Internship on the Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment

Long Description

The position is located in the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch (FUNDAMENTALS) of the Governance and Tripartism Department (GOVERNANCE). GOVERNANCE provides advice on labour laws based on ILO conventions and recommendations, state-of-the-art technical support and capacity-building to labour ministries and assists labour inspectorates to build capacity and develop strategies to achieve compliance with labour laws. It advocates and helps constituents to build strong and functional institutions and processes for social dialogue and to realize fundamental principles and rights at work.

The FUNDAMENTALS Branch carries out development cooperation, research, statistical and advocacy functions to assist ILO member States to respect, promote and realize Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW), which are: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. These principles are embodied in the 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (the 1998 Declaration), which has become one of the most widely referenced ILO instruments and provides a foundation for the ILO’s vision of decent work for all.

The intern will primarily support the Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment (FAIR III) and the Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI), both of which are co-implemented with the Labour Migration Branch.  FAIR III and the FRI aim to ensure that migrant workers and nationals benefit from recruitment practices that are grounded in international labour standards, developed through social dialogue, and ensure gender equality.  Specifically, they contribute to transparent and effectively regulated recruitment practices which protect all workers’ rights and efficiently respond to labour market needs. The FAIR III project (August 2022-July 2025) global team consists of a Project Manager, Technical Officer and national project coordinators in 3 countries (Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Tunisia). 

The Intern will also support the project “From Protocol to Practice: A Bridge to Global Action on Forced Labour” (the Bridge Project – Phase II), which aims to support global and national efforts to address forced labour under the 2014 ILO Protocol on Forced Labour. The project is funded by the US Department of Labor.

Learning areas

As an intern on the FAIR project within the Fundamentals Branch, you will gain understanding on the links between fair recruitment and decent work, and of the measures countries are taking to protect migrant workers from recruitment abuses, which can lead to situations of forced labour. As the FAIR project is co-managed with the Labour Migration Branch, you will work closely with specialists on both Fundamental principles and rights at work and on labour migration to ensure global knowledge dissemination, support communication and advocacy, and monitoring and evaluation. 

Specifically, the intern will:

1.    Support monitoring and evaluation of the FAIR III project and Fair Recruitment Initiative
To ensure monitoring of FAIR III and support preparation for the annual report and final project evaluation, the intern will support the collection of data on project indicators based on information collected from global and field offices.  
In addition, a new strategy for the Fair Recruitment Initiative, that will be implemented as of 2026 is currently under  development. The intern will support the consolidation of data and development of a matrix of indicators to follow progress on the implementation of the new strategy. 
2.    Support the development of “lessons learned” and documenting of intervention models under the FAIR project 
The FAIR III project is in its final year of implementation, and is seeking to document lessons learned over the duration of the 3 phases of FAIR (2015-2025).  The intern will support the production of publications, infostories and/or other forms of written or visual materials. 
3.    Support the organisation of a global conference on fair recruitment
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Fair Recruitment Initiative, the ILO reviewed its achievements and is consolidating successful practices and lessons learned to identify gaps, future priorities, and emerging challenges. In 2025, the ILO will organize a conference to highlight the impact of the FRI and agree on priorities for a new FRI strategy. The Conference will be held in Geneva, tentatively in May 2025 with 15-20 government representatives, in addition to representatives from workers and employers’ organizations, as well as donors and other partners.  The intern will provide technical, logistical and administrative support to the preparation of the conference. 

4.    Update country profiles in the ILO Forced Labour Observatory (particularly the fair recruitment section)
In response to the needs expressed by various actors from governments, civil society and donors, the ILO created the Forced Labour Observatory (FLO) as a key instrument in the management of knowledge on slavery, including forced labour and human trafficking. The overall objective of this database is to contain a comprehensive set of country-based information for all countries, on forced labour, risk factors related to socio-economic conditions and an overview of national responses against this crime. This includes information on the forced labour prevalence, International and National Institutional Frameworks and efforts towards enforcement, prevention, protection and remedies. The online website was launched in December 2022 and can be accessed at: www.ilo.org/flodashboard
5.    Provide communications support to the Bridge Project 
Support the project’s communication and advocacy work, by creating social media posts on forced labour, and drafting articles.

Required profile

Education

Social Policy, Political Science, International relations, Sociology, Economics, Development Studies, or other relevant Social Sciences disciplines

The candidate should be enrolled in their final year of graduate degree programme or should have completed such a programme no longer than 1 years ago

Experience

Knowledge or previous experience working on labour migration, forced labour, gender issus, trafficking in persons will be an asset

Languages

Full proficiency in English and working knowledge of French is required.

Competencies

Strong analytical and research skills, as well as strong writing, and editing, skills, organizational skills and attention to detail; communication skills, in particular with social media; excellent Microsoft Office skills; initiative and ability to work independently and as a team member.