Switzerland: Strengthening Regional Capacities for Peace in Central Asia - Internship/Traineeship opportunity within the Peacekeeping Training Programme

Organization: UN Institute for Training and Research
Country: Switzerland
Closing date: 01 Feb 2015

Programme description

The UNITAR Peacekeeping Training Programme (PTP) is a specialized programme of UNITAR, which offers a systematic and comprehensive preparation, through innovative and results-oriented trainings, in the fields of peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Since its establishment in 2009, UNITAR PTP provides high-quality training comprised of both basic and advanced courses.
UNITAR PTP offers an internship/traineeship opportunity for university students or freshly postgraduates. The working experience is designed to allow interns/trainees to strengthen their knowledge and gain practical experience in the training and learning field, with a specialization in topics related to peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

The project

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union over twenty years ago and the independence of many of its republics, new challenges have emerged and shaped the agenda in Central Asia. The stability of many countries and whole regions has been shaken by conflicts laden with interethnic and inter-confessional tensions, religious extremism and aggressive separatism. The danger of the proliferation of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction – as well as of their means of delivery – is particularly menacing. The gap between poor and rich countries continues to widen. The narcotics trade has grown, as has organized crime, which has increasingly crossed national borders and assumed truly global proportions.
In this new era, Central Asia has become the key arena of international politics by virtue of both its geographical significance in the modern world and the role that it will play in determining the shape and contours of future scenarios. The transformation of the international order has contributed to this the evolution of new security concepts that are significantly different from those that defined the Cold War. The new global order is characterized by a significant expansion in the range of security threats, changes in the identification of security objects, and shifting approaches to the choice of means to confront contemporary threats.
Security policy has become multidimensional and focused on the vital issues of territorial integrity and border security, combining in the process both the internal and external security issues. In particular, cross-border threats are increasingly on the top of the security agenda, as they have the potential to destabilize the political situation within a country and impact interstate relations.
Building on the results achieved by regional and international initiatives, the project aims at further strengthening regional capacities to manage cross-border threats, by means of the:

• Reinforcement of the expertise of civil servants in the critical areas (good governance, conflict transformation, human security, natural resources management and public private partnerships for conflict prevention);
• Consolidation of regional cooperation.

The internship / traineeship

UNITAR PTP is now accepting applications from qualified applicants interested in working for a minimum of three months on a full-time unpaid basis at UNITAR headquarters in Geneva. Under the supervision of the Specialist of the Peacekeeping Training Programme, the intern/trainee will assist in the day to day work of the unit which entails a wide range of activities.
Individual work plans will be designed in accordance with specific terms of reference, which also highlight learning objectives as the internship/traineeship is intended to allow trainees/interns to develop specific skills and competences.

Specific working areas will include

• Support the design and development of training courses included under the specific project;
• Support the development of training packages;
• Support the logistical organization of the training courses;
• Support with any other task as assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications

Applicants should have a solid background in the following fields:

• International relations (specific focus on Central Asia region would be an asset)
• Training / education.

Skills required

The intern/trainee should possess very good organizational skills, working knowledge of MS Office Suite, excellent internet and e-mail skills, and readiness to learn new IT tools. Other qualities, such as willingness to learn, dedication and independence at work are welcome.

Languages

Proficiency in English AND Russian is essential; proficiency of another UN language will be considered an asset.

Status

Interns are considered gratis personnel. They are not financially remunerated by UNITAR. They are not staff members and shall not represent the Institute in any official capacity.

For more information, please visit: http://www.unitar.org/intern-trainee-position-strengthening-regional-capacities-peace-central-asia

How to apply:

Send your CV and motivation letter to ptp@unitar.org indicating “Strengthening Regional Capacities for Peace in Central Asia” in your subject line.