The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the development arm of the United Nations. Present in 170 countries with over 17,000 people, UNDP works on the world’s biggest problems: extreme poverty, climate change, good governance, renewable energy, crisis prevention, and women’s empowerment, among others.

Global development is increasingly shaped by interconnected crises, rapid technological change, and growing uncertainty. At the same time, digital technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming economies, governance systems, and public services, creating new opportunities to accelerate sustainable development when applied in inclusive and responsible ways.

As the development arm of the United Nations, UNDP serves as the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development and acts as the integrator for collective action to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Working in over 170 countries and territories, UNDP’s policy and programme work spans global, regional, and national levels, linking deep local knowledge with cutting-edge global expertise in support of the UNDP Strategic Plan 2026–2029 . Within this institutional framework, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) leads the development of corporate policies, technical guidance, and operational frameworks to advance UNDP’s mandate.

The Strategic Plan and the organization’s Digital Strategy recognize digitalization, data, and innovation as key accelerators for achieving development outcomes. These frameworks position digital and AI as foundational enablers for stronger institutions, evidence-based decision-making, and more effective service delivery.

Within this institutional context, the Digital, AI and Innovation (DAI) Hub serves as UNDP’s central platform for advancing systems transformation, inclusive digitalization, and innovation across its development work. The Hub brings together expertise in systems transformation, digital public infrastructure, data and artificial intelligence, bottom-up innovation, capacity development, and digital product design. Through an integrated approach, the Hub supports countries and UNDP teams to design integrated, scalable solutions that respond to both immediate development needs and long-term structural challenges.

By combining global expertise with field-based insight and strong partnerships, the DAI Hub contributes to UNDP’s mandate to deliver more agile, inclusive, and future-ready development solutions.

Please note that the start date for the internship is flexible, and needs-based. We will be receiving applications on a rolling basis until September 30th, 2026, and successful applicants can expect to hear back any time between April and the end of 2026.

Please read the instructions carefully to complete your application – applications are to be submitted both via the UNDP Vacancy Link AND the Airtable link: https://airtable.com/appeKAJ7quPABAfoc/pagj4yv4UGVuveqXx/form

We are looking for motivated interns who can support our work in any of the following areas listed below:

Systems Transformation & Innovation

• Conduct research and draft analytical content on systems transformation, innovation, and emerging policy approaches
• Contribute to horizon scanning and synthesis of global and regional trends relevant to policy innovation and system change
• Contribute to the design, documentation, and refinement of innovative policy and programme approaches
• Design, test, and document innovative policy and programme approaches aimed at system-level change
Collect, curate, and disseminate knowledge products and thought leadership on innovation and systems transformation to align regional efforts and scale innovation

Programme Delivery & Capacity Building

• Contribute to the delivery of digital, data, and AI initiatives with UNDP Country Offices
• Develop capacity-building materials on digital, data, and AI for governments and partners
• Coordinate activities related to national digital, data, and AI strategies
• Draft practical toolkits, guidance notes, and implementation resources for Country Offices
Organize and deliver webinars, trainings, and learning sessions

Data Policy & Governance

• Conduct research on data governance frameworks, data protection, and responsible data use
• Contribute to advisory on development of national data strategies and data governance frameworks
• Draft policy briefs, background notes, and analytical summaries on data-related topics
• Track global and multilateral processes related to data and digital governance
Contribute to UNDP positioning and advocacy on data policy and digital rights

Data Analytics & Insights

• Collect, clean, and analyze quantitative and qualitative datasets
• Develop dashboards, trackers, and data visualizations for monitoring and reporting
• Analyze progress of Digital Strategy implementation using data-driven approaches
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting processes
Translate data findings into concise, actionable insights for internal use

Partnerships & Strategic Communications

• Research potential new partners including technology companies, foundations, non-profits, alliances, etc., and help identify new opportunities and areas of collaboration
• Contribute to strategic communications, outreach to and engagement of partners, and subsequent partnership development, including drafting concept notes, communications materials, proposals, pitch decks, project documents, memorandum of understanding (MoU), outreach materials and other documents.
• Take part in engagement in global, multilateral and UN interagency processes, including through drafting statements and speeches, attending meetings at the UN, and helping to organize meetings and events.
• Assist in UNDP positioning and thought leadership on digital, AI and innovation including through conducting research, compiling information on, and analyzing key technology and digital issues, particularly related to digital development, transformation and capacity-building
• Develop strategic communications by planning and producing compelling content for communications channels like social media, newsletters, blogs and internal UNDP platforms
Contribute to the research and mapping of key media outlets, influential potential content partners, and trending topics in digital & technology

Process Efficiency & Resource Management

• Track project workplans, milestones, and deliverables for DAI Hub projects
• Contribute to planning for HR, procurement, and resourcing processes in line with UNDP policies and guidelines
• Develop SOPs, internal guidance, trackers, and dashboards
• Contribute to planning, monitoring, and reporting of operational and resourcing plans
  Identify operational inefficiencies and propose process improvements
  

Product Design, Build, and Management (including AI tools)

• Participate in the design of digital products such as apps, platforms, web apps, and AI tools to enable UNDP's work in countries, working with ‘client’ teams to define success and product requirements.
• Contribute to the scoping, and proposal writing for new digital products for UNDP thematic teams.
• Support the building of digital products, including working with software developers, client teams, and product managers.
• Assist with contract development and invoicing of product development work.
• Conduct user testing and improvement of digital products.
Assist with the implementation of digital products in countries, working with local implementation teams and UNDP thematic teams to ensure quality delivery and outcomes.

Research & Knowledge Management

• Maintain and regularly update content on UNDP knowledge platforms (including SparkBlue and SharePoint)
• Conduct desk research and synthesis on digital, data, and AI topics to support KM products and communications
• Draft knowledge summaries, background notes, and briefing materials.
• Support content curation and dissemination of internal newsletters
• Curate and maintain digital- and data-related knowledge products and repositories
• Manage content for digital guides, internal platforms, and knowledge databases
Coordinate dissemination of research and thought pieces across UNDP units

Education and Experience

Candidates must meet one of the following educational requirements:

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher), or.
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (undergraduate; minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent); or
• Have graduated with a university degree (first university degree, or second university degree or equivalent, or higher) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.
Interest/Experience in one of the workstream areas is desirable