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Friday, October 23, 2009

Switzerland: Internship Programme at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Overview

Internships for graduate students are available at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). These internships are intended to:

a) increase the intern's understanding of current human rights issues at the international level and give them an insight into the work of the United Nations and OHCHR in particular; and

b) provide OHCHR and the United Nations Human Rights mechanisms with the assistance and contribution of outstanding young students or graduates.

The relationship between the Organization and the intern is one of mutual benefit. Interns are assigned to an organizational unit of OHCHR according to the needs of the Office and their own areas of interest. They are involved, inter alia, in: researching human rights issues, drafting analytical papers and reports, providing substantive and technical servicing of meetings, backstopping fact-finding and technical cooperation activities as well as field operations and supporting other OHCHR activities, depending on the exigencies of the Office. As part of the internship programme, OHCHR endeavours to brief interns through a series of information sessions on human rights issues conducted by staff of the Office.


Requirements

Participants in the internship programme are selected from graduate students and holders of graduate level degrees in disciplines related to the work of the United Nations, e.g. International Law, Political Science, History, Social Sciences. Preference will be given to those, within these disciplines, who have specialized in human rights issues. Typically, interns do not have previous working experience of this nature. Applicants must be sponsored by an academic institution and must have a good command of at least two of the six official languages of the United Nations, i.e. English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese. Drafting ability in either English or French is required.

Please use the following table to check your eligibility for the Internship Programme before you send us an application:

1. You are currently enrolled in a Master or PhD (or similar programme) and will be during the entire internship, or
You are pursuing studies in a country where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages, and you are currently enrolled in your fifth year (or higher) at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree.

2. You are able to obtain the necessary visa and to arrange your travel to the United Nations.

3. You are able to cover the costs of travel, accommodation, as well as living expenses of the internship (approx. 1.800 chf/month).

4. If selected, you will be able to prove valid medical insurance coverage for your stay in Switzerland, provide a medical certificate stating that you are in good health and prove your enrollment in graduate studies.

5. You are able to communicate fluently in English and/or French.

Note: To be eligible, you must answer "Yes" to all 5 questions. If you answer "No" to one or more of the above question(s), you should consider postponing your application until the above requirements are met.

Internship dates and duration

The maximum number of interns accepted by OHCHR at any given time is 50. There are two selections a year: the first deadline is End of May to apply for the period starting from July. The second deadline is End of October for the period starting from January. Unless specifically contemplated under an agreement between OHCHR and an academic institution, internships are for a minimum period of three months and may be renewed once for a further three-month period. The maximum duration of internships at OHCHR is six months. When applying for an internship, candidates should indicate the quarter(s) for which they wish to be considered.


Conditions of service
According to the prevailing Swiss legislation, asylum seekers are not permitted to seek any form of employment, whether paid or unpaid, including internship. The legislation also extends to international organisations such as OHCHR.

Interns are assigned to work with a supervisor who is responsible for providing them with a description of duties and a workplan. Upon completion of the internship, both the supervisor and the intern are required to complete a final report describing what was achieved during the internship. In addition, every intern is requested to complete an evaluation questionnaire on his/her assignment and to submit it to OHCHR's Administrative Section.

United Nations internships are not remunerated and interns are not considered officials or staff members of the Organization. Travel costs and living expenses must be borne by the interns themselves or by a sponsoring institution. Interns are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and for obtaining visas. In Geneva, interns are provided, upon arrival, with a Swiss ID card for the duration of the internship by OHCHR's Administrative Section. They are also provided with a U.N. ground pass, a library card and general information about OHCHR and the United Nations.

The United Nations accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship. Interns must have their own health insurance. In case of illness or other circumstances which might prevent the completion of the internship, interns will inform their supervisor and OHCHR's Administrative Section.

There is no expectancy of employment at the end of the internship and interns cannot apply for any regular or temporary position with the United Nations during the internship and for a period of six months following the expiration date thereof.

Interns are expected to work full-time and to carry out the duties assigned to them. They do not accrue annual leave during the period of the internship. Otherwise they are bound by the same duties and obligations as regular staff members; in particular, all confidential and unpublished information obtained during the internship may not be used by interns without the written authorization of the United Nations.Procedure for applying

Applicants should submit the following documentation:

a duly completed, stamped, dated and signed internship application form;
a list of courses taken, transcripts of grades or diplomas;
a written sample of research work or an abstract of academic papers (3-12 pages maximum);
a proof of enrolment in graduate studies;
a proof of enrolement in a health insurance plan;
For information see also the Administrative Instruction about the Internship Programme (ST/AI/2000/9)

Application deadline

Closing dates for application is 31 October for the November/December selection.

Selected candidates are normally informed approximately one month before the starting date of the internship. Due to the large number of applicants, OHCHR is unable to inform unsuccessful candidates. Unsuccessful candidates may re-apply for following periods.

Address for applications


Internship Programme - Intersnship Coordinator - Administrative Section (for both internships and stipends)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations, CH-1211
Geneva 10, Switzerlandor
Email address:
internship@ohchr.org

Please send all applications either as scanned documents in PDF format or as WORD attachments and limit the number of documents to two maximum. The naming convention for documents is:LAST NAME First Name - ApplicationEx: SMITH John - Writing Samples

Source: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx


Please kindly mention Scholarization.blogspot.com when applying for this internship


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Scholarship Team: Ph.D Scholar Krisstofferson Joniel Scholarship Adviser, PhD Scholar Chea Vitom Scholarship Adviser and Senior Lecturer, PhD Scholar Rebecca T. Dalisay Scholarship Adviser, Ph.D Student Jiao Wang Scholarship Coordinator, MSc Student Dennise Maricel Scholarship Coordinator