Internship with UN-OCHA

Terms of Reference

Internship with the
Field Coordination Support Section (FCSS)
Emergency Services Branch (ESB)
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) - Geneva


Duration of assignment: 3-6 months
Period: October 2012-November 2013

FCSS Background:
FCSS's role is to strengthen the mobilization and coordination capacity of OCHA during the first phase following a sudden-onset disaster, whilst contributing to OCHA’s role in supporting the response preparedness in developing countries. 

FCSS has three major functions: 

•    Management of the UN Disaster Assessment & Coordination (UNDAC) system
    FCSS mobilizes UNDAC teams from its membership of skilled emergency managers from countries and organizations in three geographical regions (Africa-Europe-Middle East, Latin America & the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific). Teams can be deployed within 12-24 hours following a sudden-onset disaster to assist governments in coordinating the international humanitarian response.
    FCSS organizes UNDAC training and exercises in the three geographical regions and develops emergency assessment and field coordination methodology and guidelines.
    The UNDAC Advisory Board provides a Summary of Guidance for the development of the UNDAC system at its annual meeting in February.

•    Secretariat of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG):
    INSARAG is a network of disaster-prone and disaster-responding countries and organizations dedicated to urban search and rescue (USAR) from collapsed structures and operational field coordination. 
    FCSS functions as the INSARAG Secretariat and as such is responsible for coordination of all international USAR activities involving collapsed structures, including establishment of an On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) with UNDAC teams.
    INSARAG has three regional groupings (Africa-Europe-Middle East, the Americas and Asia-Pacific).
    FCSS organizes INSARAG meetings, training and exercises in the three geographical regions to widen knowledge and use of common methodology and guidelines, share lessons learned and set the course for future developments and improvements.

•    Secretariat of the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) & Asia-Pacific Humanitarian Partnership (APHP): 
    Technical support modules and trained personnel can be deployed with UNDAC teams to facilitate communications and provide living/working support in the field following disasters.
    The IHP is a consortium of governmental disaster management agencies supporting the International Humanitarian System
    The APHP is network comprising Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Singapore, with the aim of providing similar support services in that region.
    The AST is a partnership between USAID and TSF to facilitate deployment of technical support modules in the Americas region
    FCSS further acts as OCHA contact for a number of partnerships with technical NGOs such as Telecoms Sans Frontiers (TSF) or MapAction, which deploy alongside with UNDAC team to provide support services to the humanitarian community.


Tasks:

The intern will immerse himself/herself in the FCSS activities, where he/she will become familiar with the international humanitarian emergency response mechanisms.  The intern will, in line with the research he/she is currently doing, perform tasks like the following:
•    Assist in undertaking research on the modalities for provision of support to UNDAC mission during emergencies including the deployment of national technical experts and equipment.
•    Support the training of International Disaster Management Experts
•    Support the International Classification System for Urban Search and Rescue Teams
•    Evaluate the status of the UNDAC mission equipment and determine areas for upgrade.
•    Perform other research-related duties as required by the Chief of the Field Coordination Support Section.



Application:

To be eligible for this internship you must have an enrolment certificate for regular graduate studies at a recognized university covering the whole period of the internship.

Please send a filled P-11 form, your CV and motivation letter to Mr. Albrecht Beck at beck2@un.org