Internship Programme

OHCHR advertises for specific internship opportunities. Please visit the UN Careers website to see current internship opportunities with OHCHR.

Internship dates and duration

To be eligible for an internship with OHCHR, you have to apply through the UN Careers website . When completing your application, kindly indicate a time period in the current year when you are available to start your internship, unless the internship vacancy announcement refers to a specific (desired) timeframe of the internship assignment.

Purpose of the internship programme

The internship programme with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is intended to expose students or recent graduates to the United Nations in order to enhance their educational experience and to help them to gain experience in the work of the Organization. The purpose of the United Nations internship programme is twofold:

(a) provide a framework by which students from diverse academic backgrounds gain exposure to the United Nations through assignment to offices within the Secretariat in order to enhance their educational experience and gain experience in the work of the United Nations; and

(b) to provide United Nations offices with the assistance of qualified students specialized in various professional fields.

The relationship between the Organization and the intern is one of a mutual benefit. Interns are assigned to an organizational unit of OHCHR according to the needs of the Office, the intern’s skillset  and their own areas of interest. They are involved, inter alia, in: researching human rights issues, drafting analytical papers and reports, providing substantive and technical servicing of meetings, backstopping fact-finding and technical cooperation activities as well as field operations and supporting other OHCHR activities, depending on the exigencies of the Office. As part of the internship programme, OHCHR endeavours to brief interns through a series of information sessions on human rights issues conducted by staff of the Office.

Qualifications required

Please keep in mind that even if you meet the qualifications described below, there is no guarantee of an internship. You will be contacted directly by the Hiring Manager if you are selected.

Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

(a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or,

(b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent).

Eligibility check

Please use the following table to check your eligibility for the Internship Programme before you send us an application:

Note: To be eligible, you must answer "Yes" to all 5 questions. If you answer "No" to one or more of the above question(s), you should consider postponing your application until the above requirements are fully met.

Conditions of service

1. According to the prevailing Swiss legislation, asylum seekers are not permitted to seek any form of employment, whether paid or unpaid, including internship. The legislation also extends to international organisations such as OHCHR.
2. Interns are assigned to work with a supervisor who is responsible for providing them with a description of duties and a workplan. Upon completion of the internship, both the supervisor and the intern are required to complete a final report describing what was achieved during the internship. In addition, every intern is requested to complete an evaluation questionnaire on his/her assignment and to submit it to OHCHR's Administrative Section.
3. United Nations internships are not remunerated and interns are not considered officials or staff members of the Organization. Travel costs and living expenses must be borne by the interns themselves or by a sponsoring institution. Interns are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and for obtaining visas. In Geneva, interns are provided, upon arrival, with a Swiss ID card for the duration of the internship by OHCHR's Administrative Section. They are also provided with a U.N. ground pass, a library card and general information about OHCHR and the United Nations.
4. The United Nations accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship. Interns must have their own health insurance. In case of illness or other circumstances which might prevent the completion of the internship, interns will inform their supervisor and OHCHR's Administrative Section.
5. There is no expectancy of employment at the end of the internship and interns cannot apply for any regular or temporary position with the United Nations during the internship and for a period of six months following the expiration date thereof.
6. Interns are expected to work full-time and to carry out the duties assigned to them. They do not accrue annual leave during the period of the internship. Otherwise, they are bound by the same duties and obligations as regular staff members; in particular, all confidential and unpublished information obtained during the internship may not be used by interns without the written authorization of the United Nations.

For more information please refer to the Administrative Instruction about the Internship Programme (ST/AI/2020/1).

Incomplete applications will not be considered.