Simuka Africa Team Briefing: July 17, 2026
Hello, All:
We hope you’ve had a pleasant and productive week! Please note the following:
Our 34 Gallery Medical Advisor Dr. Thangarajan was a featured speaker at the virtual event Rethinking Cities Through Care: People, Planet and the 2030 Agenda, a high level side-event hosted in conjunction with the UN High Level Political Forum. UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF). Learn more & watch the recording here. We are truly honored to have Dr. Thangarajan as a part of the Simuka Africa Family!
Simuka Africa will attend The World Water Week Conference in August. Virtual Attendance is free. If you would like to attend as a Simuka Africa Representative and provide an SDG 6 article summary of your experience, notify us.
________________________________________
Administrative Updates
________________________________________
Volunteer Service Information
Questions about assignments or protocol? Respond to this Briefing or email [email protected].
Q3 Creative Career Focus Staff Meetings are scheduled Saturdays on the HeyPeers platform. Register here. Virtual Attendance is recommended. We host two additional groups for art therapy and artist peer support.
If you applied for Q3 Service through UNV, be sure to complete the Essential & Mandatory Courses on the UNV E-Campus by Oct 1, 2026. This assignment with Simuka Africa should also be listed as “active” in your UNV portal. Issues with your UNV Portal or the UNV E-Campus? Contact: [email protected]
________________________________________
The August Social Media Calendar
____________________________________________
The next deadline for assignments is July 31st.
Email all submissions to [email protected]. Check our website and social media for examples of what we publish.
Art Submissions: The 34 Gallery Open Call instructions are here.
Virtual Publications: The Simuka Africa Journal focuses on general SDG content. Interludes only publishes SDG 3.4 Mental Health Content. Articles are 700 words minimum.
Graphic Design & Video: Graphics should be submitted in batches of 4, 8 or 12 based on topics of interest to you within the Briefings each week. Video must be 2 minutes or less.
____________________________________________
Topics Needed by July 30th
____________________________________________
Simuka Africa Volunteers have successfully attained employment, internships, Fellowships, and other positions based on their active publication history with us. Report summaries in particular provide an edge in the job interview process.
If you have time in your schedule to complete one of these, notify us with your selected topic by responding to this briefing or emailing us directly:
SDG 3: Facing the Mirror: Overcoming Low Self-Esteem (youth)
SDG 3: Parental Tips on ways to identify if your child self-harms
SDG 3: Coping with Grief when a Loved One Commits Suicide
SDG 8: Lifestyle Tips to handle Overnight Shifts (also known as 3rd Shifts)
SDG 8: Tips to identity positive work environments
SDG 8: Remote vs. In-Person Work: Pros & Cons
SDG 8: Why HR matters in the Workplace
SDG 15: Report Summary: Integrating Animal Health and Welfare into the 2030 Agenda and Beyond
Can’t make the deadline? Things happen. Just notify us so your task can be reassigned. However, be advised that Simuka Africa is unable to issue recommendation letters or UNV reports on your behalf without a record of submitted assignments during the quarter.
________________________________________
The United Nations System: An Introduction
________________________________________
Global Insights:
IISD: UN HLPF Participants Explore Peer Learning as Tool to Sustain SDG Momentum Beyond VNRs
IISD: Local Governments Call for Stronger Role in SDG Decision-making Ahead of 2030 Deadline
________________________________________
United Nations Employment
________________________________________
Training: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is offering 16 FREE online courses covering every aspect of intellectual property—from beginner to advanced level.
Training: The UN CC:Learn Open Online Course on Gender and Environment is now open for global learners.
Training: UNV Course — CDLF-Productivity Unleashed
Training: UNV Future Skills Masterclasses
UN Careers - the primary UN career hub
UNJOBNET - daily job listings for the entire UN System
UNJOBNET: Remote Positions - daily updated UN remote work
International Court of Justice (ICJ) — Human Resources Officer - Closing on Jul 29, 2026
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Careers
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Careers
Intern: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Apply for UNESCO Internship Programme 2026 and gain hands-on experience in Education, Science, Culture, Communications, Human Resources, Digital Business Solutions, Ocean Affairs, External Relations, and more across UNESCO offices worldwide.
The Africa CDC is inviting applications for its fully funded 2-year African Epidemic Services (AES) – Epidemiology Track for young public health professionals from African Union Member States.
The African Union (AU) Internship Program 2026 is now accepting applications from students and recent graduates from AU Member States.
