Humanitarian Affairs Intern

Job Description

Job Opening ID: 271693
Job Network : -
Job Family : Humanitarian Affairs
Category and Level : Internship, I-1
Duty Station : BANGKOK
Department/Office : Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Date Posted : Feb 23, 2026
Deadline : Mar 8, 2026

Work Location: Full-time and part-time, in-person, hybrid and remote (Bangkok, Thailand)

Expected duration: 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the part of the UN Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts.

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 intern will be based in OCHA’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok, Thailand for full-time and part-time (in-person, hybrid and remote), and will report to a Humanitarian Affairs Officer in the Operations Unit, and work closely with other Units (i.e Public Information Unit, Information Management Unit) with the following key responsibilities:

1. Support situational monitoring and reporting – monitor, analyse, and report on humanitarian developments in the Asia and the Pacific region, and support the team to respond to sudden-onset emergencies when it occurs.
2. Contribute to various reports, research, documents, communications, workshops and events, e.g. disaster preparedness plans, contingency and response documents, background papers, briefings, case studies, presentations, taking notes, talking points, and official correspondence.
3. Provide support related to humanitarian engagement with Chinese counterparts and other countries in the region as needed.
4. Create social-media content and other communication materials in English and Chinese.
5. Support advocacy initiatives on issues related to humanitarian needs through the collection of information, liaison with humanitarian partners, government officials, the media, etc.
6. Engage in working groups, meetings, conferences, and inter-agency consultations with other agencies and partners on humanitarian and emergency response matters.
7. Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements and have a relevant major/degree in political science, international studies, humanitarian affairs, public information, communication or a related field:

• (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a Master or PhD programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).

Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required.

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.

Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.

Experience in and ability to draft reports, news articles and/or social media posts is desirable.

Experience and general knowledge of humanitarian assistance and/or development is desirable.

Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable.

Languages

For this internship, fluency in English and Chinese (both oral and written) is required.

Additional Information

Full-time and part-time, in-person, hybrid and remote (Bangkok, Thailand)

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.

Deadline: March 8, 2026

About the Organization

In December 1991, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 46/182, designed to strengthen the United Nation's response to both complex emergencies and natural disasters. In addition it aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of the UN's humanitarian operations in the field. The resolution also created the high level position of Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC). This new function would combine into a single UN focal point the functions carried out by representatives of the Secretary-General for major and complex emergencies, as well as the UN's natural disaster functions carried out by the UN Disaster Relief Coordinator, UNDRO. Soon after, the Secretary-General established the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and assigned the ERC the status of Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs with offices in New York and Geneva to provide institutional support. Resolution 46/182 also created the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) and the Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF) as key coordination mechanisms and tools of the ERC. As part of the Secretary-General's programme of reform in 1998, DHA was reorganized into the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA. Its mandate was expanded to include the coordination of humanitarian response, policy development and humanitarian advocacy. OCHA carries out its coordination function primarily through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which is chaired by the ERC. Participants include all humanitarian partners, from UN agencies, funds and programmes to the Red Cross Movement and NGOs. The IASC ensures inter-agency decision-making in response to complex emergencies. These responses include needs assessments, consolidated appeals, field coordination arrangements and the development of humanitarian policies.