🇨🇭 International Investment Agreements Intern 🏦 UNCTAD Internship in Geneva, Switzerland 📊

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is offering an internship in its International Investment Agreements (IIAs) Section. The Internship Programme is unpaid and full-time, meaning an intern is expected to work five days per week, 40 hours in total. The internship is offered either on an in-person or a remote basis, and will tentatively start in August 2026 for a period of 3 months. The IIAs Section strives to expose interns to all three pillars of UNCTAD's activities: research, intergovernmental meetings, and technical assistance to governments, mainly from developing countries.

What You Will Do

Your tasks during the internship will span three areas of work.

Research

📈 Assist in collecting data on IIAs, including bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and treaties with investment provisions (TIPs), for example for the G20 reporting and the IIA database

⚖️ Assist in collecting data on investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) cases, for example for the update of the ISDS database

🔎 Assist in conducting research on recent investment policy trends and developments, including monitoring national and international policy developments as reported in UNCTAD's regular reporting, the World Investment Report and other publications

🗂️ Assist in updating, in Excel format, the mapping of IIAs in line with the criteria developed from UNCTAD's Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development, for Investment Policy Reviews, the World Investment Report, the update of the Mapping of IIA Content, and upon specific requests by stakeholders

🧩 Assist in conducting, in Excel format, the mapping of other IIA features, including emerging issues such as investment facilitation and cooperation

📝 Assist in conducting background research for, and help finalise, IIA Issues Notes on specific topics related to IIAs and ISDS

Intergovernmental meetings

🗓️ Assist with the organisation and preparation of UNCTAD's intergovernmental processes, such as the Annual IIA Conference, the World Investment Forum, the Multistakeholder Platform on IIA Reform and other meetings

✉️ Assist with invitations, confirmations, and inputs for speech-writing and presentations by UNCTAD senior staff

Technical assistance

🌍 Assist in conducting background research and analysis for the delivery of technical assistance, such as ad hoc advisory work including the review of a country's IIA network and/or model treaty commentary

🧑‍🏫 Assist with the organisation of capacity-building activities, such as preparing slides, exercises or background material for training, and organising face-to-face or virtual meetings, seminars or workshops

🖊️ Assist with proofreading and editing of publications

💻 Assist with updating the Investment Policy Hub website and with the use of social media, tweeting and webinars

📊 Assist in preparing inputs for reporting on programme activities

🕊️ Also open in Switzerland: Witness Support Intern at the Syria IIIM Internship in 🇨🇭 Switzerland → https://youthworkshub.org/21965

Working Remotely

To work remotely, you must have full access to a computer with a modern browser able to run the latest version of Office 365 applications, with basic IT security best practices in place. At a minimum, you should have the latest version of the operating system with software and security updates installed as soon as they are issued, the built-in software firewall enabled, and a password manager enabled for creating strong passwords and securing access to all UNCTAD and UN-related resources.

Who Can Apply

To qualify, you must meet one of the following requirements at the time of application: be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (a second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme at bachelor's level or equivalent. No working experience is required, but the field of study should be in the same area as the work of the internship. You should be computer literate in standard software applications, have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter, and be able to interact successfully with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs.

🪨 Another one worth a look: Geotechnical Site Investigation Internship in 🇨🇭 Switzerland → https://youthworkshub.org/20447

The Details

📆 Duration: 10 August 2026 to 10 November 2026 (3 months)

🕘 Schedule: full-time, 40 hours per week, five days per week

📍 Location: Geneva, Switzerland, in-person or remote

🌐 Language: fluency, oral and written, in English is required; knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset

Funding

This internship is unpaid. Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations, and the costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation, medical insurance and living expenses are the responsibility of the intern or their sponsoring institution. For in-person internships, interns must have a valid visa.

How to Apply

Submit a complete online application, including a Cover Note and a Personal History Profile. The Cover Note should include the title of your degree, your graduation date, the IT skills and programmes you are proficient in, and an explanation of why you are the best candidate for the internship.