Internship in Project Management - RO-Africa

Grade: Internship

Publication date: 30 September 2024
Application deadline (midnight Geneva time): 14 October 2024

Vacancy no.: INTERNROSTER/2024/2/ABIDJAN

Job ID: 12436

Department: RO-Africa
Organization Unit: CO-Abidjan
Location: Abidjan
Duration of contract: 3 to 6 months (starting on the 1st or the 15th of a given month)

You are applying to the ILO generic internship roster, which is published several times per year. The roster will be made available to all departments and field offices, which will then select and directly contact suitable candidates. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, the ILO does not inform candidates about the status of their application.

ILO Internship Programme provides an opportunity for talented individuals to:

(a) increase understanding of relevant issues at the international level by involving them directly in the work of the Office and the application of ILO principles, programmes and strategies;

(b) gain practical experience with the ILO directly related to their field of study.

The internship programme is not intended to lead to a career in the ILO. There should be no expectation of further employment at the end of the internship.

**Please note that you can apply to a maximum of three internship profiles during the current application period. If you apply to more than three internship profiles, your application will not be considered for any profile.** Note that you may withdraw your candidature at any time via the Jobs Applied section of your profile.

It is highly recommended that you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid last minute technical issues or delays. Late applications will not be considered.

The ILO values diversity. We welcome applications from candidates from non- or under- represented member States.

The ILO also encourages applications from persons with disabilities. If needed, reasonable accommodation will be provided to candidates with disabilities in the recruitment phase as well as during the internship to promote equality of opportunities. For assistance, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org.

IMPORTANT:
Please only apply for an internship if you fulfil the following two criteria:

(1) You have no close relative serving in the ILO.

(2) This is your first internship with the ILO (only one internship is permitted).

Department

The ILO Regional Office for Africa supports 54 countries to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, improve social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.

The ILO Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work (2019) highlights the need to advance decent work in the rural economy, calling on the ILO to “promote the transition from the informal to the informal economy formal, while paying particular attention to rural areas.

The Durban Call to Action to Eliminate Child Labour, adopted at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor in 2022, calls on the international community to end child labor in agriculture, in particular by \"adopting an action plan to eliminate obstacles to the creation, growth and continuation of legal activities of rural workers' organizations, in order to give agricultural workers a role in economic and social development, in accordance with the ILO Rural Workers' Organizations Convention, 1975 (No. 141), in law and in practice”.

Indeed, the question of organization and the voice of workers in rural areas is symptomatic of the absence of decent work. Agriculture is the sector where the participation rate of unions, employers' or farmers' organizations is the lowest. In West Africa, in the cocoa production chain, the absence of strong producer organizations, capable of providing farmers in Côte d'Ivoire with the necessary counterweight and negotiating power on key decisions that concern them at the national, regional and global levels, is a factor of weakness and vulnerability. In Côte d'Ivoire, there are a significant number of cooperatives in the cocoa sector, but they still face governance and viability challenges.

Many challenges persist: firstly, regulatory and policy frameworks at the national and sectoral level do not always actively contribute to the organization of agricultural producers and workers. Even where conventions have been ratified, there are not always integrated national policies with active measures for the creation, growth and functioning of agricultural producers' and workers' organizations. Secondly, producer or agricultural worker organizations, when they exist, are poorly structured and present major weaknesses in their functioning and governance. These weaknesses limit their ability to unite and create trust between the organization and its members. Externally, these weaknesses limit their ability to bring the voices of their members to the attention of interest groups, which reduces the legitimacy of these organizations.

Furthermore, apart from the challenges faced at the national and regional levels, there is a lack of coordination and cooperation at the international level. Individual efforts to tackle decent work deficits limit the ability of workers' organizations, the private sector and governments to sustain impact.

