Unpaid Internship at UNODC Headquarters, Vienna: Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section (Six Months, In-person or Remote)

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has opened Job Opening 286361, Intern (Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling), on UN Careers. The internships sit in the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section (HTMSS) of the Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch, Division for Treaty Affairs, at UNODC in Vienna. The Section is looking for several interns for its different teams, focusing among other things on technical cooperation, normative and policy work, knowledge development and innovation, survivor engagement and partnerships.

Work location: Vienna, Austria (in-person or remotely). Expected duration: six months. The internships are unpaid and full-time (40 hours, 5 days per week), and can be either in-person or home-based. The intern reports to a Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer in the Section.

• Background research and analysis on country situations, trends, legal frameworks and concepts relating to human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
• Support for planning, implementing and monitoring regional and national technical assistance projects, and preparing training material for capacity-building workshops.
• Collecting and analysing case law and legislation, and managing information on UNODC online platforms.
• Research on emerging and cross-cutting issues.
• Helping prepare intergovernmental meetings such as the Working Groups on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants, and expert group meetings.
• Contributing to drafting official UNODC submissions, guidance notes, briefing notes, statements and presentations.
• Liaising with UN offices, external organisations and Member States, and compiling weekly press clippings on smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons.

• Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent). Official written proof from the university must be attached to the application.
• Studies in criminology, law, political or social sciences, including psychology, international relations or a related field.
• Sound analytical skills, good drafting ability and computer skills, especially MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• A demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and the ability to interact with people of different cultural backgrounds.

The posting sets no nationality restriction and states that interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken may need a visa and work authorisation, so Indian students and graduates who meet the academic requirements may apply. The internship can also be done remotely.

Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, 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. The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

Apply online through the UN Careers posting for Job Opening 286361. Applications close on 2 November 2026 at 11:59 pm New York time, which is 10:29 am IST on 3 November 2026; apply by 2 November in India to be safe. A complete application needs a Motivation Statement, a Candidate Profile and proof of enrolment or graduation. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Motivation Statement must cover:

• Your degree programme and your graduation date (past or expected).
• The computer skills and software you are proficient in.
• Your top three areas of interest, chosen from UNODC's Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Menu of Services (linked below).
• Why you are the best candidate for this internship, and your interest in the UN Internship Programme and this assignment.

In the Candidate Profile include all past work experience, IT skills and three references. Only successful candidates will be contacted.