The United States Mission to the United Nations was established in 1947 by the United Nations Participation Act to assist the President and the Department of State in conducting U.S. policy at the United Nations. The Mission carries out our nation’s participation in the world governing body and recommends what course of action the United States should pursue in the world organization.

USUN/NY Executive office

Interns for the Executive Office of Ambassador Power assist daily operations through a variety of operational and policy-related tasks. Interns gain exposure to ambassadorial-level meetings, note-taking, and correspondence, while also supporting policy advisors through research and the operations team with phone support, document dissemination, and additional administrative tasks. Strong analytical, research, and organizations skills required. Solid work ethic and positive attitude are a must.

USUN/NY Protocol Office

The Protocol intern will work side by side with members of the Protocol department to plan, manage and execute all details for official representational functions for the Permanent Representative and USUN Ambassadors. These events will take place at the Ambassador’s official residence at the Waldorf Astoria Towers, the US Mission building, the UN and other venues in NYC. These functions include breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, receptions and meetings. The intern will assist with events as assigned including the invitation process – create, proof, fax, track responses, etc. She/he will assist with updating contact information as required. The Protocol intern will also assist with managing waiters as needed, coffee service for Ambassadors as needed, faxing, e-mailing, calling and assisting with events before and after hours.

USUN/NY Management Office

The Management Section of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations is a team of approximately 25 people that support the employees and operations of the Mission. We have specialists working in the areas of a) information technology, b) human resources, c) budget, d) logistics and e) research and records management. For example, we assist Foreign Service Officers when they arrive for their New York assignments to find housing, we do all the contracting and procurement for the Mission, we administer the IT infrastructure including BlackBerrys, desk tops and secure communications, we arrange for the credentials for Mission employees to have access to the United Nations and we advertise for and hire new employees. The ideal candidate would have good computer skills and also have an interest in the field of management. Good communications and interpersonal skills will help too.

USUN/NY Budget Office

The Budget and Finance Office (B&F) reviews and approves all travel authorizations and travel vouchers. Purchase orders submitted by the General Services Office (GSO) are recorded in B&F’s accounting system, the Global Financial Management System (GFMS). B&F also transmits claims for commercial payments and employee reimbursements to the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS). While payments for these types of claims are made through electronic funds transfer, representational claims for entertainment are paid out of the K-Fund via a paper check.

USUN/NY Research Unit

The Research Unit plays two vital roles within the Mission: 1) responding to research requests and 2) managing and maintaining the Mission’s records. Fulfilling both roles entails covering the full spectrum of U.S.-UN relations. Interns assigned to the Unit are immersed in a broad variety of issues dealt with by the UN and will acquire in-depth knowledge and a deeper understanding of the complex questions handled by the State Department. Interns are uniquely placed to work on a wide range of topics and may work on various in-depth research or records management projects that can be tailored to their course of study or professional interests. During the internship, interns have access to an array of information resources, including the Mission archives, numerous specialized databases and the UN Library. They also have the opportunity to attend an extensive range of UN meetings as well as training courses on specialized information resources. By the end of their internship, they will come away with a deeper understanding of how the UN works and how the U.S. Mission maintains its institutional memory for the U.S., in addition to having knowledge of authoritative research tools, resources and techniques that are essential to the execution of U.S. foreign policy. Students of history, regional studies, information science, knowledge management and international relations would be well suited to the Research Unit environment.

UNGA

The United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) New York is seeking a highly motivated and engaging intern to provide support to the Mission’s dedicated UN General Assembly (UNGA) team. This unique position provides an opportunity to work with a senior policy team of Ambassadors and advisors on a wide range of UN issues before the 71st General Assembly. The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN. All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation. Each year in September the full UN membership meets in the General Assembly Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session, and General Debate, which many heads of state attend and address. Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters, are made.

