Work Location

THE HAGUE; NEW YORK

Expected duration

2 months

Duties and Responsibilities

These three internships are located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with the Strategic Communications Branch. OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA’s mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions. The Strategic Communications Branch (SCB) is OCHA’s communications and public advocacy team. The Branch supports OCHA headquarters and field operations in public outreach on humanitarian action. The Strategic Communications Coordination Section manages OCHA’s corporate public advocacy and campaigns and is responsible for developing campaigns and partnerships for advocacy, supports global and field-based advocacy through digital platforms and other visually compelling content. It supports communications staff through mentoring and training, as well as creating strategies and content on broader humanitarian issues under OCHA’s mandate. The internship is for a duration of two months with the possibility of extension up to six months maximum. The internship will be based either in New York or The Hague, according to the location of the requesting office. However, applicants must be willing and prepared to undertake the internship remotely for a part or the entirety of the internship. Responsibilities: The Branch coordinates communications and advocacy with humanitarian partners and brokers new partnerships for innovative advocacy opportunities. SCB does this through three sections working on news and media relations, design and multimedia, and public advocacy, social media and campaigns. In consultation with a Public Information Officer or Information Management Officer within the Branch, the intern may be responsible for: PUBLIC ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNS Campaigns and Social Media *Support global campaigns; attend creative meetings, draft internal and external communications documents, research and manage celebrity, influencer and media contacts lists and assist in outreach efforts, collates campaign coverage books, presentations, and reporting, assists in event management for flagship event in NYC *Research social media analytics. *Provide research and coordination for climate action. Film and Photo *Organize the clearance, production and distribution of information material; conduct photo and graphic research. *Assist and participate in image selection for public dissemination. Provide metadata for captioning and archiving purposes. Monitor multimedia developments. *Assist in video editing campaign materials. DESIGN AND MULTIMEDIA *Design clear engaging graphic communications for print and web. This will include logos, branded promotional materials, web site and social media graphics, posters, flyers, publication layout and other marketing materials as needed. The intern will support the Design and Multimedia Unit on all projects and have the opportunity to see a project evolve from the concept phase to final production and publication. MEDIA RELATIONS *Support the global Spokesperson’s daily media work by following and capturing key public briefings, maintaining international media database and lists, ensuring appropriate distribution and posting of key public materials, and providing feedback to desks on their input to the UN noon briefing and media engagements. *Support the Media Relations Section with active media monitoring of traditional and social media, focusing on humanitarian events and operations, and draft reports of communications highlights. *Support missions by senior officials, including by maintaining daily action checklists and inputs for HQ news; and end of mission media and social media summaries. *Maintain calendar of key media events and opportunities, arrange support to OCHA media outreach and major events in coordination with other OCHA and UN bodies. Web Support *Support the web team in developing content for the corporate website covering latest news, campaigns and events. *Assist in the updating and maintenance of the corporate website.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); or (c) have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PH.D. Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage. Ability to work in an international or culturally diverse environment is desirable. Interest in the work of the UN is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of any of the official languages of the United Nations is desirable.

Additional Information

Your motivation letter must include: • Degree Program (What are you currently studying?) • Graduation Date (When will you graduate or when did you graduate from the program?) • List the IT skills and program that you are proficient in. • List your top three areas of interest. • Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship. • Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Program. In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three references. *Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.