Humanitarian Affairs Intern

Support humanitarian action through monitoring and reporting in Asia and the Pacific.

This opening expired 11 months ago. Do not try to apply for this job.

UNOCHA - Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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Bangkok (Thailand)

Internship

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Application deadline 11 months ago: Monday 30 Jun 2025 at 03:59 UTC

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Overview

Support humanitarian action through monitoring and reporting in Asia and the Pacific.

You have:

Be enrolled in, or have completed, a Master or PhD programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher).
Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).
Good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.
Fluency in English and Chinese (both oral and written) is required.
Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.
Experience in drafting reports, news articles, and/or social media posts is desirable.
Experience and general knowledge of humanitarian assistance and/or development is desirable.
Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable.

Contract

This is a I-1 contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about I-1 contracts.

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Details

Work Location

In-Person, Bangkok, Thailand

Expected duration

6 months, July - December 2025

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations (UN) 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 also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. 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 intern will be based in OCHA’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok, Thailand, and will report to a Humanitarian Affairs Officer in the Operations Unit, and work closely with other Units (i.e Public Information Unit, Information Management Unit) with following key responsibilities: 1. Support situational monitoring and reporting – monitor, analyse, and report on humanitarian developments in the Asia and the Pacific region, and support the team to respond to sudden-onset emergencies when it occurs. 2. Contributes to the various reports, research, documents, communications, workshop and events, e.g. disaster preparedness plans, contingency and response document, background papers, briefings, case studies, presentations, taking notes, talking points, and official correspondence. 3. Provide support related to humanitarian engagement with Chinese counterparts and other countries in the region as needed. 4. Create social-media content and other communication materials in English and Chinese. 5. Support advocacy initiatives on issues related to humanitarian needs through the collection of information, liaison with humanitarian partners, government officials, the media, etc. 6. Engages in working groups, meetings, conferences, and inter-agency consultations with other agencies and partners on humanitarian and emergency response matters. 7. Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements and with relevant major/degree in political science, international studies, humanitarian affairs, public information, communication or a related field is required: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a Master or PHD programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent). 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 that you are applying for is required. Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PH.D. Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage. Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams. Experience in and ability to draft reports, news articles and/or social media posts in desirable. Experience, and general knowledge of humanitarian assistance and or development is desirable. Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable.

Languages

For this internship fluency in English and Chinese (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Additional Information

Not available.

Intern Specific text

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/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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Potential interview questions

Describe a situation where you had to monitor and report on a critical issue. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?	This question assesses your analytical skills and ability to handle pressure during a crisis.	Give a specific example, detailing the situation, your actions, and the outcome.
Can you provide an example of how you contributed to a team project and what your specific role was?	Understanding your teamwork and collaboration skills is crucial for this role.	Pro members can see the explanation.
What experience do you have in drafting communications such as reports or social media content?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.
Give an example of how you have engaged with different stakeholders in a humanitarian or community context.	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.
Discuss a time when you had to support advocacy initiatives. What approach did you take?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.
How do you ensure accuracy and reliability in your reporting?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.
What strategies do you use to keep yourself updated on humanitarian developments?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.
What challenges do you think humanitarian agencies face in emergency response situations? How would you address one of them?	Pro members can see the explanation.	Pro members can see the explanation.