If there’s one organization that sparks curiosity and interest in people, it’s the United Nations (UN). Here on this blog, we receive many visitors looking for job, internship, or course opportunities at the UN. The organization stands out for being a highly relevant body when it comes to international issues related to human rights and social justice. But how do you work at the UN? In this post, we’ll explain everything you need to know to learn more about the organization and the professional opportunities it offers.
What is the UN?
As you probably already know, the United Nations is a giant organization. The UN has offices in 193 countries and more than 37,000 employees. The organization’s mission is to maintain world peace, promote human rights, justice, equality, and development.
The UN is responsible for creating the Sustainable Development Goals, which are a call to action for all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.
They recognize that ending poverty must go hand in hand with strategies that promote economic growth and address a range of social needs, including education, health, social protection, and employment opportunities, while simultaneously combating climate change and protecting the environment.
The UN comprises many funds, programs, and specialized agencies, each with its own area of work, leadership, and budget. For example, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) works to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them realize their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
Another important specialized agency is the World Health Organization (WHO), the directing and coordinating authority for international health of the United Nations. The WHO’s goal is to ensure the highest attainable standard of health for all. You have probably heard a lot about the WHO because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s important to know about the UN.
Despite its great ideals and objectives, the United Nations has also been criticized. These criticisms encompass various aspects of the organization, such as politics, ideology, and equality of representation. There is a perception of a lack of effectiveness in preventative measures to reduce conflicts (such as social disputes and wars) and abuse of power by nations that exert control over the General Assembly.
For example, there is criticism regarding UN internship opportunities. The organization still offers numerous unpaid internships, 8 hours a day, in cities like New York and Geneva. Who do you know who could spend six months in one of the most expensive cities in the world while working for free? Exactly. If only people with significant purchasing power can work at the organization, only these people will shape important social projects.
This is a rather complicated issue related to equal representation. It is not consistent with the organization’s mission, which should be a benchmark for human rights and social justice. In this sense, the UN ends up being a mirror of the unjust capitalist society we live in. There are good initiatives, and others that do not function ideally and end up not promoting opportunities for people from marginalized regions.
If you want to delve deeper into some important criticisms, we recommend watching the BBC documentary, The Whistleblowers: Inside the UN, which tells the story of the consequences suffered by various people within the UN after denouncing a wide range of sexual abuse and corruption in the organization. Be warned: the content is heavy, but it’s worth watching.
What is it like to work at the UN?
Now that you have a realistic understanding of the organization and are inspired to gain work experience there so you can fight for greater social justice, let’s talk about what it’s like to work at the UN!
We spoke with Vanessa Beltrame, a journalist who works at the Public Information Unit of UNHCR, the UN refugee agency in Brasília.
Vanessa holds a degree in Journalism from the Federal University of Santa Maria (2010) and a master’s degree in Communication from the University of Brasília (2017). Before working at UNHCR, she held other positions within the UN. First, she was a communications assistant at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN agency mandated to promote the agenda for sustainable development. After her experience at UNDP, Vanessa worked for a year as a communications specialist for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
For her, working at the UN means working in a multicultural environment, with people of various nationalities and in contact with colleagues spread all over the world. She says:
“The learning curves tend to be steep and intense; you’re always encountering something new, a renewal, and you never stop learning. Finally, I believe that the pride of working for a giant, internationally respected organization with such motivating mandates also weighs heavily. The work is motivating every day because you can see a lot of purpose in it.”
In Vanessa’s current work at UNHCR, she deals with the issue of refugees, not only from a protection standpoint, but also in ensuring lasting solutions for their lives, such as opportunities for education, employment, and entrepreneurship. She works as a communications associate in the Public Information Unit, directly involved in the production and dissemination of content that promotes the agency’s work.
How to work at the UN: job openings
Securing a job at the UN might seem like a task for the few. However, given the organization’s global and multidimensional scope, there are many different entry points for candidates with varied educational backgrounds and diverse professional experience. In other words, there are job opportunities in different countries and for a wide range of fields.
Vanessa gave many great tips for those who want to work at the organization. First of all, it all depends on your background, your professional goals, and what specifically interests you within the UN.
She points out that there are places with more opportunities. The UNDP, with its very broad project portfolio, always has open opportunities in various fields of knowledge. It’s important to keep an eye on the Opportunities section of their website .
Fixed Term (FTA) contracts, which are the UN staff contracts, are rare. It’s unlikely anyone enters the system already with this type of contract. Therefore, it’s worthwhile to look for other types of contracts to start with. For example, UNV (United Nations Volunteers), Service Contracts (SC) – a modality exclusive to UNDP that is now called National Personnel Services Agreements (NPSA), and Individual Contractor Agreements (ICAs), which are contracts managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Tips for your UN application
Vanessa advises: “Start applying now! Pay attention to job openings at various agencies and programs and apply for positions that interest you. Study how to fill out application forms, research the institution you are applying to, understand its mandate, its operations in your country, and its main portfolio projects. This will be important in the selection process.”
