Intern - Civil Affairs at United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Responsibilities

The intern's daily responsibilities will consist of supporting the work of the Emergency, Preparedness and Response (EPR) unit at OCHA ROSEA, specifically regarding Humanitarian Access and Civil-Military Coordination (CMCoord), including with respect to matters related to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In consultation with the supervisor, the intern's duties may include but are not limited to: supporting the team on matters related to the application of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including as it pertains to engagement with armed actors (State and non-state armed groups (NSAGs)); contributing to the drafting of messages that support the work of the team to open and sustain humanitarian access; assisting in the design of training material to facilitate Humanitarian Access and CMCoord work; researching, analyzing and presenting information gathered from diverse sources on assigned topics/issues, including related to Access/CMCoord and IHL; assisting with the preparation of various written documents; assisting with the maintenance of reference/resource information on specific topics or policy-related issues, including Access/CMCoord and IHL; and performing other tasks as required and requested by the Head of Unit.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge/study of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related humanitarian issues, preferably on IHL, humanitarian access and CMCoord; analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyses and articulate legal advice and messages that informs humanitarian work; Ability to conduct research and to communicate it effectively; ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in sensitive topics; Pride in daily work and persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges.

COMMUNICATION: speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication, tailors language, tone, style, and format to match the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

TEAMWORK: works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

• Applicants must be enrolled in a Bachelor's (final year), post-graduate, Master's or Ph.D. programme or equivalent, preferably in political science, social science, international studies, law (especially international law), public administration, economics, earth science or a related field is a requirement. Applicants that have successfully completed an academic programme in a discipline mentioned above must commence the internship within period of one-year i.e. twelve months from date of graduation.

Work Experience

• No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.
• Any academic and/ or practical experience in humanitarian affairs issues including humanitarian access, CMCoord, IHL, emergency preparedness, crisis/ emergency relief management, rehabilitation, and/ or development is desirable. Applicants should be computer literate in standard software applications; have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations, a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter and; have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in English (both written and verbal skills) is required. Knowledge of French and/or Arabic is desirable.