Geneva (in-person, remote, hybrid, under full-time or part-time internship)
Expected Duration
January - June 2026
Duties and Responsibilities
Support the Front Office team and the IASC Secretariat in administrative and substantive aspects of the Secretariat’s work.
Support internal tasking processes and compile inputs for reports, updates, and other official documents.
Coordinate with sections and colleagues across the Branch to address queries and troubleshoot emerging issues.
Assist in the organization and scheduling of internal and external meetings, events, and activities.
Contribute to the Branch’s knowledge management initiatives, including drafting and editing content.
Conduct research and produce humanitarian analysis, background notes, training materials, and talking points as required.
Attend meetings and prepare summaries or readouts for internal distribution.
Design, implement, and analyze surveys and polls to inform Branch-wide initiatives.
Qualifications/Special Skills
Must meet one of the following:
Enrolled in or completed a graduate school programme (second university degree or higher).
Enrolled in or completed the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).
University degree must be in political science, social science, international studies, public administration, economics, engineering, earth sciences, or a related field.
No professional work experience is required; field of study should be closely related to the internship.
Training, education, advanced coursework, or skills should benefit the United Nations during the internship.
Good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.
Applicants must be students in the final year of their degree or have completed a degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D.).
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
Knowledge of an additional official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is desirable.
Additional Information
Not available.
Intern Specific Text
Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations.
Costs 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 require appropriate visa and work/employment authorization.
Successful candidates should discuss specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer
Deadline : Dec 2, 2025
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.
Start Your Application
Applications for this position must be completed on the recruiting organization's website.
