Switzerland: Humanitarian Affairs (Internship), I
Country: Switzerland
Closing date: 22 Feb 2014
Org .Setting And Reporting
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is theUN Secretariat department responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure acoherent response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. UNOCHA also ensures thatthere is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.This profile shall be used to solicit qualified applicants for internship with the United Nations(UN) in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), based in Geneva,Switzerland. The intern may be assigned to a Section within one of the following OCHAGeneva branches: Office of the Director (OD), Communications Services Branch (CSB),Information Services Branch (ISB), Administrative Services Branch (ASB), Partnerships andResource Mobilization Branch (PRMB), Programme Support Branch (PSB), EmergencyServices Branch (ESB), Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), and Coordination andResponse Division-Geneva (CRD-Geneva). The internship programme is a unpaid and fulltimeoffer for an initial period of two months or longer, with an opportunity for extension (notexceeding a combined duration of six months) depending on the needs of the department.The intern is expected to work five days (Monday to Friday) per week (40 hours) within theSection to which s/he is assigned. S/he shall report primarily to the head of the relevantSection. The starting date shall extend to cover the period beginning mid-January throughJune 2014 (winter-spring academic semester).
Responsibilities
The intern's daily responsibilities will consist of supporting the general work of OCHA,providing specific support in relation to the Section's work, and depending on her/hisbackground, duties may include but are not limited to: In consultation with an Officer,assisting in the design and preparation of studies, events and presentations on humanitarian,disaster, emergency relief, and related issues and in various follow-up activities; assists inresearch, analysis and presentation of information gathered from diverse sources on assignedtopics/issues; contributes to the preparation of various written documents, e.g. assisting in thedrafting of sections of studies, background papers, policy guidelines, parliamentarydocuments etc.; develops and maintains reference/resource information on specific topics orpolicy-related issues, contributing and responding to various inquiries and informationrequests internally and externally; assists in the organization of meetings, seminars,conferences, workshops, and other fora with other agencies and partners to facilitateexchanges of professional expertise and views on related subjects/issues, serving as reporterto such events; maintains awareness of current development affairs and related issues, toinclude relevant political, policy, gender considerations or other developments in specificsubject area, country or region concerned; and performs other duties as required by theofficers and the head of the Section. In addition to the general responsibilities outlined above,the intern may be assigned specific tasks, as follows: The Humanitarian Leadership Strengthening Unit (HLSU), within CRD-Geneva, interacts on a daily basis with Humanitarian and Resident Coordinators,who are the highest-level and most experienced UN humanitarian officials in most fieldlocations. Reporting to the Director of CRD, OCHA New York, HLSU works on behalf of theIASC to strengthen the humanitarian coordination leadership function. In this context, theintern will contribute to OCHA's leadership strengthening agenda by promoting dialogue andbuilding consensus among humanitarian partners on key normative issues relating tohumanitarian coordination leadership; supports the expansion of the pool of potential Humanitarian Coordinators through the Humanitarian Coordination Pool; helps to build aconstituency of support among IASC agencies for qualified candidates for Humanitarian andResident Coordinator positions; supports in the improvement in the leadership, coordination, and team development skills of senior humanitarian officials; and with the collectiveleadership of humanitarian country teams.
Competencies
CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients"and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; establishes and maintains productivepartnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients' needs andmatches them to appropriate solutions; monitors on-going developments inside and outsidethe clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed ofprogress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctlyinterprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, andexhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format tomatch the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping peopleinformed.
TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizationalgoals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn fromothers; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with finalgroup decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares creditfor team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
Education
Applicants must be currently enrolled in an Advanced-level/second university degreeprogramme or higher (i.e. Masters, graduate, post-graduate, doctorate or equivalent),preferably in political science, social science, international studies, public administration,economics, engineering, earth sciences or a related field. Enrolment in any of the abovementioneddisciplines must cover the entire duration of the internship. Applicants pursuingtheir studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate andgraduate stages, having completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university orequivalent institution towards the completion of a degree, may be seriously considered for aninternship.
Work Experience
Applicants are not required to have professional working experience for participation in theinternship programme however any practical and academic experience in humanitarian issuesincluding humanitarian financing mechanisms, humanitarian funding trends, gender equalityprogramming is an asset. Research experience and published work in any of the above orrelated areas is desirable as it is literacy in using standard office software applications.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For thisinternship, fluency in English (both written and verbal skills) is required. Knowledge of otherworking language of the UN Secretariat is desirable.
Assessment Method
Potential candidates will be contacted by hiring manager directly for further consideration.
United Nations Considerations
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women toparticipate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiaryorgans. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariatis a non-smoking environment.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THERECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING,OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITHINFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS.
How to apply:
Special Notice
The OCHA internship is normally for an initial period of two months with an opportunity forextension (not exceeding a combined period of 6 months). Internships are unpaidopportunities and interns are responsible for travel, accommodation, medical insurance, visas,and living expenses for the duration of their service. The internship programme is full-timewith the expectation that the intern works five days per week (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Internsshall not be eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, positions at the professional level andabove carrying international recruitment status in the Secretariat for a period of six monthsfollowing the end of their internship.
To apply to this internship please go to:
https://inspira.un.org For further information, please consult the UN Career portal at:https://careers.un.org or the UNOG internship website at: http://www.unog.ch A completedonline application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incompleteapplications will not be reviewed. The cover note must include the title of the advanceddegreeyou are currently pursuing, the graduation date (when will you be graduating from theprogramme), the IT (information technology) skills and other programmes in which you areproficient, your top three areas of interest/department preferences, explaining why you are thebest candidate for the specified department, and your interest in the United Nations.Successful applicants must have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the UnitedNations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter, they must also have ademonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgroundsand beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differingopinions and views. Please do not forget to designate three references. Due to a high volumeof applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted.
