Disaster Risk Reduction Internship at UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is recruiting a Disaster Risk Reduction Intern (Disaster Risk Governance) in Nairobi on a 6 Months Contract.

Background:

Created in December 1999,UNDRRis the designated focal point within the United Nations system for coordinating efforts to reduce disaster risk and ensuring coherence among disaster reduction activities across the United Nations, regional organizations, and partners in both developed and developing countries.

Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR has over 150 staff members located at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices worldwide.  UNDRR guides, monitors, analyzes, and reports on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. It supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyzes action to strengthen resilience and reduce disaster risk. The organization works closely with UN Member States and a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians, and the science and technology community.

This internship is located in the UNDRR Regional Office for Africa. The intern will report to the Programme Management Officer Risk Governance.

The internship is unpaid and full-time, with interns working five days per week under the supervision of a staff member.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under delegated supervision, the intern will contribute to ROA’s work on national and local DRR policy landscapes; city-to-city learning exchanges; the all-of-society approach, with a focus on gender integration and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

1. Research and case study development
   • Conduct desk research on the three themes, including how women and persons with disabilities take part in DRR planning and leadership.
   • Draft case studies that document successful practices and lessons learned in risk-informed governance.
   • Support validation of case study content with colleagues, city focal points and partners.
2. Data, information and knowledge management
   • Organize the data and sources used in the research, disaggregated by sex, age and disability where available.
   • Visualize key findings through simple charts, maps or infographics for use in case studies and knowledge products.
   • Contribute to maintaining the team’s knowledge repository of case studies and lessons learned.
   • Contribute to turning findings into knowledge products for different audiences (e.g., briefs, web content).
3. Other duties
   • Perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications/special skills

Preferred fields of study include disaster risk management, environmental studies, development studies, statistics, data science, public policy, or related fields.

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 (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).

Interested candidates must be pursuing or pursued their degree in areas related to this Job Opening.

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 have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

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.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is desirable.

Additional Information
Due to the high volume of applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted.

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.

Deadline: Tuesday, November 10, 2026

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