United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Internship

Brief description:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the Secretariat Department responsible for strengthening international human rights mechanisms. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, under the overall guidance of the Branch Chief, the intern will be supervised by the respective Chief of Section, and reports to the Committee Secretary or Human Rights Officer in the area of assignment. This assignment is normally for an initial period of three (3) months with the possibility of extension up to a total combined period of six (6) months and a commencement date ranging from December 2018 to June 2019. 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 appropriate.

Focus Areas:

Law, political science, international relations, social sciences or a related field.

Target group:

Open to all.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the United Nations Secretariat internship programme, applicants, at the time of application:

• Must 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.
• 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.
• Should be computer literate in standard software applications;
• Have 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
• 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.

Application Process:

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1. visit the United Nations Careers website to view the full listing of OHCHR job openings at: careers.un.org/
2. Create an account at: inspira.un.org and
3. Submit an application.