Social Cohesion and Inclusion - Intern

Background

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to tackle the injustices of poverty, inequality, and climate change on a global scale. Working with our broad network of experts, host governments and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. UNDP has been working in Afghanistan for more than 50 years on climate change and resilience, gender, governance, health, livelihoods, and rule of law.

Following the power shift in August 2021, the situation for the country remains largely uncertain and fragile, with approximately seventy percent of the population facing multifaceted vulnerabilities affecting their well-being, human security and long-term development while nearly a third of the population are estimated to be acutely food insecure. Over the recent years, international assistance has played a vital role in averting a socioeconomic collapse by providing lifesaving, resilience-building and livelihoods-sustaining assistance to millions of people, hundreds of critical healthcare and educational centres, and tens of thousands of small and medium enterprises, often owned and managed by women. Nevertheless, the humanitarian challenge in Afghanistan is one of the biggest in the world, and basic human needs and priorities remain extremely high. In 2024, 95 percent of households experienced at least one shock of an economic or natural disaster nature such as floods, droughts and others.

To help tackle the pressing challenges for enduring livelihoods and climate resilience, UNDP is designing fit-for-purpose portfolios of programs to create new livelihoods, income opportunities, basic services and to build resilience against climate-induced natural calamities that continue to haunt millions of households in the country.

Afghanistan remains one of the most gender-unequal countries in the world, with women facing systemic challenges hindering their access to education and employment opportunities in the public sector and restricting their participation in public life. UNDP remains committed to women's empowerment through capacity-building initiatives, livelihoods and self-employment/employment support, enhancing gender-responsive decision-making at community level, and supporting local communities to include women, in line with UNSCR 1325 (Women, Peace, and Security).
The Sustainable Livelihood and Resilience portfolio adopts a holistic approach to addressing Afghanistan’s complex challenges, emphasizing human development as an overarching objective. It prioritizes safeguarding lives, enhancing resilience to shocks, and supporting livelihoods. This portfolio bridges macro-level interventions in socio-economic development, trade and financial systems with localized interventions, focusing on resilience-building, access to finance, livelihood creation, social cohesion, and equitable access to essential services. Guided by the country office management, the portfolio adopts solutions adjusted to the unique context in Afghanistan while also ensuring alignment with the SDGs, especially SDG 5 and 10, by integrating gender equality, reducing inequalities, and fostering sustainable development.

Collaborating with UN agencies, donors, and national stakeholders, the team designs and implements multi-year, conflict-sensitive interventions that enhance livelihoods, access to finance, private sector recovery, economic resilience, and access to basic services and infrastructure. By promoting financial inclusion, essential services infrastructure, and private sector engagement, the portfolio supports Afghan communities’ capacity to withstand economic, social, and environmental shocks. Gender mainstreaming and targeted activities for vulnerable groups, including women, youth, and internally displaced persons, are central to the portfolio’s objectives. Through strategic partnerships and compliance with corporate standards, the portfolio strives to create inclusive and sustainable solutions to meet Afghanistan’s basic human needs.
This Social Protection, Inclusion and Social Cohesion for Resilient Communities (SPIS) Project focuses on restoring three forms of capital that have been eroded by crisis: social capital, human capital and financial capital. The SPIS positions livelihoods as an enabler of protection, inclusion and cohesion, rather than as a standalone livelihoods project. It will combine community dialogue, joint grassroots initiatives, inclusion awareness, accessibility improvements, support and referrals for persons with disabilities, social empowerment, and inclusive livelihood initiatives. These activities are designed as a mutually reinforcing package: community engagement creates trust and ownership; inclusion work reduces barriers to participation; and targeted livelihood support enables vulnerable groups to access resources and contribute to recovery.

The overall objective is to enhance resilience, inclusion and social cohesion in high-return and displacement-affected communities in Afghanistan by protecting vulnerable households, empowering marginalized groups, enabling inclusive participation, and connecting communities through shared priorities and cooperative action. UNDP is uniquely positioned to deliver this integrated model through its area-based recovery approach, field presence, operational capacity and ability to bridge humanitarian, development and peace interventions.

The SPIS will also integrate selected green economy and renewable energy–related interventions as entry points for inclusive livelihoods, women’s empowerment and community-based cooperation. These include circular economy approaches to renewable energy waste, capacity building for female technicians, and linkages to green financing mechanisms. These interventions will be implemented in a manner that reinforces social cohesion, promotes inclusion, and creates locally relevant economic opportunities.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Support the documentation of project activities.
2. Review partner reports, meeting notes, activity updates, photos, and other submissions, and extract key information for documentation purposes.
3. Prepare short summaries of activities, key achievements, challenges, lessons learned, good practices, and emerging issues based on inputs received from partners and the project team.
4. Support the documentation of beneficiary stories and human-interest stories, based on information, photos, and field inputs shared by partners.
5. Maintain organized digital folders for project documents, partner submissions, meeting records, photos, reports, communication materials, and evidence files.
6. Help maintain simple trackers for partner submissions, activity progress, reporting deadlines, beneficiary information, inclusion indicators, and follow-up actions.
7. Support the preparation and formatting of documentation tools and templates, including activity report formats, meeting minutes templates, success story templates, photo logs, inclusion checklists, and referral mapping templates.
8. Assist in compiling inputs for internal updates, briefing notes, presentations, donor reports, and communication materials.
9. Participate remotely in coordination meetings, take notes, summarize key action points, and help follow up on pending documentation from partners.

The intern will work under the direct supervision of the Technical Expert (Social Cohesion and inclusion) and under the overall guidance of the Portfolio Manager (Livelihood).

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direction & Strategy - Entrepreneurial Thinking - Identify and seize opportunities to service and add value to clients, create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners, develop clear service offers responding to client needs in line with UNDP’s organizational priorities and mandate
Business Development - Knowledge Generation - Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts,
conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.
Business Management - Partnerships Management - Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Currently enrolled in a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in international relations, International Affairs, development studies, public policy social sciences or similar field. Or
• Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);
• Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
• Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Experience:

• Prior internships/research and other experiences with an international organisation.

Required Skills

• At least 1 prior internships and/or professional experience with an international organization or NGO, especially in the areas of Social Cohesion and Inclusion Protection.
• Must be available to work for at least 3 working days a week.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• A minimum of one previous internship or relevant professional experience with an international organization or non-governmental organization (NGO), is desired.
• Previous experience in organizing outreach and dialogue related activities would be an asset.
• Previous experience working on Social Cohesion and Inclusion Protection is desired.
• Experience coordinating meetings is desired would be asset

Required Language(s)

• Fluent English speaking and writing are required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

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