United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has opened the application for the internship in Geneva, Switzerland. The intern shall support OHCHR in fulfilling its mission: to work for the protection of all human rights for all people; to help empower people to realize their rights and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented.

Daily responsibilities of interns supporting the Branch will depend on the individual’s background. Duties may include but are not limited to: Servicing the meetings of the human rights treaty bodies and their respective working groups; Preparing country and legal analysis and drafting legal background papers for human rights treaty bodies, related both to State reporting procedures and treaty body complaints procedures; Conducting research into and drafting reports on the jurisprudence of the treaty bodies concerned; Assisting with the handling of individual communications received under the different treaty body complaints procedures; Assisting in the preparation of the SPT country visits; Taking notes during the sessions/pre-sessions as well as carrying out administrative duties such as the preparation of documentation and reference files in advance of and during the session; Providing input to outreach and information tasks, including the Branch newsletter; Supporting the work of the Universal Human Rights Index (UHRI) and the treaty body documentation databases; Researching information and developing training exercises for use in capacity building activities on reporting by States to the Treaty Bodies; Preparing the Weekly HRTB Update; Assisting with preparation of reports and background papers for the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council (HRC) and the annual meeting of Treaty Body Chairs; Conducting research on treaty body strengthening/reform and/or project management, through the pre-screening, monitoring and evaluation of project proposals awarded or to be awarded by the Humanitarian Funds with the aim of providing direct assistance to victims of torture and/or slavery and their family members; Servicing the sessions of the Board of Trustees of the Humanitarian Funds, including by carrying out research, collecting and analyzing information pertaining to human rights issues, in particular in relation to the redress and rehabilitation of victims of torture and forms of slavery; Increasing the outreach of the Humanitarian Funds, including through updating webpages and other promotional material on the work and impact of the Funds; Supporting the organization of training activities and developing relevant training material; and Performing other duties as requested by the supervisor, as appropriat.

Qualification

Education: To qualify for the United Nations Secretariat internship programme, applicants must, at the time of application, be enrolled in a graduate school programme (i.e. Master’s degree or equivalent degree, or higher) or in the final academic year of a first-level university degree programme (i.e. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree) in the area of law, political science, international relations, social sciences or a related field, OR have graduated with a university as defined above AND, if selected, must commence the internship within one-year period from the date of graduation.

Work Experience: Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for participation in the internship programme though any relevant academic and/or practical experience, in particular in the area of legal or human rights affairs, would be an advantage. Applicants should be computer literate in standard software applications; have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations with a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter, and have the demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs – which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Languages: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship fluency in English or French is required and knowledge of the other is an asset. Knowledge of another United Nations official language – Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish – would be an advantage.

Assessment: Short-listed candidates will be contacted directly by the hiring manager for an informal interview after the review of their application. Incomplete Personal History Profiles (PHPs) will not be reviewed. For this reason, it is crucial that the cover letter:

• Specifies the area of interest and the earliest date of availability;
• Explains why you are a suitable candidate for this OHCHR internship assignment;
• Indicates information technology (IT) skills and programs in which you are proficient; and
• Notes the present period of academic studies underway and/or the exact title & date that more recent academic degree was awarded.