The Global Accelerator Lab 8.7 - Intensifying Action Against Forced and Child Labor (GALAB) project, funded by USDOL and implemented by the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FUNDAMENTALS) department, will provide support to stakeholders of the Cocoa Platforms in Ivory Coast and Ghana to identify and respond to the capacity building needs of worker organizations and the Ivorian and Ghanaian Platforms for sustainable cocoa farming.

GALAB will support tool development efforts, experience sharing and implement training that will facilitate opportunities to give more voice to the “worker voice”.

A specific effort will be dedicated to connecting worker organizations and cocoa platforms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana to dialogue frameworks at the international and national levels.

Learning areas

As an intern, you will be exposed to a wide range of areas particularly project management and fundamental principles and rights at work: Freedom of association and collective bargaining, the elimination of child labor and forced labor, freedom from discrimination and safety and health at work.

You will gain experience working with specialists involved in the following tasks: Freedom of association and collective bargaining, Fundamental principles and rights at work, development cooperation projects, sustainable cocoa.

Under the direction of the Technical Manager for Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining and in close coordination with the Senior National Coordinator of the ENACTE project on behalf of the ILO, you will accomplish the following tasks:
• Support the planning and implementation of activities carried out as part of support for the Cocoa Platform in Côte d’Ivoire and at the regional level
• Contribute to the production of activity reports related to the implementation of support activities for worker organizations and cocoa platforms;
• Contribute to the preparation of meetings and dialogues, including internal ILO meetings, country level events, as well as experience sharing processes between organizations from different countries and the different ILO projects involved ;
• Contribute to the monitoring of activities implemented as part of support for worker organizations and cocoa platforms.

Interns should expect to devote 10% to 20% of their time to administrative tasks.

Required profile

Education

• The candidate must have followed one or more of the following training courses: Project management, Law, Sociology, Industrial Relations, International development, labour economics, Organization management
• The candidate must be enrolled in the final year of a higher education program (Master) or have completed such a program less than one year ago.

  Experience

  All relevant professional experience in project management and knowledge of fundamental principles and rights at work, sustainable and inclusive development, cocoa sustainability, project evaluation and monitoring tools.

  Languages

  Fluency in French, with a professional level of written and spoken English are required.

  Competencies

  • • Ability to adapt to an international, multicultural and multilingual environment
    • Good communication skills
    • Ability to plan, prioritize and complete tasks within assigned deadlines
    • Willingness to acquire new knowledge and skills and openness to constructive criticism
    • Ability to work in a team
    • Demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behavior and attitudes.

      Additional requirements

      • Experience in the field of implementing project activities related to the issues of sustainable cocoa farming or fundamental principles and rights at work would be an asset.

        How to apply:

        1. Search for an internship profile via the page on ILO Jobs

        2. Select the internship profile you would like to apply for, and create a profile on ILO Jobs

        3. Complete your candidate profile and apply to the internship profile

        4. Be sure to attach a cover letter in the last section of the application, as applications without a cover letter will not be considered and you cannot attach a cover letter after the deadline.

        Selection process:

        Following a first screening by the Human Resources Development Department (HRD), field offices will short-list applicants. You will be directly contacted should an internship opportunity match your profile. If you have not been contacted by any department or field office within six months after your application, you can consider that you have not been selected for this roster. If still eligible, you may apply to the next roster.

        If shortlisted, you may be contacted by the field office for a written test and/or interview. The ILO may use communication technologies such as Skype, Video or teleconference, e-mail, etc for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

        Stipend:

        As an intern in the field, you will receive a monthly stipend from the ILO based on the cost of living in the area of the duty station, unless you receive funding through another institution (for example your university or a foundation). If you receive partial funding, ILO will cover the difference to ensure you receive the appropriate stipend per month. Your travel to the duty station will be at your own expense.

        Insurance:

        Please note that the ILO does not take responsibility for any costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the internship. You will be responsible for your own insurance coverage for illness and accidents for the duration of the internship at the duty station (whether Geneva or the field).

        Fraud warning:

        The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account - @ilo.org - should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.