Inter-Agency Standing Committee IASC Secretariat Intern (Hybrid)

Job Description

Work Location: New York (in-person, remote, hybrid), under full-time or part-time Internship

Expected Duration: March - August 2026

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) was established in 1992 in response to General Assembly resolution 46/182 calling for strengthened coordination of humanitarian assistance. The IASC secretariat provides support to the Emergency Relief Coordinator and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in their leadership of the IASC, including chairing key meetings and processes, facilitating communication among IASC members and the broader humanitarian community, developing policy, and providing strategic guidance for humanitarian response operations.

This includes support to key inter-agency groups such as the Emergency Directors Group (EDG), Humanitarian Working Group (HWG), and thematic task teams and reference groups. Much of this work currently supports the operationalization of the Humanitarian Reset, which aims to strengthen leadership, effectiveness, and accountability in humanitarian response.

The candidate, under the supervision of the IASC EDG Coordinator in New York, will contribute to a wide range of tasks supporting the IASC Secretariat’s priorities, with a particular focus on the Humanitarian Reset agenda. Tasks include:

• Support planning and documentation of regular and ad hoc EDG meetings, where senior leaders of humanitarian organizations (UN and NGOs) discuss the best ways to respond to current humanitarian emergencies and strengthen inter-agency attention and support. This includes drafting background documents and supporting follow-up on action points.
• Support research, documentation, and coordination related to the Humanitarian Reset, including tracking progress, mapping institutional positions, compiling stakeholder feedback, and assisting with synthesis and analysis for follow-up actions.
• Support preparations for biannual in-person EDG meetings, including drafting talking points, creating presentations, and following up on action points, as well as for EDG missions to crisis operations, including drafting programme, briefing book, and mission outcomes.
• Support monitoring of good practices and lessons learned in crisis contexts related to the Humanitarian Reset.
• Maintain up-to-date planning matrices to support strategic forward planning.
• Support the IASC Secretariat daily business and management.

Qualifications/Special Skills:

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 degree or equivalent).

The university degree must be in political science, social science, international studies, public administration, economics, engineering, earth sciences, or a related field.

Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study closely related to the internship is required. Your training, education, advanced coursework, or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.

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

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in speaking, writing, reading, and understanding English is required for this internship.

Knowledge of an additional official UN language is desirable. Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

DEADLINE: Feb 4, 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.