Information Systems Intern

This internship is designed to be in-person and full-time (35 hours) but can be adjusted based on request by the successful candidate.

4-6 months; Desired start date 23 November 2026

​The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)​ is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. Its work is guided by the universal, integrated and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 associated targets adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015. The Economic Analysis and Policy Division (EAPD) provides research and policy analysis on global macroeconomic trends and prospects, frontier issues, emerging issues, and issues associated with countries in special situations, in the broad context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. EAPD also serves as the Secretariat to the Committee for Development Policy, an independent advisory body to the Economic and Social Council which provides recommendations on cross-cutting development issues and reviews the status of countries in the least developed country (LDC) category. EAPD manages capacity development projects in developing countries, providing assistance through research, training and workshops. The objective of the internship project is to continue developing and improving MUIOGO (https://github.com/EAPD-DRB/MUIOGO), which is the integration of OG-Core into MUIO. OG-Core (https://pslmodels.github.io/OG-Core/) is an overlapping-generations macroeconomic model. It is open source and developed in python. Right now, users of the model need to download it from GitHub and know basic python to use it (change variable values, launch simulations, etc.). The project is providing OG-Core with a user-friendly UI similar to MUIO (https://muio-modelling-user-interface-for-osemosys.readthedocs.io/) —a model used by the UN to run CLEWs analyses (i.e., Climate-Land-Energy-Water systems analyses). The project will also support the transition toward a fully open-source app. While MUIO itself is Apache 2.0 licensed, some bundled components (including Wijmo, jQWidgets, and SmartAdmin) have separate proprietary licenses. Work is underway to replace these with open-source alternatives, including Apache 2.0-licensed ECharts and MIT-licensed Tabulator, to make MUIOGO easier to freely distribute, maintain, and further develop by the open-source community. Under the guidance of the Senior Economic Affairs Officer, responsibilities will include: • Assist in the design & implement a policymaker-friendly user interface based on MUIO, and further develop the integration with OG-Core • Assist in building dashboards for scenario design, selection, and execution • Implement visualization components to explore results • Add usability features such as defaults, tooltips, and guardrails • Replace proprietary front-end components with open-source alternatives and contribute relevant improvements to MUIO • Implement packaging & distribution workflows • Set up CI/CD pipelines • Write documentation and onboarding materials The intern does not need to have in-depth knowledge of economics but familiarity with the subject would be an advantage. The intern will carry out the tasks in person, in the Secretariat Building, and can opt for half-time or full-time work as best fits their needs.

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher) in computer science, information technology, software engineering, or equivalent; (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in computer science, information technology, software engineering, or equivalent. Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required. Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master's or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor's, Master's or PH.D. Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Applicants who have previously served six months, in total, as an intern in one or more UN Entities in the UN Secretariat cannot be engaged as an intern. Applicants who are children, siblings, and sons or daughters-in-law (including stepchildren, half-siblings, or stepsiblings) of an active staff member in a UN Secretariat cannot be engaged as an intern.

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.