UN Moldova welcomes seven interns from underrepresented groups within the UN Diversity Internship Program

Thanks to this opportunity, the interns will gain practical experience and acquire professional skills, useful for future employment in the labour market, including at the UN. At the same time the UN will benefit from the diverse knowledge and experience of the participants and will learn how to make UN programmes more inclusive for persons belonging to vulnerable groups.

“The UN in Moldova is excited to launch the fifth Diversity Internship Programme. This programme celebrates our individual and collective diversity and the importance and imperative of diversity to achieve our collective ambitions as citizens and as members of the United Nations System. It gives all of us an opportunity to learn and exchange, to live up to the principle of leaving no one behind. Hopefully private and public organizations and institutions will follow our example”, said Simon Springett, the UN Resident Coordinator.

The UN Diversity Internship program is an initiative, successfully conducted by the UN Moldova since 2016. It aims to support the inclusion of people belonging to vulnerable groups, who face discrimination in social, economic, public and political life, who have less opportunities of equal participation in decision making processes, good quality education, employment and professional development. At the same time, the initiative is also meant to be a learning opportunity for the UN.

Many national and international studies and practices showed that direct contact with persons from underrepresented groups reduces considerably social distance and increases social tolerance and acceptance.