USUN/NY ECOSOC Office

The Economic and Social Affairs (ECOSOC) Section is responsible for advising and supporting the Permanent Representative and the U.S. Representative to the Economic and Social Council on all economic, social and environmental policy, humanitarian assistance, global public health, and human rights matters at the United Nations. Organized by thematic/functional area, the ECOSOC Section advances U.S. foreign policy priorities in the 54-member UN Economic and Social Council, as well as the UN General Assembly Second Committee (which covers macroeconomic, environment, and development issues) and Third Committee (which addresses social, cultural, and humanitarian issues and human rights). The Section coordinates the Mission’s efforts related to the election of the United States to UN bodies and commissions, the election of U.S. expert candidates to serve on UN committees and working groups, and preventing human rights abusers from gaining UN leadership positions. The Section manages U.S. participation in General Assembly high-level thematic debates, meetings and UN conferences, which often require the Section’s Advisors to engage in several weeks or even many months of intergovernmental negotiations to produce a consensus-agreed “outcome document.” Advisors in the section manage our relations with all of the New York-headquartered UN Funds and Programs for development, and coordinate U.S. representation on the Executive Boards of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Program (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women and UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The Section shares responsibility with the Political Section to advance U.S. interests in the UN Peacebuilding Commission. Two humanitarian advisors in the section work closely with the UN Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), UN funds and programs, other UN entities, NGOs, and the Political Section as appropriate, on emergency responses to natural and man-made (conflict-related) disasters. Some of the wide-ranging economic and social development issues under the section’s purview include poverty eradication, democratic governance, human rights, public health, climate change, trade, finance and debt, migration and refugees, population, treatment of indigenous people, rights of persons with disabilities and the advancement of the status of women. The Section also advances U.S. interests aimed at promoting children’s health and safety, fighting international crime and narcotics, and promoting internet freedom.

USUN/NY PRESS Office

USUN/Press and Public Diplomacy Office (USUN/PRESS): informs and influences key audiences through outreach to U.S. and international press, interaction on web and social media platforms, and engagement with foreign diplomats, non-governmental organization stakeholders, and youth.

USUN/NY Host Country Office

The United States Mission’s Office of Host Country Affairs assures that the obligations of the United States to the United Nations organization and to the UN community in New York are upheld. The Office also serves a variety of important liaison functions between the world’s largest and most prestigious diplomatic community on the one hand, and federal and local government agencies, businesses, and private citizens on the other. The Department of State has delegated to the United States Mission the responsibility of managing our country’s relationship with the UN community, including the other 192 permanent missions to the United Nations, as well as the UN observer missions located in New York City. Some of the Office’s most important services to the United Nations community include:

  • Facilitating and evaluating registration and accreditation.
  • Acting as a law enforcement liaison to ensure safety, security, cooperation and respect.
  • Providing visa services for registered members of the official United Nations community in New York with a valid visa status.
  • Assisting with legal and/or paralegal problems.
  • Administering the employment authorization program.
  • Serving as primary liaison between the UN community and the City of New York on diplomatic parking and other municipal or local issues.
  • Assisting the diplomatic community with requests for airport arrival or departure courtesies.
  • Serving as the United States representative on the UN’s Committee on Relations with the Host Country.

USUN/NY Political Office

The Political Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) in New York is looking for several highly motivated interns to support the political team on a wide variety of cross-cutting Security Council issues. Managing high profile issues ranging from the situations in Ukraine and Syria to peacekeeping in Africa, the political team is at the forefront of multilateral policy-making in New York and provides a unique opportunity for those interested in UN affairs a front seat to highly engaging and interesting issues that affect all 193 Member States of the United Nations. Those selected will serve as note takers, attend negotiations with experts, draft cables, conduct research, create spreadsheets, provide escorts to visiting officials, and support other activities as needed. Applicants should have strong writing skills and be adept at PowerPoint and Excel and other Microsoft products.

USUN/NY MR Office

The U.S. Mission’s Management and Reform (MR) Section serves as the U.S. delegate to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee and other committees which have responsibility for administrative and budgetary matters. MR works diligently to enhance and strengthen the oversight capacity and functions of the United Nations and other oversight bodies within the UN system. MR coordinates the U.S. position on the United Nation’s multi-billion dollar budgets for the organization’s operations including special political missions and war crimes tribunals as well as peacekeeping operations. MR seeks to ensure United Nations programs and activities are efficient, effective and properly managed. In addition, MR, in cooperation with our Economic and Social Affairs Section, provides oversight of the voluntarily-funded UN Funds and Programs, including the UNDP, UNICEF, and UNFPA.

