Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)

Family

Internship

2024-10-01

September 21, 2024

1. Organizational context
Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions.

UNHCR’s Office in Italy is a multi-Country one responsible for Italy, San Marino and the Holy See.
Italy plays an important role in refugee protection in Europe, remaining one of the major points of arrival for persons seeking protection to Europe, with most of them arriving by sea via the Mediterranean. In 2023, 157,651 migrants and refugees originating from 62 countries arrived in Italy by sea with Italy receiving 71% of all sea arrivals to Southern Europe.

The public debate on asylum and migration in Italy is drastically affected by an increasing attitude of demonizing migrants, rescuers (i.e., NGOs and civil society at large) and even asylum-seekers and refugees. The country is divided and defending the rights of refugees has become more complex than ever. The scenario is extremely sensitive and highly polarized, and it is vital for UNHCR to continue owning the refugee space and enhance its presence in an increasingly competitive, complex and hostile environment.
In this tense scenario, MCO Italy operation needs to prioritize social media and digital communication activities for UNHCR’s voice on refugee issues to be able to lead the narrative and further advocacy messages, also in line with the Global Communication Strategy and Italy’s Joint Communication Strategy.

The PI Intern will work under the direct supervision of the Senior Communication Associate, G-7, with the overall coordination of the Head of Communications and within MCO’s Communication team.

2. The position
PI Intern provides clerical and technical assistance to the UNHCR office under the overall supervision of the Senior Communications Associate to ensure that routine services and activities within the PI field are properly implemented. Subject to the nature of the assignment, he/she will receive regular guidance from other colleagues within the unit. As per specific instructions, the incumbent may require liaising with other internal or external entities, to ensure effective delivery of services and achievement of objectives. The nature of certain tasks requires discretion and confidentiality as per UNHCR standards and practices. The incumbent’s workload and the assignments will remain under the direction of the supervisor.

Intern will participate in a range of activities within the PI Unit. Intern will become familiar with the daily task of related matters in a large humanitarian organization. The overarching objectives of the internship – from the perspective of the intern – are (i) to gain a deeper knowledge of the work of UNHCR, as well as of the frameworks governing the organization’s interventions, rules and regulation and (ii) to practice and develop analysis skills and other professional working skills, such as project and time management, prioritization, teamwork, presentation skills, etc. The work of the interns is not confined to a single project as may be the case in other internships, since interns are involved in all aspects of our work. The engagement also includes some elements of routine tasks (e.g. filing).

3. Duties and responsibilities
• preparing the daily press review, assisting in adapting briefing notes and press releases,
• support in the implementation of communication projects and events
• support in digital communication, in particular by adapting content for social media and uploading content to the website
• collecting data and supporting the compilation of internal and external reports
• perform other relevant tasks in support of the Communication Unit per operational needs.
Minimum qualifications and skills required:
Essential
• University studies in Communications and/or Journalism (preferred option), Human Rights, Political Science, Social Science or related areas
• Fluency in both English and Italian (especially written)
• Computer literacy (MS Office and other IT tools, very appreciated)
• Good communication and teamworking skills
• Good organizing skills and ability to work autonomously.

4. Desirable
• Previous relevant working experiences in the field of asylum and refugee protection
• Knowledge of other UN languages
• Demonstrable experience in drafting in English.

5. Eligibilty
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO; and
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR.

6. Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday (37.5 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Rome.

7. Allowance
Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive an allowance to partially help cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses.
The UNHCR workforce comprises many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

8. Additional Information
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Italy.
English is the official working language of UNHCR in Italy. Only applications fully completed in English will be considered.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Assessment of short-listed candidates might comprise of both an interview and a written test.
UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.
UNHCR has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual harassment. Successful candidates will be subject to mandatory UN Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment clearance check prior to receiving an offer.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

Italian

,

English

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No