Work Location

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Expected duration

4 months Start Date: 01.05.2026

Duties and Responsibilities

The UN Resident Coordinator leads the UN Country Team in Sri Lanka, bringing together UN agencies to enhance the coherence and impact of their work in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Resident Coordinators Office (RCO) provides strategic planning, coordination, and joint advocacy supportparticularly around the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), the key instrument guiding UN engagement in the country. The RCO is seeking a motivated Development Coordination Associate to help strengthen effective contributions of the UN system towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka. The internship offers hands-on experience in UN development and operational policy and inter-agency coordination. Working under the supervision of the RCO Economist, and in close coordination with the Head of RCO, the Intern will support analytical and visualization tasks central to the RCOs policy and coordination mandate. Key responsibilities include:

• Support data collection, cleaning, and analysis for economic and development-related assessments, including inputs to UNSDCF, Country Analysis, and other analytical products.
• Assist in the development of data visualizations, charts, infographics, and dashboards using tools such as Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms, ensuring clarity and accessibility for diverse audiences.
• Apply Artificial Intelligence tools responsibly to support data analysis, trend identification, literature reviews, drafting analytical summaries, and productivity enhancement, in line with UN data protection and ethical guidelines.
• Support the preparation of graphs, figures, and analytical annexes for reports, briefs, presentations, and public information materials.
• Contribute to exploratory and innovative analytical approaches, including forecasting, scenario analysis, and horizon scanning, as relevant.
• Assist the RCO Economist in synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data into clear policy-relevant insights.
• Provide ad hoc analytical and technical support to the RCO as required. The internship is full-time and in-person. Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs related to travel, accommodation, and living expenses are the responsibility of the intern. Interns work for 5 days (37.5 hours) per week under the supervision of a staff member in the division or office they are assigned. Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview. The minimum duration of an internship is two months and can be extended up to a total period of six months.

Qualifications/special skills

(a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher). (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelors degree or equivalent). (c) Bachelors or Masters degree (completed or in progress) in economics, sustainable development, statistics, data science, development studies, public policy, or a related field. Applicants are not required to have professional work experience to be eligible for the internship. However, experience and skills in the following areas would be an advantage:

• Familiarity with the Sustainable Development Goals and the development mandate of the United Nations.
• First professional experience in the public or private sector, ideally in an international environment.
• Experience in research, data analysis and visualization tools, especially in support of sustainable development.
• Excellent writing skills and experience in the drafting of complex reports and documents.

Languages

Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of Sinhala or Tamil is an asset. NOTE: “Fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ” Knowledge of” equals a rating of ” confident” in two of the four areas.

Additional Information

Not available.

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS BANK ACCOUNTS.