Organization Mission
The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership with policy-oriented research and analysis, normative support and technical assistance and capacity building, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region.
Context
The Trade Policy and Facilitation Section (TPFS), Trade Investment Innovation Division (TIID) of UN-ESCAP conducts research, policy analysis, and capacity-building activities to support member States across the Asia-Pacific.
Through this assignment, Online Volunteers will contribute to the Section’s policy research, publications, e-learning courses, capacity-building programmes, and online knowledge resources, helping make relevant information and analytical tools more accessible to policymakers and stakeholders in the region.
This assignment supports SDG 8 (targets 8.1 and 8.2) by contributing to policy research and knowledge products that promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productivity, and diversification. It also advances SDG 17 (targets 17.10 and 17.11) by supporting evidence-based trade policymaking and knowledge sharing to strengthen an open, rules-based trading system and expand the participation of developing countries in global trade.
Key Responsibilities
Under the guidance of ESCAP Trade Policy and Facilitation Section, the Online Volunteer will undertake the following specific tasks:
Research support
• Conduct literature and document reviews on agreed trade and investment topics;
• Collect and organize relevant publicly available information and data;
• Prepare basic tables, charts and summaries of key findings; and
• Draft or edit concise inputs for research notes, policy briefs and other knowledge products.
Digital and media support
• Support the development and organization of content for selected e-learning materials;
• Edit and format text, visuals, presentations and other digital materials;
• Review selected webpages and propose improvements to their structure, organization and presentation; and
• Prepare content for uploading to ESCAP websites or online learning platforms.
At the beginning of the assignment, the Trade Policy and Facilitation Section will provide the agreed task list, relevant background materials and a workplan. The Online Volunteer should be able to attend regular online meetings to review progress, answer questions and provide feedback on the research output.
The Online Volunteer will be expected to provide brief progress updates and revise outputs based on comments from the team.
Required Skills and Experience
The candidate should:
– Have related studies in economics, law, international affairs, public policy, development studies, communications, media, design or a related field;
– Have good research, analytical and writing skills;
– Be able to communicate clearly in written and spoken English;
– Be familiar with Microsoft Office or similar working space software;
– Be able to work independently and complete agreed tasks within deadlines; and
– Demonstrate attention to detail when working with data, references and digital materials.
Additionally, the applicants may have:
– Familiarity with trade policy, foreign direct investment, trade agreements or trade facilitation;
– Experience preparing tables, charts, presentations or other visual materials;
– Experience supporting websites, e-learning platforms or digital content;
– Familiarity with Excel, Canva, PowerPoint, content management systems or statistical software; and
– Knowledge of economic and development issues in Asia and the Pacific
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