Speaking about what sets you apart and can help you get a job, Vanessa says it depends a lot on each position, but what almost all of them have in common is a good command of English or another official UN language. In other words, being fluent in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, or Russian can help a lot! In addition, of course, having relevant work experience and training in the field will also help.
To ace the interview and written test that are part of the application process, you must be well-versed in the agency you are applying to. Demonstrate motivation regarding the agency’s mandate. The vast majority of interviews in the UN system are competency-based. Therefore, it is very important to be able to express how your past professional experiences can make you a good candidate for the position.
Most importantly, in Vanessa’s opinion, is understanding which mandates interest you and your career (such as refugee issues, development, peace promotion, education, health, childhood, women, etc.), and seeking out agencies that align with your motivations.
From there, you need to keep an eye on the “work with us” sections of each agency and their LinkedIn profiles. Another good place to check for open positions is the job posting section of the UN website . All vacancies are advertised and followed by a selection process, so there’s no point in sending resumes if there are no vacancies available.
How to work at the UN: open positions
In addition to the job openings mentioned, the UN also offers a wide range of different international professional experiences. We’ve already published several of them here on this blog, and it’s well worth checking our scholarship search engine regularly so you don’t miss anything!
Currently, the following opportunities are open for applications (or will open soon):
Job openings at the UN abroad
Are you looking for a job at the UN? The United Nations offers job openings in various positions and in different areas. Obviously, each position requires specific qualifications, and you also need to speak English and/or French fluently.
The United Nations job opportunities page is always updated with different vacancies in various parts of the world. Candidates of all nationalities can participate in the selection process. To give you an idea, some of the possible work locations are Vienna, Austria; Santiago, Chile; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; Bangkok, Thailand; New York, USA; Geneva, Switzerland; and all locations where UN missions are currently operating.
Below is a list of some areas that typically have job openings at the UN:
- Economy;
- Administration;
- Right;
- Human Rights;
- Development policies;
- project management;
- Interpreter;
- Education.
However, there are vacancies in many other areas such as communication, translation, engineering, and many others. The application deadline varies for each process, and we recommend that you check the website regularly if you are interested in working at the UN.
The first phase of the selection process consists only of registering in the system, submitting a resume and a cover letter. Candidates who are approved will be called for further tests and interviews. You can view all vacancies on the UN careers website.
International Law Fellowship Program (ILFP) in The Hague
The International Law Fellowship Programme (ILFP) is a United Nations program focused on international law. The program takes place in The Hague, Netherlands, generally between July and August. Applications are usually due by February, and the UN offers a full scholarship to those selected for the program.
United Nations Regional Course in International Law for Latin America and the Caribbean
The United Nations Regional Course in International Law for Latin America and the Caribbean is a UN program focused on international law, organized by the Codification Division of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs in cooperation with the Government of Chile and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Applications are typically accepted in January, and the course takes place in Santiago, Chile, in April of the same year. The program offers places with full scholarships as well as scholarships for candidates who wish to attend using their own funds.
UN Plural Plus contest offers all-expenses-paid trip.
The UN’s Plural+ video competition offers an all-expenses-paid trip abroad to the creators of the best videos addressing themes of migration, social inclusion, diversity, and the prevention of xenophobia. Young people up to 25 years old can register for the United Nations competition, which normally accepts entries until June.
Scholarship for Afro-descendants to attend a human rights course at the UN in Switzerland.
The UN scholarship program for people of African descent generally opens applications until June every year. The program offers scholarships for a course on human rights in Geneva, Switzerland. The course takes place between November and December. It is an intensive learning opportunity for people of African descent on human rights issues. The course’s study topics include human rights, forms of racial discrimination, access to justice, racial profiling, and others.
UN Young Professionals Program
The UN Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a recruitment initiative for talented and highly qualified professionals to begin a career as an international civil servant at the UN Secretariat.
Applications for the YPP open once a year in different thematic areas, depending on the needs of the UN. The YPP is open to citizens of participating countries, and the list of participating countries varies from year to year. The application period usually opens in June of each year.
Read Also: How to Move to the UK – Visa Options & Immigration Routes
UN Paid Volunteering Opportunity
The United Nations has a paid volunteer program, meaning it offers paid volunteer opportunities within the institution. The program takes volunteers with specialized experience to serve on missions supporting peace and development in various UN agencies worldwide.
Among the criteria for applying for international volunteering with the United Nations, it is necessary to be a national of a country other than the one where the volunteer will be working. Applicants must also be over 25 years old and have a university degree or technical qualification. For younger candidates, there is the International UN Youth Volunteers program, which is aimed at young people between 18 and 29 years old.
In addition to the opportunities mentioned here, many others occasionally pop up. For example, you can find all the content about the United Nations on this blog. In other words, you have to keep an eye out for opportunities! Good luck with the process and tell us in the comments if you have any other tips for getting a professional opportunity at the UN!
