Humanitarian Affairs Intern

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Job Description

Preference will be given to in-person work, with the possibility of partial virtual work upon supervisor approval.

Duties and Responsibilities

The intern will support OCHA in fulfilling its mission to coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions. In general, the intern shall support OCHA in fulfilling mandated activities and projects in the respective area of assignment.

Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual’s background and duties may include but are not limited to providing assistance with the design and preparation of studies on humanitarian, disaster, emergency relief and other related issues and in various follow-up activities; researching, analyzing and presenting information gathered from diverse sources on assigned topics/ issues; assisting with the preparation of various written documents, e.g. drafts sections of studies, background papers, policy guidelines, parliamentary documents etc.; assisting in the maintenance of reference/ resource information on specific topics or policy-related issues; providing support with the organization of meetings, seminars, conferences, work-shops, etc., and serving as note-taker to such events; maintains awareness of current humanitarian affairs and related issues, to include relevant political, policy, gender considerations or other developments in specific subject area and/or country or region concerned and; performs other tasks requested by supervisor, as appropriate. In addition to the general responsibilities outlined above, the intern shall be given specific tasks related to the branch/ division of assignment, namely: As OCHA’s operational hub, the Operations & Advocacy Division (OAD) oversees the management of all field offices and provides operational support to Resident Coordinators/Humanitarian Coordinators (RCs/ HCs), OCHA country and regional offices and Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs).

OAD is also responsible for coordinating all country level humanitarian strategies and emergency responses, and is the working-level inter-face with affected Member States, partner humanitarian organizations, UN Secretariat departments and donors on operational issues. In particular, the intern shall support Desk Officers with drafting Daily Operational Updates on field operations for OCHA’s management and various OCHA entities, inputs to the daily reports of the UN Operations Crisis Centre (UNOCC), assist the Section Chief in organizing Weekly Operational Meetings and ensuring the necessary follow-up, assist in contacting external partners in order to update existing contact database; assist with the preparation of briefing notes on disasters/emergencies and the activities of the Section; assist in the preparation of meetings, Member States Briefings, donor meetings and events organized by partners in Geneva-agenda, as well as drafting background documentation, notes and summary records and; accompany the Desk Officer/Section Chief to meetings with donors, humanitarian partners and UN agencies and drafting notes on those meetings.

Qualifications/special skills

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or,
Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent).
Students who have completed the academic year prior to the final year of a first university degree but have not yet commenced to the final year are eligible for the internship programme but must provide proof of their continued enrolment.
The University degree must be in the area of political science, social science, international studies, public administration, economics, engineering, earth sciences or in a related field.

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