OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The vision of the Division of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care (PPC) is improving health for all by bringing together health promotion, prevention and care. Its work addresses the major health challenges of today while preparing for those of the future. Within the PPC division, the Department of Noncommunicable diseases and Mental Health (NMH) works to promote health and well-being, prevent illness and improve care for people at risk of or living with NCDs and mental health conditions. The Department provides global leadership and technical support, strengthens access to evidence and health services, supports better policies, monitors progress, promotes advocacy and works with partners across sectors, including people with lived experience.
The Cross-cutting and Integration (CAI) Unit brings together work on governance, surveillance, monitoring and reporting, partnerships, rehabilitation, and disability at global, regional and country levels. It includes the Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs and the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of NCDs, which build partnerships, mobilize support and promote coordinated action.
Within CAI, the Surveillance, Monitoring and Reporting Team (SMR) supports countries and WHO offices to strengthen health information systems and make better use of data for NCDs and mental health. The team helps improve the availability and quality of data, monitor trends and inequalities, and assess progress against commitments made through the United Nations General Assembly and World Health Assembly. Its work includes developing standard surveillance methods and indicators, producing comparable estimates and progress reports, and helping countries collect and use data to shape policies and programmes.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Under the supervision of the Team Lead, Surveillance, Monitoring and Reporting, the intern will support the work of the NCD surveillance team, with a particular focus on the implementation, follow-up and validation of the next round of the WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey/Assessment (NCD CCS). The intern will contribute to the following activities:
• Support the implementation of the WHO NCD Country Capacity Survey/Assessment, including coordination, follow-up and documentation of country submissions.
• Track survey responses and follow up on missing or incomplete information to support completeness and quality of submissions.
• Assist with the validation of country responses, including the review of supporting documents, national policies, strategies, guidelines and programme materials.
• Support data management, cleaning, analysis and quality checks related to the NCD CCS.
• Assist in preparing summary analyses, policy briefs, reports, presentations and other written outputs based on NCD CCS findings.
• Support the drafting, formatting, editing and quality assurance of reports and communication materials related to NCD surveillance and country capacity.
• Assist in organizing and documenting meetings with WHO regional colleagues to review country submissions, clarify responses and support validation processes.
• Upload, organize and maintain relevant documentation in the WHO repository of national NCD policies, strategies, guidelines and programme responses.
• Support the review of implementation and reporting documents from countries conducting population-based NCD risk factor surveys, including WHO STEPS and related survey activities.
• Assist in preparing communication and advocacy materials to promote NCD surveillance projects, tools and outputs.
• Contribute to knowledge management activities, including maintaining trackers, shared folders, documentation systems and reference materials.
• Participate in relevant team and departmental meetings and contribute to ongoing departmental projects, as required.
Learning objectives
The purpose of the WHO Internship Programme is to provide an enriching learning experience for students and recent graduates. The Learning Objectives outlined within each internship vacancy are a key component of the programme.
Within this internship, the intern will:
• Understand WHO’s work on NCD surveillance, monitoring and reporting, including the role of the NCD Country Capacity Survey/Assessment.
• Learn how WHO headquarters, regional offices and country offices collaborate on global data collection, validation and reporting.
• Gain experience in supporting the implementation and follow-up of a global survey.
• Develop skills in tracking responses, identifying missing information and supporting data completeness.
• Learn how to review and validate country-reported information using national policies, strategies and other supporting documents.
• Gain practical experience in data management, quality checking and basic analysis of country-level information.
• Develop skills in summarizing findings for briefing notes, policy briefs, reports and presentations.
• Learn how to prepare background documents, meeting notes and follow-up materials for technical discussions.
• Gain experience in organizing and maintaining documentation in WHO repositories and shared systems.
• Strengthen communication skills related to NCD surveillance activities and outputs.
DURATION OF INTERNSHIP
2 November 2026 to 16 April 2027 – a total of 24 weeks.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Have completed the equivalent of three years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution prior to commencing the assignment in public health, epidemiology, global health, health sciences, health policy, data science, statistics, social sciences, international development or another field relevant to noncommunicable disease surveillance, monitoring and reporting; AND be enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent institution leading to a formal qualification. Applicants who have already graduated may also qualify for consideration provided that they apply to the internship within eighteen months after completion of their formal qualification.
Skills
Core competencies
• Team work
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
All interns should be able to demonstrate the following skills in line with the WHO core competencies:
• Communicating effectively orally and in writing
• Showing willingness to learn from mistakes
• Producing and delivering quality results
• Working collaboratively with team members
In addition, interns need to be familiar with commonly used computer programmes, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Knowledge of specialized computer programmes, for example, statistical software such as R or STATA may be an advantage.
Experience
• Experience in research, document review, data collection or report drafting.
• Academic or practical experience in public health, epidemiology, global health, health policy, health systems, noncommunicable diseases or a related field.
• Experience working with quantitative or qualitative data, including data cleaning, analysis, validation or presentation of findings.
• Familiarity with Excel and other data analysis or statistical software would be an asset.
• Experience preparing written outputs such as summaries, briefing notes, policy briefs, reports, presentations or meeting notes.
• Familiarity with document management systems, shared folders, databases or online repositories would be an asset.
Languages
Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of another UN language.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Interns do not receive a salary. They do however receive a living allowance. The amount of living allowance is different in each duty station. The amount also depends on any other external financial support received by the intern (grant, scholarships, etc.) and whether their permanent residence is in the duty station of the internship. In Geneva, for interns with permanent residence in the duty station, the maximum amount of the allowance provided by WHO is 739 CHF per month. For interns whose permanent residence is outside of the duty station, the maximum amount is 1680 CHF per month. The exact amount of the living allowance will be calculated for each intern, after selection, based on a legal financial disclosure form that the individual will complete. In addition, all interns in Geneva will receive daily lunch vouchers for meal expenses (20 CHF per working day). WHO also provides all interns with accident and medical insurance coverage.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Please note that internships at WHO are very competitive and only a small number of applicants will be accepted every year. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted
• Living abroad is expensive and finding accommodation can be challenging. All intern candidates should be aware of these factors before they consider applying for a WHO Internship.
• If selected for a WHO Internship, candidates will be required to provide certified copies of proof of enrolment in an eligible course of studies, a completed WHO medical certificate of fitness for work, and the contact details for reference checks.
• WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Department of Staff Health and Wellbeing (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.
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