Internships - WHO Regional Office for EUROPE (Winter 2011 / 2012) Grade: P level

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME : Underlying Values and Core Functions of WHO: All the Member States of WHO in the European Region share the common value of the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental human right. All of WHO actions are based on this and rooted in the underlying values of equity, solidarity and participation. The seven point global health agenda contained in WHO's Eleventh General Programme of Work (2006-2015) includes: Investing in health to reduce poverty. Building individual and global health security. Promoting universal coverage, gender equality and health related human rights. Tackling determinants of health. Strengthening health systems and equitable access. Harnessing knowledge, science and technology. Strengthening governance, leadership and accountability. WHO's mandate revolves around six core functions: providing leadership on global health matters. Shaping the health research agenda. Setting norms and standards. Articulating evidence-based policy options. Providing technical support to countries. Monitoring and assessing health trends. The European Region (EURO) of WHO is made up of 53 countries, with over 880 million people. The diversity of people and health situations requires, on the demand side, a solid understanding of the emerging socio-economic, epidemiologic and demographic patterns and trends at both aggregate as well as national and sub-national levels, with due sensitivity to disadvantaged populations and vulnerable segments of the society. On the supply side, it is equally crucial to have a solid understanding of the commonalities and divergences of the health systems, the circumstances and political economy under which they have evolved and operate. Objectives of the WHO internship programme: (a) to provide a framework for assigning students from diverse academic backgrounds to WHO programmes, where educational experience can be enhanced through practical work assignments; (b) to expose students to the work of WHO and (c) to provide WHO programmes with the assistance of students specializing in various fields. Most students are placed in health-related programmes, although other disciplines can be considered as appropriate.

Description of duties: Under the supervision of the professional concerned, interns typically contribute to some or all of the following responsibilities: - review literature - undertake research in a particular subject area - collate information on topics related to the subject area - organize data and documents - develop tools and guidelines - draft reports - participate in on-going departmental projects

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Minimum of three years university studies, ideally a first degree, in medical or social science or a field related to the work of WHO. The intern must be a student during the internship. Additionally there are limited possibilities for students from disciplines such as Information Technology, Media Relations, Human Resources, Business Administration and/or Public Administration.

Skills: Skills: All interns should possess the following skills in line with the WHO core competencies: - Communicating effectively orally and in writing - Showing willingness to learn from mistakes - Producing and delivering quality results - Working collaboratively with team members - Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences In addition, interns need to be familiar with commonly used computer programmes, such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint. Knowledge of specialized computer programmes (graphic and statistical packages; databases) may be an advantage.

Experience: Experience in research and in drafting reports would be preferred. Experience in the subject area through academic work or research would be an advantage. Field and/or developing country experience would be an advantage. Experience with data analysis, statistical packages and interest in the design of graphical display and analysis of health information in an international comparative perspective, such as for health system performance assessment may be an advantage. More specific experience such as specialized computer programmes may be needed for some internships.

Languages: Essential: Interns should have a very good working knowledge of English (reading, writing and speaking) Desirable: Knowledge of the language of the duty station where the internship is taking place.

Additional Information: FOR general information concerning the WHO internship programme please refer to the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/internship/interns/en/index.html Please note that internships at WHO are very competitive and only a small number of applicants will be accepted every year. Only successful candidates will be contacted. - Interns must be minimum 20 years of age and be enrolled in a course of study leading to a formal qualification (graduate or post-graduate) to be eligible for the programme. - All internships at WHO are unpaid and full-time. - WHO accepts no responsibility for medical insurance of interns or costs arising from illness incurred during an internship. - Interns are NOT eligible for appointment to any position in WHO for a period of three months following the end of the internship. WHO has an on-line recruitment system, therefore ONLY applications submitted on-line at www.who.int/employment/en will be accepted. All on-line applications are automatically acknowledged. If you do not receive an e-mail within 24 hours confirming receipt of your application, you should verify your on-line profile. In case of repeated difficulties, contact by e-mail HrsRecruitment@euro.who.int indicating the vacancy title and number in the subject line.

Online applications are strongly encouraged to enable WHO to store your profile in a permanent database. Please visit WHO's e-Recruitment website at: www.who.int/employment. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.

All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement.