In 2023, our two rounds of volunteering/internships run respectively: Winter-Spring 2023 (from 20 February to 7 July 2023 and Fall 2023 (from 4 September to 1 December 2023).
The Human Rights Policy Studies Department permanently has a multidisciplinary and international team. GHR recruits non-paid interns and welcome applications from students and graduates in international relations, international law, human rights, political science and economics, who are motivated in the promotion and protection of human rights and social justice.
Preference is given to post-graduate students in law, human rights and international relations, to long-term interns (3-6 months) and to the candidates coming from universities and research centers, with whom GHR has signed contracts or Memorandum of Understandings.
GHR ensures that its interns and fellows are trained during their stay with the organization. Interns and fellows participate in the Geneva Courses conducted during their internship with GHR. Each week, interns, fellows and other members of the HPS team receive a briefing from GHR trainers on the main features and developments of the human rights meetings they are monitoring.
GHR established partnerships with universities and research centres and recruit up to 20 interns each year.
GHR considers internships as a training. The interns participate in the weekly study meetings and in the Geneva Courses.
The interns join our Programme of Human Rights Policy Studies (HPS): monitoring U.N. human rights sessions, drafting short analytical summaries of the debates and of the main reports submitted, collecting and managing the documentation of these meetings. The HPS Programme is indispensable for the quality of GHR training. Depending on their level of knowledge and training, interns may also be invited to join meetings of NGOs coalitions and to help organizing training Courses.
GHR offers its interns weekly briefings on the developments in the UN human rights system and a participation free of charge in GHR 2 ½ week Geneva Course for defenders in the regions. The Geneva Courses takes place during the sessions of the Human Rights Council, in February-March 2022 and in September 2022.
In the monitoring, the priorities of Geneva for Human Rights are the sessions of the Human Rights Council (sessions of March, June and September) and its Mechanisms, of the treaty bodies, and of the Universal Periodic Review. GHR trainers animate a weekly meeting with the interns to discuss and analyze the ongoing UN meetings and to review the reports of these sessions.
As in previous years, GHR recruits interns to constitute a multidisciplinary and international team. We welcome applications from students and graduates in international relations, international law and economics, who are motivated in the promotion of human rights, social justice and (sustainable) development.
In addition, long-term interns are assigned specific study projects corresponding, where possible, to the theme of their forthcoming thesis, and coinciding with GHR thematic priorities. GHR also ensures the necessary follow-up to these long-term internships, by facilitating their placement in specialized institutes for their PhD and their search for jobs.
In 2020 and 2021, HPS monitored all the ordinary and special sessions of the HR-Council and its mechanisms, treaty bodies and the briefings organized by OHCHR. The Department drafted analytical summaries of the UN sessions and compilations for GHR Courses. HPS also issued documentation kits for the Geneva Courses.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic situation we may accept less interns than usual. We will update our policy along with the Swiss health regulations.
