platform. With this background, UNDP Rwanda has developed a portfolio on inclusive governance focusing on gender and disability inclusion which crucial for the realization of the agenda 2030. Therefore, UNDP Rwanda would like to recruit a national intern for disability inclusion. Under the overall supervision of the Head of Transformational Governance Unit, the intern is responsible for learning and gaining exposure to development issues and a first-hand experience with the day-to-day working environment of UNDP frameworks mentioned above and learn and support where possible under TGU and other units on disability inclusion. More specifically, the intern will closely follow up and learn from  the projects supporting disability inclusion including UNPRPD, support to PSF, NUDOR, the Rwanda Bar Association, National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) and the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC).

The intern will assist in the following duties and responsibilities:

• Interest and motivation in working in an international organization.
• Good analytical skills in gathering and consolidating data and research for practical implementation.
• Outgoing and initiative-taking person with a goal-oriented mind-set.
• Communicates effectively when working in teams and independently.
• Good in organizing and structuring various tasks and responsibilities.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Responds positively to feedback and differing points of view.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Education:

Candidates must meet one of the following educational requirements:

• Currently in the final year of a bachelor’s degree; or
• Currently enrolled in a master’s degree; or
• Have graduated no longer than 1 year ago from a master’s degree or equivalent studies.

Field of study: Disability, Law, Human rights, Gender, social sciences, international development, project management, development policy, social work or equivalent.

IT skills:

• Knowledge and a proficient user of Microsoft Office productivity tools.
• Microsoft excel
• Microsoft word
• Internet navigation

Language skills:

• English  required.
• Kinyarwanda
• Knowledge of other UN languages e.g., French is an advantage.

INTERNSHIP CONDITIONS

• UNDP internships will receive a stipend monthly inline with UNDP internship policy guidelines.
• UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.
• Interns are responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed.
• Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship.
• Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan.
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
• Interns are expected to work full time, but flexibility is allowed for education programmes;
• Interns need to obtain financing for subsistence and make own arrangements for internship, travel, VISA, accommodation, etc.