Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Human Rights Intern: Middle East and North Africa

Duty station: 🇨🇭 Geneva, Switzerland
Country / area: Switzerland
Region: Europe
UN system: Other UN Entity
Level: I-1
Category: Internship
Job family: Human Rights Affairs
Posted: Sep 02, 2025
Closes: Sep 01, 2026 in 88 days Source: 05:59, Sep 01, 2026 Europe/Zurich

About this role

This is a 3-month UN internship (with possible 3-month extension) in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, focusing on human rights issues in the Middle East and North Africa region. Interns will assist in collecting and analyzing information on human rights situations, drafting reports and documents, preparing country profiles and briefing materials, supporting meetings and events, and responding to information requests. The role requires strong research and writing skills, cultural sensitivity, and commitment to human rights principles. Remote or in-person work is permitted.

Key requirements

Enrolled in or completed graduate school programme OR final academic year of bachelor's degree
Fluency in spoken and written English
Commitment to human rights principles

Nice to have

Knowledge of Arabic language
Experience in law, political science, international relations, or social sciences
Project or research experience

Summary and highlights are AI-generated from the public job posting. Sign in to read the full official description and get an AI-scored match against your CV.

Requirements at a glance

Distilled by AI from the posting

Min. experience: No prior experience is necessary. We seek candidates with relevant coursework preferably in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or a related field. We are open to a broad range of project and research experience backgrounds.
Required degree: The applicant must: (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 degree or equivalent).
Languages: English

Work Location

Internships are available on a full-time basis and can be conducted remotely or in-person.

Expected duration

3 months with possibility of extension up to 6 months This is a GJO used to build a pool of qualified candidates and will be used to fill internship vacancies between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties may include but are not limited to assisting the Section in the systematic collection and analysis of information regarding the human rights situation of countries in the Middle East and North Africa region and in the preparation of reports, documents and other written materials and, in particular, the interns may: - Assist Desk Officers in researching and drafting individual cases of alleged human rights violations; support Desk Officers in responding to requests for information relating to the human rights situation in the region and/ or countries concerned; - Assist Desk Officers in preparing and updating Country profiles, briefing packages, daily and monthly updates/reports; - Support Desk Officers in the preparation of relevant documents on thematic and country specific human rights issues; assist Desk Officers in taking minutes of meetings, attending side-events, Human Rights Council sessions, Treaty Bodies review and Universal Periodic Review (UPR) review; and - Perform other related duties as requested by supervisor, as appropriate.

Qualifications/special skills

Competency: We are looking for a team player who is collaborative, reliable, and communicative, with a strong commitment to supporting colleagues and advancing the team’s shared mission of promoting and protecting human rights. Skills: Ability to work with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, with a commitment to upholding human rights principles. Academic Qualifications: The applicant must: (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 degree or equivalent); Experience: No prior experience is necessary. We seek candidates with relevant coursework preferably in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or a related field. We are open to a broad range of project and research experience backgrounds. Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of Arabic language is an advantage.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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