Intern

Background:

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the principal institution of the OSCE responsible for the human dimension. ODIHR is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic institutions and processes, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and Roma and Sinti issues. ODIHR's assistance projects and other activities are implemented in participating States in accordance with ODIHR's mandate.

Racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance continue to threaten security in the increasingly diverse societies across the OSCE region. ODIHR has developed a collection of resources and programmes to raise awareness about discrimination, hate crimes, anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance, including against Muslims, Christians and members of other religions. Through advising on policy and the training of criminal justice system professionals and educators, the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (TND) department works to build the capacity of governments in preventing and responding to this problem. TND also works to increase the ability of civil society to monitor and report on hate crimes and incidents.

The ODIHR Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department is planning to recruit one intern for a period of three months, with the possibility of an extension of further three months, starting in October 2026. Please note the starting date is subject to change. Please mention your availability in the cover letter.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

1. Assisting in monitoring the implementation of tolerance and non-discrimination commitments by the OSCE participating States, including research and analysis of developments related to tolerance and non-discrimination;
2. Assisting in the preparation of written materials including reports, overviews, briefing papers and/or documents on general or specific issues and/or specific countries or regions on tolerance and non-discrimination issues;
3. Assisting in the preparation and organization of events;
4. Note-taking and writing records of meetings;
5. Assisting with monitoring and evaluation of events and training courses;
6. Assisting in the preparation of ODIHR’s annual hate crime reporting;
7. Performing other related tasks as assigned.

Necessary Qualifications:

• The upper age limit for applicants is 30 years;
• Applicants should be from an OSCE participating State;
• Students in their final year of full-time studies from an accredited institution in Journalism, Humanities, Political Science, Law, International Relations or similar field, at graduate or postgraduate level; or recent graduates or postgraduates, i.e. within two years after graduation;
• Previous exposure and/or experience in dealing with human rights issues is an asset;
• Good working knowledge of English, both oral and written; knowledge of Russian is highly desirable;
• Proven competence in research and analytical writing;
• Demonstrable organizational, communication, reporting and team-working skills;
• Ability to work with people of different nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds;
• Gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.
• Ability to operate Windows applications, including word processing, Excel and e-mail.

Remuneration Package:

The OSCE is not in a position to pay any remuneration or cover any expenses incurred by the intern during his/her stay nor reimburse travel expenses. Some compensation towards the cost of living may be offered to interns who do not reside in the place of assignment, subject to availability of the funds.

The selected intern may participate in the group health insurance scheme at his/her own expense, but the OSCE will cover life and accident/disability insurance. If the intern opts to arrange his/her own medical coverage, he/she shall provide evidence of medical coverage for the duty station he/she applies to, and for any eventual duty trip destinations.

The internship does not constitute a commitment to future employment with the OSCE.

How to apply:
If you meet the above requirements and wish to apply for this internship opportunity, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/. Please mention your availability dates in the cover letter.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see https://www.osce.org/participating-states.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, or offer an internship with modified terms of reference or a different duration.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Additional Information

• Issued by: Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
• Requisition ID: ODI000322
• Contract Type: Intern
• Grade: No grade
• Job Type: Intern
• Number of posts: 1
• Location: ODI - Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Warsaw
• Issue Date: Aug 21, 2026
• Closing Date: Sep 4, 2026
• Employee Status: Short-Term
• Schedule: Full-time
• Job Field: Human Rights
• Target Start Date: October 2026