CORPORATE BACKGROUND:
UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.
UNDP is working to strengthen new frameworks for development, disaster risk reduction and climate change. We support countries’ efforts to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals, which will guide global development priorities through 2030. The key 2030 Agenda principle of leaving no one behind and stamping out inequality is at the core of everything we do.
UNDP focuses on helping countries build and share solutions in three main areas:
- Sustainable development
- Democratic governance and peacebuilding
- Climate and disaster resilience
In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women, minorities and the poorest and most vulnerable.
INTERNSHIP OFFICE BACKGROUND:
In many countries in Asia, open markets and pro-growth policies have translated into several decades of economic growth and reduced poverty rates. Yet, economic progress has, in some contexts, resulted in a large number of human rights abuses along the length of operations and their supply chains. The human rights impacts of these operations are no longer deemed acceptable to many consumers, shareholders, government authorities, and business leaders.
The UNDP Asia-Pacific, Business and Human Rights Unit, is playing a central role in promoting the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The UNGPs clarify the duty of states and the responsibility of businesses to uphold international norms on human rights. The UNGPs rest on three pillars, namely the State duty to protect human right, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and; and the independent and complementary roles of States and businesses to ensure that victims of business-related human rights abuses have access to effective remedy.
UNDP’s regional project on Business and Human Rights, titled “Business and Human Rights in Asia: Promoting Responsible Business Practices through Regional Partnerships”, has the objective of strengthening the business and human rights agenda in Asia through awareness raising, capacity building, and peer-learning among a diverse set of stakeholders including governments, businesses, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and others. The project provides technical and advisory support to governments and national human rights institutions; promote corporate human rights policies, due diligence practices, and remediation; amplify the voices of rights holders and highlight the need for effective remedy through awareness raising, capacity building, facilitating peer learning, conducting research and developing toolkits.
The internship will be an excellent opportunity to become familiar with UNDP and the wider UN system, learning more about the different thematic areas of work in the business and human rights field and of the UNDP B+HR Asia project, engage with key stakeholders, engage in awareness raising and capacity building events, and support research activities.
The Business and Human Rights project funded by the Government of Sweden intends to hire two interns to support project implementation, which can both be found on the UNDP Jobs Portal. If candidates are unsure which of the internships are more suitable to them, they are encouraged to apply to both.
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