Where do UN internships stand today: inputs from the JIU Review of internship programmes in the United Nations system

On 18 November 2019, Inspector Jean Wesley Cazeau of the Joint Inspection Unit was invited to be the keynote speaker at “Measuring Fairness: From Living in a Tent to Affording the Rent,” an event held by the Fair Internship Initiative (FII) to mark the release of their first quality score index for UN internships.

Inspector Cazeau spoke to the audience about the JIU’s 2018 review of internships in the UN system, which he authored, as well as its resulting recommendations to the General Assembly to create a fairer and more equitable system-wide internship programme. The Inspector noted with optimism and encouragement that a number of UN entities have already begun to implement relevant internship reforms in response to the JIU report’s recommendations.

The FII thanked Inspector Cazeau and shared the results of its 2019 internship quality score index for UN organizations. FII’s representatives noted that its survey—which drew responses from over 900 interns at 21 UN entities—based its scoring methodology directly on the benchmark criteria contained in the JIU’s 2018 UN internship review. More information about the FII’s UN internship quality score index and its connection to the JIU’s recommendations can be found here: https://fairinternshipinitiative.org/2019/11/18/fii-un-organisations-survey-2019/.