Applications are open for the WHO Internship Programme 2026.
____________________________________________
A.I. Policy, News & Jobs
Our Simuka Africa A.I. Organizational Policy can be found here. It also includes direct links to the A.I. Tools most asked about in job interviews. Additional news:
Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement in Shanghai on 16 July establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), an independent intergovernmental international organisation that will be headquartered in Shanghai.
Nobel laureates, scientists, religious leaders and former heads of state and government have signed the Rome Declaration for an Unarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear and Autonomous Weapons, New Digital Protocols, and Emerging Models of Digital Development.
UN: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency for digital technologies, today announced a new initiative to develop frameworks for trusted digital identity and to ensure that the behaviour of AI agents remains trustworthy and accountable throughout their lifecycle.
UN: The first substantive session of the Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security and advancing responsible State behaviour in the use of ICTs will be held on 20-24 July. This session marks the start of the substantive work of the Global Mechanism, a new single-track, permanent forum on ICT security under UN auspices.
CERN researchers are expanding the use of AI across particle physics, deploying AI both during experiments and in the analysis of collision data.
A.I. & Tech Creative Job Opportunities:
Data Annotation: Train AI as a Medical Expert
Data Annotation: Train AI as a Legal Expert
The Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellowship is offering applications to support researchers the opportunity to spend three months at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna to advance research on Digital Humanism.
Applications are now open for the UN Women AI School 2026—a FREE 12-week online programme designed to equip women with practical Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills for advocacy, civic engagement, policy influence, and social change.
____________________________________________
Opportunities
____________________________________________
Career Tip, I: “What Does Talent Development Look Like in The Day of Artificial Intelligence” by Carla Harris
Career Tip, II: Resume.io - build a new resume that meets your needs.
Career Tip, III:
Applications open for internationally recognized scholars and artists to pursue independent research residencies of three to eight months at the Gulbenkian Institute for Advanced Study, fostering original and high-quality work in a diverse intellectual community.
The TaDA Residency Programme offers artists, designers, architects, writers, performers, and transdisciplinary practitioners the opportunity to develop innovative projects in collaboration with textile companies in Eastern Switzerland over a three-month residency.
The Local Impact Mini-Grants is inviting applications to support community groups and individual leaders working to expand digital financial access through local initiatives.
The Impart and Nalli Fellowships Program supports research into underexplored textile-related histories, practices and traditions across South Asia.
Imaginarius 2027 has announced an open call inviting national and international artists, collectives, and organisations to submit artistic projects for inclusion in the programme of its festival of performing arts in public space.
The Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy provides small grants to support PhD students at the dissertation stage, helping advance social science research and strengthen understanding of key fields within the discipline.
Entries are now open for the Ink of Ages Fiction Prize to support international historical and mythological short story contest organized by World History Encyclopedia and sponsored by Oxford University Press.
The Diverse Worlds Grant is seeking applications to support writers working on book-length speculative fiction projects that present a diverse world through strong literary quality, complex cultural landscapes, and deep characterization.
The Diverse Writers Grant Program provides support to writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups who are developing book-length speculative fiction projects.
The 10th edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is open for submissions, recognizing outstanding craftsmanship that demonstrates artistic vision, innovation, and the continuing contribution of craft to contemporary culture.
The STIAS Individual Fellowship provides senior academics and scholars with the opportunity to undertake high-quality and original research in an interdisciplinary academic environment.
The Artist-in-Residence Fellowship at STIAS invites outstanding artists from a wide range of creative disciplines to pursue a clearly defined creative project in an interdisciplinary academic environment in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The VII International Zendal Awards recognise and promote scientific and technological projects that have the potential to generate significant advances in health through innovation, biotechnology, and knowledge transfer.
____________________________________________
Food For Thought
____________________________________________
I. Self-Care Tip: WHO: Self Care Month 2026
In closing, please note that establishing a professional self-care regime is also recommended during your time with us. Professionals who take care of themselves outside of work are less likely to experience career burnout. Therefore, here is a bit of food for thought:
“Reactive vs. Responsive: Which One Are You?” by Dr. Tracey Marks
“A neuroscientist’s guide to reclaiming your brain” by Nicole Vignola
“Your reality narrows after trauma: Here’s how to expand it” by Bessel van der Kolk
This weekend, do something spontaneous & new. ❤
-The Simuka Africa Team
May hope, peace & unity be with you.
