Internship – Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) – HQ/HSP
Grade: No grade
Contractual Arrangement: Intern
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 24 Weeks
Closing Date: Feb 3, 2025, 11:59:00 PM
Primary Location: Switzerland-Geneva
Organization: HQ/HSP Health Security Preparedness WHE
Schedule: Full-time
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
Health emergencies continue to have significant and sometimes catastrophic impacts on countries’ health, economies and development. Both recent and ongoing public health events have demonstrated that many communities remain at high risk, and that strong levels of national preparedness across all relevant sectors are crucial to ensuring the effective management of health emergencies, when they occur. They also illustrate the need for scaling up the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) that require countries to build and maintain the capacities to prevent, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, while anchored in strong and resilient health systems.
The Emergency Preparedness Division contributes to the implementation of the WHO Global Programme of Work (GPW 13) and is guided by WHO strategic priorities: “keep the world safe, improve health and serve the vulnerable”. The WHO strategic priorities drive progress in health toward Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly addressing SDG 3, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
The Health Security Preparedness (HSP) department supports Member States in enhancing national preparedness across the IHR core capacities to manage all-hazard risks and emergencies, and to build multisectoral approaches for health security. It ensures that WHO supports Member States to build sustainable preparedness capacities and scale up the implementation of the IHR (2005), and support the implementation of the Sendai Framework, the WHO Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework, Paris Agreement on Climate Change and other related global and regional frameworks.
The department also establishes strategic links to, and supports the advancement of global initiatives such as GPMB, GHSA, EU ACP, Health and Security Alliance, Foreign Affairs for Global Health initiative and the UN System Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience. HSP works with partners and the broader global health security community to ensure that the most vulnerable communities in all countries are protected from the impact of health emergencies.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Terms of reference
- Under the supervision of a technical expert in the UHPR Unit, the intern is assigned the agreed terms.
- Assist in the documentation and reporting on the first five years of UHPR piloting at national, regional and global levels, including collecting insights and lessons learned from participating Member States.
- Assist in tracking and analyzing Member States’ progress in implementing their priorities and recommendations from UHPR reviews, ensuring proper documentation and follow-up, in coordination with Member States and relevant partners.
- Assist in drafting, formatting, and editing UHPR technical materials, tools, reports, and communications materials.
- Contribute to the planning and organization of workshops, meetings, conferences, and other events.
- Support social media activities for the UHPR Unit, including creating impactful posts, designing strategic campaigns, and engaging with diverse global audiences.
Learning objectives
The purpose of the WHO Internship Programme is to provide an enriching learning experience for students and recent graduates. The Learning Objectives outlined within each internship vacancy are a key component of the programme.
Within this internship, the intern will:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) process, including its purpose, objectives, methodology and added value for Member States.
- Develop a good understanding of the roles and interactions between WHO headquarters, regional offices, and country offices in supporting Member States.
- Acquire the ability to engage with Member States to document and report their experiences with the UHPR process, as well as their progress in implementing priorities and recommendations from UHPR reviews.
DURATION OF INTERNSHIP
24 weeks – tentative start date 14 April 2025.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Have completed the equivalent of three years of full-time studies in public health, political science, International Relations, social science, or related fields at a university or equivalent institution prior to commencing the assignment; AND be enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent institution leading to a formal qualification. (Applicants who have already graduated may also qualify for consideration, provided that they apply to the internship within six months after completing their formal qualification.)
Skills
Core competencies
- Teamwork
- Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
- Communication
Languages
Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of Spanish or French. Intermediate knowledge of other UN language.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Interns do not receive a salary. They do however receive a living allowance. The amount of living allowance is different in each duty station. The amount also depends on any other external financial support received by the intern (grant, scholarships, etc.) and whether their permanent residence is in the duty station of the internship.
In Geneva, for interns with permanent residence in the duty station, the maximum amount of the allowance provided by WHO is 738 CHF per month. For interns whose permanent residence is outside of the duty station, the maximum amount is 1716 CHF per month.
