The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) accepts interns on an ad hoc basis. The internships are open to graduate or post-graduate students and recent graduates, who have specialized in a field related to UNECE programmes of work, namely: environment, transport, statistics, sustainable energy, trade, timber and forests, housing and land management, population, economic cooperation and integration and gender. Internships are offered without financial remuneration.
The United Nations accepts no legal or administrative liability for interns who are not accorded the status of a United Nations staff member. All costs connected with an internship, including travel, accommodation and insurance, are borne by the intern or his/her sponsor.
An internship carries no expectancy of subsequent employment with the United Nations. Interns are required to submit a certificate of good health and, wherever applicable, to obtain themselves the appropriate visa.
The intern can check the visa requirements with the Swiss embassy/consulate in his/her country. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign affairs website also provides initial guidance on https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
The working languages of UNECE are English, French and Russian.
The normal duration of an internship is three to six months.
Upon completion of the internship UNECE will issue an evaluation of the intern’s performance.
Please note that UNECE does not sign any internship agreements with Universities.
Eligibility criteria
Only applicants who meet one of the following conditions at the time of application will be considered:
- Be enrolled in an advanced degree programme in a graduate school (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
- Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent);
- Have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship either prior to graduation, or within a one-year period of graduation.
Application procedure
Upon acceptance of the above-mentioned conditions, qualified applicants are requested to apply through Inspira: https://inspira.un.org
Final selection and acceptance
Please note that only candidates successful in the application process will be contacted. If you receive an offer, please confirm your acceptance as soon as possible by submitting the documents requested, that will include an attestation of Medical Insurance (clearly indicating the coverage of the internship period in Switzerland) and a recent medical certificate of good health.