Internship: Media and Communications (Hybrid)

Position description

The Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, Trade Policy and Facilitation Section internship programme is looking for candidates who can join us for two to six months. Candidates with studies or a background in communications, media, journalism, international affairs, public policy, economics, law, design, digital media or related fields are encouraged to apply.

This internship programme is unpaid and full-time. Interns work five days per week, or 35 hours, under the supervision of a staff member in the Division.

Please kindly specify your preferred start and end dates in your application document or motivation statement.

The internship offers a unique opportunity for a junior-level candidate interested in media, communications and international development to gain first-hand experience supporting the visibility and outreach of the trade team (or Trade Policy Facilitation Section: TPFS) at United Nations ESCAP. The intern will support communications-related activities linked to policy events, publications, websites, social media and public information materials.

The Trade Policy and Facilitation Section is a busy and dynamic team within UN ESCAP. The section works on a wide range of issues related to trade policy, trade facilitation including serving as the secretariat for a UN treaty (CPTA), and emerging issues (e.g., digital trade, forming preferential/regional trade agreements). The team works on research and analysis; organizing training and capacity-building activities for policymakers; and organizing regional policy dialogues, meetings, events and forums.

The media and communications intern’s duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting the preparation and organization of meetings, workshops, policy dialogues and regional events, including assisting with event promotion and communication materials;
• Developing visually appealing outreach materials, such as flyers, brochures, event banners, concept note visuals, speaker cards and other communication products;
• Supporting the design and formatting of publications, reports, briefs and presentation materials to improve readability, visual consistency and accessibility;
• Assisting with photography and short video content during selected events, including capturing professional photos of speakers, participants, VIPs and event highlights;
• Supporting the production of short videos or visual summaries to help communicate the section’s work to wider audiences;
• Contributing to the section’s media and outreach strategy, including identifying ways to better communicate its work to policymakers, partners and the public;
• Supporting the review and improvement of website content, including helping make existing pages more user-friendly, visually engaging and up to date;
• Assisting with draft inputs for public information materials, news items, event summaries, press releases and public statements, in coordination with ESCAP’s professional communications and media teams;
• Supporting knowledge management and visibility efforts, including organizing photos, communication assets, event materials and publication files;
• Performing other related tasks as required by the team.

The internship provides an opportunity to see first-hand how United Nations publications, policy events and regional dialogues are developed, communicated and presented to external audiences. The intern will gain practical experience in international communications, event visibility, publication design and public information work in a multicultural United Nations environment.

Special Notice

Mode of Internship: The internship is conducted in person in Bangkok, or through a hybrid arrangement combining both in-person and online work.

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements related to travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions.

A complete online application, including a motivation letter or cover note and Personal History Profile, is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The cover note must include:

• The title of the degree you are currently pursuing;
• Your graduation date;
• Your period of availability for the internship. Availability for more than four months may be an advantage;
• A list of IT, design, media, communications or digital tools in which you are proficient, such as Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, video-editing software, photography tools, website content management systems, Microsoft Office or other relevant programmes;
• A list of your top three areas of interest or department preferences;
• An explanation of why you are interested in, and are a strong candidate for, this position;
• An explanation of your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme.

In your Personal History Profile, please include all past work experience, IT skills, media or communications skills, and three references.

Should there be a need for an intern whose profile matches the Division’s requirements, the applicant will be contacted directly by the Division. Please note that, due to the large number of applications, the Division may not be in a position to reply to each applicant, and only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further consideration.

Qualifications/special skills

For this internship, candidates with skills or interest in one or more of the following areas are particularly encouraged to apply:

• Communications, media, journalism, public relations or digital outreach;
• Graphic design, publication layout, photography, video editing or visual storytelling;
• Event communications, social media content creation or website content management;
• International development, trade, investment, public policy or related fields.

Familiarity with tools such as Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro, CapCut, WordPress, Drupal, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel or other design and communication tools would be an advantage.

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, applicants must, at the time of application, meet one of the following requirements:

• (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme, meaning a second university degree or equivalent, or higher; or
• (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme, meaning a minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Application instructions

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