UNESCO Internship – All Sectors / Bureaus

UNESCO Internship – All Sectors / Bureaus. An internship with UNESCO will give you experience of the daily working environment of the United Nations specialized agency. You will be working in a team from one of the Programme Sectors or Central Services (the support services) of the Organization, at Headquarters, in one of the Field Offices, or in a Category I Institute.  

You will be part of a team in which you will be exposed to a range of colleagues, making a meaningful contribution to the work of the team and the Organization. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to improve an array of technical and professional skills in a multi-cultural environment.

Interns may:  

• Assist in organizing and communicating about events.
• Participate in meetings and workshops, with internal and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to the technical work of the team/Unit/Sector.
• Carry out and prepare summaries of research.
• Contribute to the preparation of documents, including substantive and communication materials.
• Perform tasks that may be required in specific projects.
• Collect, analyze and present data.
• Liaise with colleagues in other entities of the United Nations System.

Duty Station: Headquarters, Field Offices, and Institutes
Type of contract : Internship
Duration of contract : 1 to 6 months
Recruitment open to : External Candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 30 June 2026

Required Qualifications

• Computer skills: You must have an excellent knowledge of computer systems and office-related software.
• Team player: You should be able to work well in a team and adapt to an international working environment.
• Communication skills: You should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills.
  
• Age: You must be at least 20 years old to apply.

Academic qualifications:

At the time of your application to the internship programme:

• You should be currently enrolled AND on the 3rd (third) year or last year of your Bachelor’s degree; OR
• You should be currently enrolled in your second university degree, Master’s or PhD degree or equivalent; OR
• You should have finished your Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree within the last 12 months (date of completion as indicated in diploma).
• Applicants in technical/vocational assignments must be enrolled in a specialized technical/vocational institution and must have reached the last year of their studies, or have recently graduated (within the last 12 months) from their school or institution.  

Languages:

• You should have an excellent command, both written and spoken, of English or French. A working knowledge of the other language (English or French) is an asset, and may be required for internships in secretarial and assistantship assignments at the Headquarters.

Learning Objectives

It is expected that assignments will provide interns with the opportunity to develop skills in a wide range of the above areas, and in the development of the Core competencies of the UNESCO Competency Framework: 

• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement. 
• Innovation
• Results focus 
• Planning and organizing 
• Accountability 
• Communication 
•  Teamwork.

Selection and Recruitment Process

• Candidates shall apply to this vacancy notice (or any of the available vacancy notices that match their expertise, domain, or interest). Please note that you are applying to become part of the pool of intern candidates, not to a specific internship opening.
• Candidates who successfully applied to the vacancy notice will stay in the intern talent pool and will be further assessed and selected by relevant hiring managers.  The candidature will be valid for 6 months. Candidates who have been selected will be contacted directly by the relevant hiring manager. If the candidate does not receive any update from UNESCO within six months, it means that the application has not been successful.