Daily Media Monitoring, Geopolitical Security Western Balkans and Eastern Europe

Host entity: UNDP

Application deadline: 07/09/2026

Mission and objectives

Established in 1965, UNDP is the United Nations’ global development network, operating in nearly 170 countries and territories. Its mission is to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and build resilience to crises and shocks. The Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) is UNDP’s primary knowledge and advisory center for the Europe and Central Asia region.

Assignment context

The goal of the United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) is to enable the activities of UNSMS organisations, including UNDP, within acceptable levels of security risk.

The UN Security Risk Management (SRM) process is a United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) tool to identify, analyse and manage safety and security risks to United Nations personnel, assets and operations.

The goal of the assignment is to assist the ongoing security risk management process aimed at enabling the delivery of UNDP programmes in the region. This will be done by producing comprehensive daily reports of geopolitical, security and safety developments from open-media sources. There is no set start date for this online assignment, but once selected, the candidate is expected to start as soon as possible.

Task description

The UNDP Security Office in Istanbul is seeking an Online Volunteer to support the monitoring of open-media sources in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. The volunteer will produce daily open-media reports covering geopolitical, security, and safety-related news.

Under the immediate supervision of the UNDP Security Office in Istanbul, the Online Volunteer will perform:

Compile news reports from the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe subregion to provide brief summaries for regional daily media monitoring reports.
Submit reports by 12 PM GMT+3 from Monday to Friday (5 reports per week over 12 weeks for a total of 60 reports). Ensure that reports cover significant geopolitical events, security incidents, and safety-related news relevant to the region.

On days when the Volunteer considers that there are no meaningful developments to report, the Volunteer may inform the team that there is nothing significant to report. On days when the Volunteer is not able to submit the report, the work will be covered by the UNDP RBEC Security Team.

Bi-Weekly Feedback Sessions:

Participate in a bi-weekly online meeting with the supervisor to discuss progress, receive feedback, and address any relevant matters.
Coordinate the exact time and date of meetings based on mutual availability.

Research and Source Utilization:

Utilize local open-media sources, including newspapers, online articles, and other publications in local languages.
Ensure that information is accurate, reliable, and sourced from credible outlets.

Skills and experience

Language Skills:

Proficiency in English is required.
Knowledge of local languages spoken in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe is desirable.

Technical Skills:

Strong research and analytical skills.
Prior experience in reporting.
Ability to synthesize information from various sources into concise reports.
Familiarity with the geopolitical landscape, culture, and current events of the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Communication Skills:

Excellent written communication skills.
Ability to present information clearly and logically.

Other Requirements:

Proven motivation and interest in the fields of security and international conflicts.
Access to reliable internet connectivity.
Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.