DERN NUIG Galway Irish Aid support for careers

DERN, NUIG Galway Irish Aid support for careers in development Friday March 20 th, 2009

Irish Aid is the Irish Government’s Official Development Cooperation Programme Total Budget for 2008 of € 891 million, 0. 56% of GNP Sixth largest per capita donor in the world

Irish Aid support for careers in development in n Project support for 1, 300 volunteer and development workers working with Irish Aid partners n Support for development workers – Comhlámh’s returned development workers programme, counselling, careers guidance n Volunteering as a mid-career entry point – United Nations volunteer placements (full five yrs professional experience) n internship programmes e. g. United Nations Volunteer (UNV)

Why does Irish Aid fund UNV internships? n Basically to help create a pipeline of high-calibre development specialists from Ireland n Other similar initiatives include: the 2008 Junior Professional Internship scheme in Irish Aid - next recruitment possibly 2010 - - Support for Junior Professional Officer in a UN agency (JPO) – suspended, next recruitment not known

Why be a development worker n n n n Very rewarding – “sense of worth” Interesting Challenging – physically and mentally Varied Travel Part of international community Working with people Lifestyle

But …………… n n n n No career framework e. g. talent management Highly competitive – 25 PG courses Very uncertain Very demanding Relatively low/median pay Bit of a “nomad” Decentralisation Question of need for “Northern” development worker – increased specialisation

Where are the UNV intern placements? Priority given to Ireland’s designated programme countries n In 2009 these include: n - Ethiopia (1) Cambodia (3)Laos (2)Timor Leste (2) Malawi (1), Lesotho (1), Mozambique (2) - Albania (1), Kosovo (1), Nepal (1), India (1)

With UN Agencies field offices Likely to include: n UNHCR n UNAIDS n UNICEF n UNDP n WFP n UNIFEM

Placement characteristics n Irish priority activities q n e. g. HIV/AIDS, Education, Human Rights Meaningful Terms of Reference q e. g. programme & policy development, Monitoring & evaluation, media & public info n Large UN office for desk positions n Safe living and working conditions

Interviews – what are we looking for? Competencies: - Past behaviour is useful indicator of future behaviour n n n Work organisation and planning Proactivity/self-reliance Communication skills Team work Motivation and Commitment

Interviews – what are we looking for? Checking for: n Career fit, career fit n Languages (Official UN) n Robust health n Original copy of Masters Degree Cert. n Availability for interview dates n Preferred location and type of work n Referees availability

Time scale for 2009 UNV intern May- August UNV gathers suitable To. Rs from UNV offices scheme n n n n Late Aug/Beg Sept – Irish Aid advertise scheme – 14 positions? October – 1 st and 2 nd rd of interviews ( target 1 st and 3 rd weeks) 230 - 250 applicants about 70 1 st interview, then 35 2 nd interview (ranking) Early November: References checked and two nominees for each position on best fit and ranking in panel sent to UNV in Bonn Mid Nov: Bonn sends two nominees for each position to field office Dec – UN Field offices make final selection Jan – 1 week training in Irish Aid Centre and 2 days in UNV Bonn Feb 2010 – 14? Interns take up positions

Building your CV n n n n Work experience Multilateral experience NGO experience Field experience – definitely !! Research, policy-making Academic qualifications – at least Masters Staying up-to-date in your specialisation Proficiency in UN languages – French, Spanish, Arabic

Whatever happens – best of luck! www. irishaid. gov. ie/centre Thank You