Seven persons belonging to under-represented groups were welcomed on Friday by UN Moldova as interns within the fifth edition of the UN Moldova Diversity Internship Program. Every intern will undergo a four-month stint with one of the UN agencies present in Moldova.

“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.

Thanks to this opportunity, the interns will gain practical experience and acquire professional skills, useful for future employment in the labor 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 programs more inclusive for persons belonging to vulnerable groups.

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.