HOME

Background

CORPORATE BACKGROUND:

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

FELLOWSHIP OFFICE BACKGROUND:

UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD) has a mandate to leverage the role of the private sector in development. ICPSD was established in Istanbul, Türkiye on the basis of the Partnership Framework Agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the UNDP in March 2011. The Center advocates and facilitates the contribution of the private sector to human development and inclusive growthin four thematic priority areas:

Under its impact investment thematic area, ICPSD and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) established the Global Islamic Finance and Impact Investing Platform (GIFIIP) in 2016 to position Islamic finance and impact investing as leading enablers of SDG implementation around the world. Bringing together the private sector, governments and key stakeholders operating in the Islamic finance and impact investing markets, the platform aims to promote market-based solutions to sustainable development challenges. It focuses on enabling the private sector, using Islamic finance in tandem with impact investing to achieve SDGs on a global scale.

As part of GIFIIP and the broader Islamic finance portfolio, the Center designs and implements activities to support UNDP Country Offices, partners, and stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. The activities include, but are not limited to, developing Islamic finance backed innovative financing mechanisms, such as microfinancing, credit guarantee funds, Green Sukuk products, as well as designing capacity building activities such as training programmes and awareness raising activities.

Under the guidance and supervision of the ICPSD’s Deputy Director and Islamic Finance Portfolio Lead, the Research Fellow will provide support to research and knowledge management activities of ICPSD in Islamic finance and impact investing. The Research Fellow will conduct research on political, social, and economic trends in the impact investing thematic area of the Center and participate in the formulation, management, and evaluation of knowledge management activities within ICPSD’s mandate to enhance the role of private sector in development.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Fellow will assist in the following duties and responsibilities:

Competencies

• Interest and motivation in working in an international organization;
• Good analytical skills in gathering and consolidating data and research for practical implementation;
• Outgoing, proactive 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Candidates must meet one of the following educational requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, business administration, Islamic finance, international development, international relations, political science, or related field is required; OR
• Master’s degree in economics, business administration, Islamic finance, international development, international relations, political science, or related field is an asset.

IT skills:

• Knowledge and a proficient user of Microsoft Office productivity tools.
• Experience in handling of web-based management systems (i.e. ERP, Atlas) is an asset.

Language skills:

• English is required.
• Knowledge of Arabic and/or French and/or Persian/Dari is an advantage.

Application procedure:

The application should contain:

• Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;
• Current and complete CV in English;

Please group all your documents into one single PDF document, as the system only allows a single document to be uploaded.

Candidates who are selected for must submit prior to the interview the following documents:

Official document(s) confirming meeting at least one of the educational requirements. 

Stipend:

During the time of the fellowship, UNDP will provide a monthly stipend.

Background

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crises and to drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives, build resilient nations, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainable Development Goals represent the global consensus for the comprehensive and ambitious 2030 Agenda. The level of ambition and the need for resources to reach the targets necessitate innovations to increase efficiency, and partnerships for effective use of existing resources as well as growing them.

As a major effort to finance SDGs and in order to streamline its financial and investment engagement, UNDP launched the Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH), a finance and innovation platform, that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the SDGs and lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy and other initiatives. The Hub is an integral part of both the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), as well as part of the GPN. The Hub serves as a connector, broker and global coordinator among internal and external actors; curates and manages UNDP’s catalogue of service offers on SDG financing to governments, investors and companies, via the COs, to significantly enhance the scale and impact of UNDP’s work. 

Through SFH, UNDP’s Istanbul Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD), one of the five Global Thematic Policy Centers of UNDP, acts as an enabler for the private sector and foundations to become more active partners in development, encouraging them through policy advice and technical services on how to contribute towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. ICPSD was established in 2011 in partnership with the Government of Türkiye.

The Center’s work to engage foundations and the private sector focuses on delivering policy advice and technical services in four thematic areas:

• Private sector engagement through South-South cooperation for the SDGs

• Digital transformation and private sector engagement in skills development

• SDG Financing and Private Sector Development-Impact Investing

• Resilience and crisis response

Duties and Responsibilities

The main duties that the intern will be expected to carry out are:

• Provide research, writing and editing support on issues related to impact investing, SDG financing;
• Support publishing knowledge stories/best practices on impact investing, SDG financing and;
• Contribute to designing and implementation of initiatives, projects or programmes;
• Provide administrative support on an as-needed basis;
• Prepare relevant communications materials (speeches, brochures, success stories, social media materials etc.);
• Collaborate on the development and execution of online content (images, infographics, videos, blogs etc.) and campaigns delivered across various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. 
• Other relevant tasks as deemed necessary by the supervisor.

Competencies

Technical/Functional Competencies:

• Excellent research and writing skills, as well as strong analytical aptitude and strong communication skills;
• Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision and collaborate with a wide range of colleagues while meeting deadlines;
• Excellent interpersonal skills: being able to listen and collaborate with a wide range of players, being able to work independently, being pro-active and taking initiative;
• Be able to work both independently and as part of a team.

Personal Competencies:

• Commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences;
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Applicants must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

a) be enrolled in a second university degree programme (Master Degree); or

b) be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (Bachelor Degree); or

c) have graduated with a university degree in in fields such as economics, finance, business, development, international relations, law, public administration or similar and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

• Solid experience in academic writing, research and analysis;
• Experience on sustainable development, impact investing and/or SDG financing is an asset;
• Computer literate in standard software applications;
• Demonstrated keen interest in the work of the UN, and of UNDP in particular, and have a personal commitment to UNDP’s Statement of Purpose and to the ideals of the UN Charter;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs;
• Previous experience on project designing and implementation is an asset;
• Social media account management and content development skills are desirable.

Language:

Fluency in spoken and written English and French is required;

Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Financial Issues:

Interns will be given a stipend according to the UNDP Internship Policies, if they are not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme.

The monthly amount of the stipend will be determined for each duty station based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit. The stipend will be paid on a monthly basis and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.

Application Procedure:

The application should contain:

• Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;
• Current and complete CV in English;
• One relevant writing sample.

Please group all your documents into one single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Candidates who are selected must submit the following documents:

• Official document(s) confirming your education status;
• Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out. Selected intern must have medical and life/accident insurance.

UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months. UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship. Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity. It is important to note that interns are responsible to arrange for their own visa, and need to plan for these well in advance.

Subsequent Employment:

The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern’s studies.
Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
More information available at: http://www.undp.org/internships/.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.