Youth Works Hub has gathered five climate and sustainable finance internships for 2026 in one batch, based in South Korea, Switzerland, France and Brazil. The hosts are the Green Climate Fund in Incheon, the United Nations Environment Programme in Geneva and Paris, and WRI Brasil in São Paulo. Two of the five calls pay the intern and three are unpaid, and every deadline falls between 21 and 25 October 2026, with the Green Climate Fund and UNEP FI calls closing first on 21 October.
Every call in this batch sits in climate, environment or sustainable finance work: evaluation evidence at the Green Climate Fund, sustainable finance policy at the UNEP Finance Initiative, fiscal policy and harmful subsidies at UNEP's Economic and Fiscal Policy Unit, the buildings and construction agenda of GlobalABC in Paris, and forest and landscape restoration at WRI Brasil. The calls are written for current students, and four of the five are also open to recent graduates. Our guide to how paid internships and funded traineeships really work explains how an employer paid stipend differs from a grant.
All five listings carry the same eligible country list, covering 195 countries, and the application link behind each listing goes to the organisation's own careers portal. Before you apply anywhere, it is worth reading how we verify every opportunity that goes on the site.
Each call has its own angle:
🇰🇷 South Korea: The Green Climate Fund pays US$1,600 a month for a six-month evaluation internship in Incheon.
🇨🇭 Switzerland: The UNEP FI Policy Intern can work remotely or in Geneva on sustainable finance policy and regulation.
🇫🇷 France: UNEP opens two GlobalABC internship positions in Paris, starting in January 2027 and July 2027.
🇨🇭 Switzerland: UNEP's Economic and Fiscal Policy Unit takes an intern for work on harmful subsidies and sustainable budgeting.
🇧🇷 Brazil: WRI Brasil pays a bolsa auxílio set for 30 hours a week of restoration work in São Paulo.
According to Youth Works Hub's review of the five job openings, funding splits in two across this batch. The Green Climate Fund internship pays US$1,600 a month, and the WRI Brasil internship pays a bolsa auxílio set for 30 hours a week, with a transport allowance and a meal and food allowance on a flexible card. The three UNEP internships are unpaid: interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations, and costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions.
📅 Deadlines: 21 Oct (2) · 22 Oct (1) · 24 Oct (1) · 25 Oct (1)
🌍 Countries: 🇨🇭 Switzerland (2) · 🇧🇷 Brazil · 🇫🇷 France · 🇰🇷 South Korea
In This Batch
- 📅 21 Oct · 🇰🇷 South Korea · Internship
- 📅 21 Oct · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · Internship
- 📅 22 Oct · 🇫🇷 France · Internship
- 📅 24 Oct · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · Internship
- 📅 25 Oct · 🇧🇷 Brazil · Internship
What's in this batch:
5 Internships · 4 Countries
💼 Internships & Traineeships
1. 🇰🇷 Independent Evaluation Unit Intern 📊 Green Climate Fund (GCF) Internship in Incheon, South Korea 🌱 (US$1,600/month)
📅 Deadline: 21 October 2026 (KST)
📍 Songdo Business District, Incheon, South Korea · 👥 PhD or master's students and recent graduates · ⏳ Six months, full time, with the possibility of renewal · 💶 US$1,600/month
The Green Climate Fund is a multilateral fund created to make significant and ambitious contributions to the global efforts to combat climate change, and its Independent Evaluation Unit informs the decision making of the GCF Board, conducts periodic independent evaluations of GCF performance and reports to the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC. The Evaluation Intern works across the Unit's workstreams but mainly with its Uptake and Engagement team: learning, uptake and communications work, content development, drafting, design and layout of evaluation products, website maintenance, team and workstream meetings, evaluation webinars, learning talks and workshops, and the analysis, research and administration behind independent evaluations, including the synthesis of qualitative reports and evaluative evidence.
The essential qualifications are current enrolment in a PhD or Masters programme or recent graduation, excellent written and spoken English with writing, branding or multimedia skills, excellent computer and interpersonal skills, mature judgment and commitment to confidentiality, and good analytical skills. Experience in a multilateral setting or in communication, journalism or marketing, industry standard design and editorial software including Adobe Creative Suite and Zotero, qualitative methods and synthesis, experience of climate or environmental evaluation, research or policy, and another United Nations language are listed as desired rather than essential. Remuneration is US$1,600/month over six months with the possibility of renewal, and applications from women and nationals of developing countries are strongly encouraged.
