Geneva

01.12.25 - 30.04.26

Org. Setting and Reporting Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for coordinating efforts to reduce disaster risk and for ensuring synergies among the disaster risk reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations, in both developed and developing countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 150 staff located at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices worldwide. UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework, and catalyses action and awareness to reduce disaster risk, working with Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians, and the science and technology community. Disasters are costly, not only in human lives, but also in lost development gains. Every dollar invested in prevention saves many more in response and recovery. Yet financing for disaster risk reduction (DRR) remains far below what is needed, with most resources flowing after disasters strike rather than being invested beforehand in prevention. To change this, UNDRR works with governments, financial institutions and the private sector to make resilient investment the norm. By embedding DRR into financial systems and investment decisions, we can shift from reactive spending to forward-looking, cost-effective, risk-informed investments. Within UNDRR, the Infrastructure and Finance for Resilience Unit (IFRU) leads efforts to integrate DRR into financial systems, investment decisions and infrastructure planning. By embedding DRR in fiscal policy, public investment management and financial regulation, IFRU helps countries make resilience a central component of sustainable development. The internship is for a period of five months, 1 December 2025– 30 April 2026. The internship is UNPAID and full-time. Interns work five days per week. The intern will report to the Economic Affairs Officer in the IFRU Unit. The internship is in-person at the duty station in Geneva. Duties and responsibilities Responsibilities will depend on the individual's background, the intern's assigned office as well as the internship period. Duties may include, but are not limited to: - Support the mapping and analysis of national DRR financing systems. Collect and organize information on the existence and characteristics of DRR financing strategies across countries and regions, including, for example, the presence of dedicated DRR funds, fiscal risk assessments, budget tagging systems, and risk financing instruments. - Contribute to the design and structuring of the DRR financing database. Develop and refine datasets to capture key variables related to national and sectoral DRR financing strategies. Ensure information is standardized and comparable across countries. - Assist in the analysis of DRR financing strategies and expenditure patterns. Review national strategies, public investment frameworks, and budget documents to assess whether DRR financing focuses on risk reduction investments, risk financing mechanisms, or both. Identify trends, good practices, and capacity gaps. - Contribute to data visualization and presentation of findings. Support the preparation of visual materials, for example using PowerBI, such as maps, graphs, dashboards, or summary tables to communicate evidence on DRR financing systems. - Draft analytical notes, background briefs, presentations, or sections of reports summarizing findings and supporting ongoing IFRU initiatives and emerging topics such as anticipatory finance, budget tagging, integrated national financing frameworks (INFFs), and the coherence between DRR and climate adaptation finance. - Provide ad hoc support to meetings, events, outreach, and collaborative projects. Assist with the organization of internal or external meetings, technical workshops, meeting minutes, talking points, communication materials, and knowledge exchanges (e.g. national training workshops, the Corporate Chief Resilience Officers (CCRO) network, etc.).

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school 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 level 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. Good knowledge of standard software applications, specifically MS Excel and PowerPoint is desirable. Skills in data science and software such as MS PowerBI and R is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English is required for this internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Due to the high volume of applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted. *FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY*. UNDRR values diversity among its staff. We welcome applications from qualified women, men, and people with disabilities.

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.

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.