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Internship programme

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The United Nations Office at Nairobi offers internship to students who are currently enrolled in at least the final year of a first university degree programme or in a graduate school (second university degree or higher) programme at the time of application,  or if they have graduated, can commence their internship within a one-year period after graduation.

The Internship is for a minimum period of two months and a maximum of six.

The purpose of the United Nations internship programme is two-fold:

(a) to provide a framework by which students from diverse academic backgrounds gain exposure to the United Nations through assignment to offices within the Secretariat in order to enhance their educational experience and gain experience in the work of theUnited Nations; and

(b) to provide United Nations offices with the assistance of qualified students specialized in various professional fields.

The Staff Development and Training Unit (SDTU/HRMS) manages the internship programme on behalf of the following UN Organisations:

  • United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) including out-posted offices
  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) including out-posted offices
  • United Nations Offices at Nairobi (UNON)
  • United Nations Dispute Tribunal, Office of Administration of Justice (OAJ)

Please read carefully the ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA before application.

Eligibility criteria

Due to the large number of applicants and the limited number of places available per year, applicants are strongly advised to note the following minimum eligibility criteria for an Internship at UN-HABITAT, UNEP, and UNON administered by the SDTU. If all of the requirements are not met, your application will not be processed. Successful application does not guarantee placement.

Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application 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);

(c) Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) above) and

(b)  if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation

Application process

All internship vacancies will be posted in the United Nations Careers Portals. To view and apply for any of the open internship vacancies, kindly log onto the United Nations Careers Portal https://careers.un.org/lbw/Home.aspx. Note that due to a large volume of applicants, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Important note:

You must

  1. Upload with your online application, a proof of enrolment stating that you are currently enrolled in a course of study and your expected date of graduation and if you have graduated, a certified copy of your degree.
  2. Please ensure that an official letterhead or an official seal is used for the proof of enrollment. Candidates are advised that their online applications will not be processed without proper and adequate endorsement.