Internship - Partnership and Coordination Service, Division of External Relations

Terms of Reference

Internship

Division of External Relations, Partnership and Coordination Service

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering an internship position within the Partnership and Coordination Service in our Geneva, Switzerland.

UNHCR is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.

Title: Internship
Working Unit: Partnership and Coordination Service, DER
Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland
Duration: 6 months
Contract Type: Internship, full-time basis
Closing date: 04 March 2020
Start date: 1 April 2020

Organisational context
UNHCR¿s Partnership and Coordination Service (PCS) is responsible for ensuring UNHCR approaches partnerships in a strategic and coherent manner. The Service provides support to regional and country offices on relationships with UN agencies, NGOs, advocacy partners and others and ensure UNHCR exercises effective field leadership and coordination in line with its Mandate and agreed frameworks. Located in Geneva, PCS comprises the Inter-Agency and Coordination Section (IACS), the NGO and Civil Society Section, and the Sports Section.

PCS leads the organisation of UNHCR Annual Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations - a major event that provides an important forum for debate on global and regional themes and an opportunity to explore collaboration on advocacy and operational issues. The event is attended by around 500 representatives of national and international NGOs, refugees and refugee-led organizations, academia, as well as private sector representatives from over 90 countries. 2020 global NGO consultations are scheduled to take place on 17 ¿ 19 June 2020 in Geneva.
In addition, Partnerships and Coordination Service also supports UNHCR¿s Regional Bureaus in organizing regional NGO consultations.

The position
The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Senior Inter-Agency Coordination Officer (NGOs & Civil Society), Partnership Section, Partnership and Coordination Service (Division of External Relations).
The incumbent¿s tasks shall include, inter alia:
¿ Undertake background research on NGOs and key developments in NGO policies;
¿ Prepare and update NGO factsheets, including key funding data;
¿ Support preparing internal and external communication materials on NGO consultations and partnerships with NGOs on UNHCR website, Intranet and other platforms;
¿ Support team in the follow up of the Global Refugee Forum pledges and contributions of NGO and civil society actors;
¿ Assist team in supporting regional bureaus and field operations with guidance on  NGO partnerships;
¿ Support team with outreach and partnerships with refugee-led, faith-based and art organisations;
¿ Provide support with the 2020 NGO Innovation Award;
¿ Provide support managing social media accounts, producing content, engaging with partner accounts and analyzing trends;
¿ Assist in organizing meetings with NGOs, in preparation of briefing kits and taking notes;
¿ Provide other support as required.

Essential minimum qualifications:
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
¿ Recent graduate (those persons who completed their studies within one year of applying) or current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by UNESCO; and
¿ Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of the Organization.

Please note that candidates who have immediate relatives (father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister) working as Affiliate Workforce or staff members of UNHCR are not eligible.

Desirable qualifications and skills:
¿ Bachelor¿s or Master¿s degree in Political Science, International Affairs, International Development, Communications or other relevant field;
¿ Interest in refugee and forcible displacement issues;
¿ Ability to work in English;
¿ Excellent written and oral communication skills;
¿ Strong organizational skills;
¿ Experience in organizing events or conferences;
¿ Research, data analysis, data visualization and information management skills;
¿ Very good knowledge of Word, Excel, Power Point;
¿ Flexibility, teamwork skills, professional and personal integrity;
¿ Knowledge of French and/or other UN languages;
¿ Experience in preparing communication materials;
¿ Experience in managing social media accounts, producing content and analyzing trends;
¿ Knowledge of InDesign or other graphics design software;
¿ Knowledge of Microsoft Teams and SharePoint;

What the intern will learn
¿ Understanding of the UN systems and process;
¿ Overview of the NGO and civil society landscape and UNHCR¿s relationships with NGOs;
¿ Exposure to wide range of refugee issues;
¿ Internal processes and inter-divisional collaboration in a large humanitarian organisation;
¿ Inter-agency and cross-sectoral collaboration in a humanitarian context;
¿ Working in a multicultural and multilingual team.

Location
The successful candidate will be based with the team in the Geneva, Switzerland.

Conditions & Allowances:
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week).

Allowance: Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive an allowance to partially help to cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses.

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training. Please note that the closing date for this internship advertisement is Wednesday 4 March 2020 (midnight Geneva time).