Internship with the Universal Periodic Review Branch at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva (In Person, Three to Six Months, Unpaid)

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has opened an internship in its Universal Periodic Review Branch (UPRB), which sits within the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division. The UPRB acts as the Secretariat of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Human Rights Council mechanism that reviews the human rights records of all UN Member States every four and a half years.

The internship is designed to be in person and full-time in Geneva, for three to six months. The intern works under the overall guidance of the Chief of the UPR Branch and reports to the Human Rights Officer responsible for the Branch's internship programme. Job opening number: 285297.

Daily responsibilities depend on the intern's background. During UPR Working Group and Human Rights Council sessions, the intern may assist with:

• drafting sections of the UPR Working Group report and the UPR Outcome report under staff supervision;
• Secretariat tasks such as compiling lists of delegations, drafting or translating correspondence, handling tools used for hybrid sessions, drafting ad hoc summaries, data research and statistics, media-related tasks and taking notes at UPR side events.

Outside sessions, the intern may assist with:

• preparing UPR pre-session documents (compilation and summary), including research and analysis of human rights information and trends;
• indexing UPR recommendations and thematic research on specific areas of UPR work;
• preparing training material, notes, infographics, presentations and video snapshots, and helping organise meetings and panels.

To qualify for the United Nations Secretariat internship programme, applicants must, at the time of application, be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first-level university degree (minimum bachelor's degree or equivalent), or be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (Master's degree or higher), preferably in law, political science, international relations or a related field. Professional work experience is not required.

The notice places no nationality restriction on applicants, so Indian students and graduates who meet these academic criteria may apply. Proof of the academic criterion must be attached to the application, and an official certificate will be required at a later stage.

• Academic knowledge of human rights and international human rights mechanisms, including the UPR (applicants are asked to explain this in the application).
• Proficiency in standard software, especially MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Teams.
• Data research, data analysis, statistics and graphic design skills are desirable.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of French is an asset, and knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is an advantage.

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 Switzerland may need the appropriate visa and work authorisation, and successful candidates should discuss visa requirements before accepting an offer.

The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

Apply online through the UN Careers portal using the job opening page (job opening 285297), answering the screening questions and attaching proof of your academic status.

The posting closes on 23 October 2026 at 03:59 UTC, which is 9:29 AM IST on 23 October 2026. In practice, submit by the night of 22 October 2026 (IST).