USUN/NY Legal Office

USUN’s Legal Section provides legal advice to the Permanent Representative, other Ambassadors and the entire Mission staff on legal issues that arise during the course of their work at the United Nations. In particular, the section provides legal advice, both substantive and procedural, relating to United States participation in the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly. The Legal Section’s attorneys represent the United States in the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the General Assembly, which debates and examines international law issues, reviews the work of the International Law Commission and negotiates and drafts international legal instruments. USUN’s attorneys also serve as representatives to various Committees, including the Credentials Committee, General Committee, the Security Council working groups on documentation and procedures and international criminal tribunals, and management committees for various tribunals.

USUN/NY MSC Office

The Military Staff Committee internship objective is to have the intern participate as an active member of the Military Staff Committee of the United States Permanent Mission to the United Nations, in achieving their two fold mission: representing the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff to the United Nations Military Staff Committee and advising the U.S. Permanent Representative and the staff of the U.S. Mission on military and security issues of United Nations peacekeeping operations. Specific duties and deliverables are to be determined at the start of the internship between the intern and their MSC supervisor, as the work in the MSC operates on real time and changes with current events. Likely duties may include assisting the outreach program of the Military Staff Committee, to follow and manage tasks associated with an emerging peacekeeping operation, follow and manage tasks for thematic issues of peacekeeping such as peacekeeping reform and humanitarian issues, and finally to research and develop an end of internship presentation on a topic of the intern’s choosing for the Military Staff Committee and Political Affairs office to observe.

USUN/NY IRM Office:

The incumbent will work within the Information Resource Management Office which is located in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations under the Management Section. The Information Management Office is comprised of three subsections: the Information Programs Center, the Information Systems Center, and the Mail and Pouch Unit. The Information Management Office is responsible for ensuring the confidentially, integrity, and availability of information on both the classified and unclassified networks, to include audio-visual services that are essential in implementing the President’s, Secretary of State’s, and U.S. Ambassador’s Foreign Policy objectives. The section also provides a host of IT goods and services to over 200 permanent users and more than 500 official visitors per year.

USUN/Regional Security Office (RSO):

The USUN’s Regional Security Office (RSO) is responsible for the safety and security of the USUN Mission and its personnel, is the primary liaison for law enforcement issues, and is the principle advisor to the Ambassador on all matters of security. The RSO seeks interns able to work in a dynamic, fast paced environment, who are innovative problem solvers, and interested in the most unique job in federal law enforcement. Interns will help draft intelligence and security related policy, attend meetings, plan and coordinate security operations, create spreadsheets, and conduct research.

USUN/NY Sanctions:

USUN’s Sanctions and Counterterrorism Unit provides support to the USUN Front Office on all issues and meetings related to UN sanctions and counterterrorism policy. It provides strategic direction for the development and improved enforcement of current and future UN sanctions regimes, including on such issues as Iran, North Korea, Libya, South Sudan, Sudan/Darfur, and the Central African Republic. The Sanctions and Counterterrorism Unit negotiates sanctions-related Security Council resolutions, including resolutions to impose new sanctions and to renew/modify existing sanctions regimes. In addition to supporting Security Council meetings involving sanctions and counterterrorism issues, the Unit’s members also represent the United States in meetings of the Security Council’s sanctions committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

USUN/NY Human Resources (HR):

HR office provides the full array of personnel system support and services to Mission employees; oversees recruitment and hiring; manages intern and fellow programs for the Mission; and oversees the awards, EEO, and Federal Women’s programs.

USUN/ROME:

The United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) Rome welcomes highly motivated and engaged interns in the Public Diplomacy and Political-Economic sections of the Mission’s office based in Rome, Italy. USUN Rome is the link between the U.S. Government and the UN Rome-based food/agriculture and other international organizations (IOs). USUN Rome works with six agencies headquartered in Rome including the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). USUN Rome contributes to the IOs and public awareness on issues such as food security, refugee/famine assistance, humanitarian and gender issues, nutrition, biotechnology, access to justice, commercial law harmonization, and cultural heritage.