🇨🇭 Humanitarian Affairs Intern 🌍 UN OCHA Internship in Geneva, Switzerland 🤝

The 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'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 Prioritization and Practices Branch (SPPB) helps OCHA and partners deliver more effective joint responses using innovative, state-of-the-art coordination tools and services. The work of the Branch focuses on the key activities which enable effective coordination: needs assessment and analysis, humanitarian response planning and continuous monitoring. SPPB aims to ensure OCHA and partner staff have the skills, tools and technical support needed to meet the needs of people affected by crises through a well coordinated collective response effort, within the framework of a rigorous Humanitarian Programme Cycle. The intern will join the Approaches and Practices Section (APS) within SPPB. APS supports humanitarian policy and coordination practice globally and in the field, and works to translate policy into effective coordination approaches and capacities. The intern will report to the Humanitarian Affairs Officer or Associate Humanitarian Affairs Officer leading the secretariat of the Global Cluster Coordination Group (GCCG) and will regularly collaborate with colleagues within the Section and the Branch.

What You Will Do

Daily responsibilities will depend on the intern's background and may include:

🧠 Assisting in the design and preparation of studies on humanitarian response and coordination, and other related issues (localization, cash, AAP and similar)

🔎 Researching, analyzing, and presenting information gathered from various sources

📝 Helping draft written materials such as study sections, background papers, presentations, policy notes and infographics

📚 Maintaining reference and resource materials on humanitarian policy and coordination

📅 Supporting the organization of meetings, workshops, and other events, including note taking

🖥️ Supporting the updating of data platforms and general planning in the section

🌍 Following current humanitarian affairs and related political, policy, and gender issues

✅ Performing other tasks requested by the supervisor

Supporting the Global Cluster Coordination Group Secretariat

In addition, the intern will support the secretariat of the GCCG. The GCCG promotes cross cluster collaboration and supports both operational coordination in crisis settings and global level guidance and policy development. Specific tasks include:

🗓️ Preparing and organizing GCCG hybrid (virtual and in person) meetings

📋 Drafting agendas and background materials

🧩 Managing meeting logistics

🗒️ Drafting summary notes and tracking follow up actions

🤝 Communicating with cluster coordinators and other stakeholders

🌐 Maintaining the GCCG's online collaboration platform

➕ Additional tasks related to other workstreams within APS, when appropriate

🧭 Also based in Switzerland and worth a look: Geotechnical Site Investigation Internship at an engineering firm in 🇨🇭 Switzerland → https://youthworkshub.org/20447

Who Can Apply

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 level or equivalent), preferably in areas related to political science, social science, humanitarian affairs, 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 that is closely related to the type of internship is required, and your training, education, advanced course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. You will have to provide an official certificate or proof of university enrollment at a later stage, if selected.

Desirable Skills

✍️ Excellent writing and communication skills are desirable

🗂️ Skills in information management, coordination, administration and translation are desirable

📊 Experience and confidence using MS Excel is desirable

📈 Data analysis and visualization skills are desirable

🔍 Ability to demonstrate practical academic or professional experience requiring attention to detail is desirable

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of French is desirable, and knowledge of another United Nations official language is desirable.

🔗 Another humanitarian internship you might like: Refugee Youth Education Programming Internship in 🇺🇸 the United States → https://youthworkshub.org/20544

The Details

🗓️ Duration: maximum of six months, beginning at a mutually agreed time

📅 Indicative period: September 2026 to February 2027

🕘 Schedule: designed to be full-time or part-time, and may be conducted in person, remotely, or in a hybrid format, with the modality adjustable based on the request of the successful candidate; preferably full-time and based in person in Geneva

📍 Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Funding and Visa

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 or employment authorization, and successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.