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🌍 All opportunities in South Korea →
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2. 🇨🇭 Policy Intern 🏛️ UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Internship in Geneva, Switzerland 🌱
📅 Deadline: 21 October 2026
📍 Geneva, Switzerland, remote or in Geneva · 👥 Final year bachelor's students, graduate students and recent graduates · ⏳ 6 months, full time · 💶 Unpaid
The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative is the strategic partnership between the United Nations and over 500 banks, insurers and investors, and for over 34 years it has been shaping and driving the international sustainable finance agenda. According to the job opening, public policy critically affects the ability of finance institutions to generate sustainable positive impacts and reduce negative impacts through financing decisions, and sustainable finance policies have become central to enabling and accelerating a successful transition. The Policy Intern supports UNEP FI's Global Policy Team in four areas: communications and events, from website content and newsletter entries to webinars and workshops; policy research on taxonomies, climate and nature related frameworks and regional policy developments; fundraising work such as donor and partner mapping, donor pipelines and concept notes; and day to day operations for the team.
UNEP FI is looking for a recent undergraduate or master's graduate in public policy, international relations, economics, finance, environmental studies, communications, business administration or a related field, with strong research, analytical and writing skills and proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint and Word. Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate school programme, be in the final academic year of a first university degree, or have graduated and commence the internship within one year of graduation, and fluency in oral and written English is required. Professional work experience is not required, but the internship is unpaid, and travel, visa, accommodation and living costs are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions.
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3. 🇫🇷 GlobalABC Intern (ICBC and Hubs & Action Groups) 🏗️ UNEP Buildings and Cooling Unit Internship in Paris, France 🌍
📅 Deadline: 22 October 2026
📍 Paris, France · 👥 Graduate students, final year students and recent graduates · ⏳ 6 months, full time, five days per week (37.5 hours) · 💶 Unpaid
UNEP has hosted the Secretariat of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction since its launch at the first Buildings Day at COP21 in 2015, and with over 430 members, including 75 national governments, GlobalABC is the leading global platform committed to a zero emission, efficient and resilient buildings and construction sector. The internship sits in UNEP's Buildings and Cooling Unit in Paris and assists that work: online events and webinars, the 2027 GlobalABC Annual Assembly, GlobalABC activities at COP32 in Addis Ababa, coordination of the Hubs, the Action Groups and the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate, member outreach and databases, communication materials such as presentations, articles, newsletters and Knowledge Platform content, and meeting notes and outcome based summaries.
Two internship positions are open: one is expected to start in January 2027 with two interns, and one in July 2027 with two interns. Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate school programme, be in the final academic year of a university degree, or have graduated and commence the internship within one year of graduation, and fluency in English is required; a completed or ongoing Master's degree in environmental policy, political science, international development or economics is preferred, preferably with a specialization in sustainable buildings and construction, resource efficiency, circularity, climate change or a related field. The internship is unpaid and full time at 37.5 hours a week, and candidates are responsible for obtaining the necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station.
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4. 🇨🇭 Sustainable Fiscal Policy and Public Finance Intern 📊 UNEP Internship in Geneva, Switzerland 🌱
📅 Deadline: 24 October 2026
📍 Geneva, Switzerland · 👥 Graduate students, final year bachelor's students and recent graduates · ⏳ 6 months · 💶 Unpaid
UNEP's Economic and Fiscal Policy Unit sits in the Finance and Economics Branch of the Industry and Economy Division and supports global efforts on green fiscal policy reforms, advising countries on how fiscal policies can support the inclusive green economy and the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. According to the job opening, the intern has five tasks: programmatic support for project design, implementation, monitoring and reporting on issues such as net zero and nature positive integration as well as sustainable fiscal policy and public finance; policy research and advocacy on sustainable fiscal policy and public policy, including harmful subsidies, specifically those related to agriculture and fossil fuels, and sustainable budgeting; communications for UNEP EFPU and the Green Fiscal Policy Network; support for the programmatic, policy and communications needs of the unit; and other activities the team requests.
Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate school programme, be in the final academic year of a first university degree, or have graduated and commence the internship within one year of graduation, and the candidate would benefit from a degree in a related field such as economics, environment, public policy, development or international relations, as well as from previous work experience on green economy issues. Fluency in oral and written English is required, and knowledge of another UN language, particularly Spanish, is desirable. The internship is unpaid, travel, visa, accommodation and living costs are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions, and internships with the United Nations Secretariat have a maximum duration of six months, after which a further Secretariat internship is no longer possible.
5. 🇧🇷 Restoration Intern 🌱 WRI Brasil Forests and Land Use Internship in São Paulo, Brazil 🌳 (Paid)
📅 Deadline: 25 October 2026
📍 São Paulo, Brazil, Office Flex hybrid model · 👥 Students currently enrolled in environmental management or engineering, forest engineering, biological sciences, agronomy, geography or related areas · ⏳ Part time, 30 hours per week · 💶 Bolsa auxílio, amount not published
WRI Brasil's Forests and Land Use Programme works to make the conservation and the recovery of native vegetation central elements in the economic, social and environmental plans of cities, states and of Brazil as a whole, and this internship sits in the Restoration area of that programme. The intern supports the technical team with the flow of project follow up reports and records, project alignment and status meetings, presentations for internal and external meetings, the organisation of events and workshops in articulation with the technical and administrative teams and with suppliers, contracting processes linked to Terms of Reference, bibliographic surveys on restoration, content for the project's knowledge and communication products, and filing in Sharepoint along with minutes, decisions and referrals from meetings.
The vacancy asks for higher education in progress in Environmental Management, Environmental Engineering, Forest Engineering, Biological Sciences, Agronomy, Geography or related areas, an interest in the landscape and forest restoration agenda, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, good written communication in Portuguese, and knowledge of text editing, spreadsheet and presentation tools such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint; English for reading documents is listed as a differential, and research or event organisation experience as desirable rather than mandatory. The pay is a bolsa auxílio set for 30 weekly hours, with the amount not published in the vacancy, alongside a transport allowance, a meal and food allowance on a flexible card, a 13th bolsa auxílio proportional to the month of admission, life insurance, a birthday day off and a break between Christmas and New Year. Applications are made exclusively through WRI Brasil's own careers channel, and WRI Brasil may close them earlier if it receives a high volume of applications from qualified candidates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these internships are paid?
Two of the five internships pay the intern. The Green Climate Fund pays US$1,600 a month in Incheon, and WRI Brasil pays a bolsa auxílio set for 30 weekly hours without publishing the amount, while the three UNEP internships in Geneva and Paris are unpaid. The three UNEP pages state that the United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process, whether application, interview meeting, processing or training, and that the United Nations does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. If an offer you meet somewhere else does ask for payment, our guide on how to spot a real project and avoid fake offers sets out the red flags.
Who can apply to these climate and sustainable finance internships?
All five calls are open to students, and four of them also accept recent graduates. The eligible country list on each of the five listings covers 195 countries. The three UNEP internships accept applicants who are enrolled in a graduate school programme, are in the final academic year of a first university degree, or have graduated and commence the internship within one year of graduation; the Green Climate Fund asks for current enrolment in a PhD or Masters programme or recent graduation; and WRI Brasil asks for higher education in progress in environmental management or engineering, forest engineering, biological sciences, agronomy, geography or related areas. A field of study closely related to the internship is required in the UNEP calls, and professional work experience is not. The UNEP calls add that interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work authorization, so our guide on when you need a visa or a residence permit is worth reading early.
Read together, the five calls are one agenda in four places: evaluation evidence at the Green Climate Fund in Incheon, sustainable finance policy and fiscal policy at UNEP in Geneva, the buildings and construction agenda at GlobalABC in Paris, and forest and landscape restoration at WRI Brasil in São Paulo. Four of the five run for six months, and the São Paulo placement is part time at 30 hours a week.
A move to Incheon, Geneva, Paris or São Paulo is also a move into a new country, and our guide to culture shock and homesickness abroad covers what the first weeks usually feel like. Youth Works Hub publishes climate and sustainable finance internships as they open, with the organisation's own application page behind every listing. Apply through the listing that matches your field.
