“You are not just an intern, you are part of the whole UNIDO team!,” said Julia Dorbandt, intern in the Department of External Relations.
The UNIDO internship programme dates back to the 1990s and continues to grow and improve. Young, bright students and recent graduates come from all over the world and find their place in the UNIDO family, like pieces of a colourful puzzle. Every intern adds value to the Organization by bringing his or her skills, experience and ideas.
Diversity and inclusion are key elements of the programme, together with an eye to the future.
2017-2018 have been a showcase of great cultural diversity with interns joining from five continents and 57 different countries. “You need to fully embrace the cultural diversity here,” said Angel Wen, intern in Department of Programme, Partnerships and Field Integration.
Seventy-three young talents from 24 nationalities are on board this August at UNIDO’s Vienna Headquarters, while 28 interns have so far this year had the opportunity to work in Liaison, Field and Investment and Technology Promotion Offices in Belgium, Ethiopia, Guinea, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Sudan, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay.
“The experience I am having here is unique and helpful. I am learning how to coordinate and communicate with other institutions, how to understand the needs of developing countries and the ways developed countries can give their support. I believe this is the essence of international cooperation: be target-oriented and understand each other,” affirms Seungsoo Lee, intern at the Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Seoul, Republic of Korea.