Switzerland: Internship, Climate Action, Division of Resilience and Solution

Feb 7, 2022 | UN High Commissioner for Refugees
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UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship within the Office of the Special Advisor on Climate Action under the Division of Resilience and Solutions at UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions.

  • Title: Climate Action Intern
  • Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Duration: 6 months
  • Contract Type: Internship
  • Closing Date for Application: 14 February 2022
  • Start Date: March 2022

Organizational context

Climate change is already triggering humanitarian crises or amplifying its consequences - a trend that has been proven to only get worse. Climate change impacts are ramping up multiple challenges to people’s safety, security, and dignity such as poverty, sustainable access to food, water and livelihoods, and pressures on peaceful co-existence. Under crisis conditions, people are being forced to flee their homes. With many displaced people located in climate vulnerable hotspots and left without the resources and capacity to adapt to an increasingly inhospitable environment, the climate crises poses increasing challenges to preventing and resolving cycles of crisis and displacement.

UNHCR is strengthening its climate action to better prepare and protect those displaced in the context of climate change, enhance the resilience of displaced and host communities to climate shocks, and reduce the organizations environmental footprint.

The position

The Office of the Special Advisor on Climate Action is responsible for providing strategic guidance, oversight and expertise to shape and push forward UNHCR's climate action agenda. The intern will be part of the Special Advisor’s support team.

Duties and responsibilities

  • Support research and reporting initiatives, including conducting analysis and drafting of a variety of documents such as reports, media reviews and updates related to UNHCR’s climate action agenda;
  • Contribute to the development of monthly Climate Action Updates;
  • Assist in to maintaining the inventory of climate action related projects and related information;
  • In coordination with other team members, provide support to field operations;
  • Support the organization of meetings and logistical arrangements;
  • Attend relevant internal and external events and prepare meeting notes;
  • Provide any other required support to the team’s permanent staff.

In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within one year of applying) or a 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 UNHCR.

NOTE: An individual whose father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible for an internship.

Desirable qualifications and skills

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English;
  • Demonstrated commitment or strong interest in migration and/or displacement;
  • Demonstrated commitment or strong interest in climate change and environmental issues;
  • Proven ability to establish and maintain good working relations with people of different cultural backgrounds;
  • Degree in Environmental Studies, International Relations, Political Sciences, Law, Refugee/Migration Studies or related field;
  • Knowledge of climate change and displacement related issues and UNHCR¿s mandate and role;
  • Experience in humanitarian issues and sustainable development an asset;
  • Experience in advocacy and/or communications an asset;
  • Ability to work in a self-driven, detail- and solutions-oriented manner with limited supervision;
  • Knowledge of other UN language an asset.

Conditions

It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be either home-based or with the team in the Geneva, Switzerland. The location will be determined prior to the start of the internship, and is dependent upon the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in both the applicant’s home country and at the duty station.

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.

We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.

Closing Date

Please note that the closing date for this internship advertisement is Monday 14 February 2022 (midnight Geneva time).