Nowcasts intern

Geneva

20/10/26 - 19/04/27

The position is in the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Internship Programme is unpaid and part-time, the intern is expected to work three days per week until January 2027, then 4 days a week until the end of the internship. The internship is offered on an in-person basis. For in-person internships, interns must have a valid visa. All costs of travel, accommodation, medical insurance and living expenses must be covered by the intern. The position is located in Geneva in the Statistics, Data and Digital Service of UNCTAD and will tentatively start on 20 October 2026 for a period of 6 months. The main responsibility of the intern is to support work on the organization’s nowcasts. UNCTAD’s nowcasting models produce real-time, data-driven estimations of global trade and GDP. Using machine learning techniques and high-frequency indicators, the nowcasts are updated weekly to provide early economic signals and feed directly into UNCTAD’s analytical outputs, including the Global Trade Update. The intern will: - Assist in the evaluation and enhancements of the underlying data collection pipelines; - Assist in the evaluation and enhancements of the machine learning models, including possible introduction of uncertainty bands; - Assist in the research into feasibility of expanding the nowcasts to additional geographies and series; - Assist as needed with smaller, related tasks in the Service’s AI and data science initiatives, as well as broader trade data analytics. The goals are indicative and will be adjusted as the workstream evolves and in light of the intern’s own interests.

The United Nations internship programme is intended to expose students or recent graduates to the United Nations in order to enhance their educational experience and to help them to gain experience in the work of the Organization. Therefore, applicants to the programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or, (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent). Moreover, interns should: • Should be computer literate in standard software applications; • Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; and • Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views. No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. 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. The University degree must be in the area of Computer Science, Data Science, Economics, Information Technologies, or equivalent. Knowledge of R, Python, PowerPoint, Git 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.

Fluency in English is required for this internship.

ASSESSMENT: Candidates will be assessed based on their Personel History Profiles (PHP). Individual interviews may be conducted for further assessment. A complete online application (Cover Note and Personal History profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The cover Note must include: - Title of the degree; - Graduation date (when will you be graduating from the programme, if not yet graduated); - List the IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in; - Explain why you are the best candidate for the internship position. In your Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experience, if any; IT skills and three (3) references. Due to high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted. SPECIAL NOTICE: This profile is for the sole purpose of the Internship Programme of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development. There should be no expectation of employment within the UN after the internship. Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, positions at the professional level and above carrying international recruitment status in the Secretariat for a period of six months following the end of their internship. Applicants who are children or siblings of a staff member are not eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. Applicants who are otherwise related to a staff member may be engaged as interns, provided that they are neither assigned to the same work unit as such staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of such staff member.

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.