National Intern for Child Protection, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, resilience

UNICEF started operation in Cambodia in 1952 and opened first country office in 1973 in Phnom Penh. More information on what we do in Cambodia is available at https://www.unicef.org/cambodia/.

How can you make a difference? 

The intern will be located within the Child Protection Section under the supervision of the Child Protection Officer and undertaking the following tasks:

• Assist the international consultant with translation services in reviewing, revising, and presenting the draft Royal Decree on the establishment of a Social Service Workforce Board
• Assist and support the international consultant and Child Protection team (output 2) with administrative support, including translation, documentation, consolidation of information/inputs, coordination etc., for the review and update of the existing Prakas on defining the positions, functions, professional standards, roles and responsibilities of social service workforces and establishing the system of licensing, registration, accreditation, and professional regulation of the social service workforce
• Provide administrative support to the national and subnational consultations on the first draft of the Royal Decree to collect and summarize feedback.
• Support the international consultant with translation service in drafting and finalizing the second version of the Royal Decree and knowledge paper incorporating feedback from the consultations.
• Provide administrative support to the output 2, including assist in translation, preparing correspondence, meeting notes, and documentation, support filing, archiving, and document management.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Currently enrolled in at least the 3rd year or recently graduated in Social Work, Law or a related field
• Proficiency in English and Khmer (written and spoken)
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks
• Interest in regulatory framework development on social service workforce in particular
• Commitment to UNICEF’s mission and values

The intern should be:

• Respect for diversity and inclusion
• Sensitivity to child rights and safeguarding principles
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment
• Integrity and respect for confidentiality

Availability:

• The internship is full-time, 6 months between October 2026- February 2027, from Monday to Friday (8 hours per day). Flexible working hours may be arranged in consultation with and upon approval of the supervisor.

Benefits of internship

• Monthly stipend: USD 300 (if not otherwise funded)
• One-time reimbursement (e.g. insurance): up to USD 100
• UNICEF covers official duty travel if required
• Laptops and office space and facilities provided
• Reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities
• Flexible working arrangements

Conditions of the Internship:

All interns must abide by UN code of conduct, including prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Please find the terms of reference for this assignment in the attachment below.

 ToR National Intern for Child Protection_TMS.pdf

For every Child, you demonstrate... 

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are...
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.