The United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva is recruiting an Outreach/Social Media intern for its Press and External Relations Section. The placement runs for 6 months in Geneva, it is unpaid, and applications close on 29 October 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we read the full job opening, and every duty, condition and requirement is laid out below.
Six Months in Geneva: The Core Facts
📌 Position: Outreach/Social Media intern
🆔 Job Opening ID: 286113
🏛️ Department/Office: United Nations Office at Geneva
🗂️ Job family: Public Information
🏷️ Category and level: Affiliate Personnel, Internships, I-1
🪪 Recruitment type: Intern
📍 Duty station: Geneva
🗺️ Work location: Geneva
⏱️ Expected duration: 6 months
💶 Remuneration: Unpaid
UNIS Geneva: The Voice of the United Nations Office at Geneva
The United Nations Information Service in Geneva is the voice of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Through the media and its own news and information products, UNIS keeps the world informed about Geneva's unique role in multilateralism, diplomacy, and international relations.
It also fosters a dialogue with key audiences, especially youth, through a range of outreach activities. That youth focus is exactly where this internship sits.
How the Official UN Position Reaches the World
UNIS conveys the official position of the United Nations on a wide range of subjects through:
🎤 Press conferences and briefings
📄 Official statements
🗣️ Interviews
🎧 Podcasts
📱 Social media
🎪 Outreach events
Close to 200 Accredited Correspondents
UNIS provides both breaking news and in-depth material to international print and audiovisual media. It serves the needs of close to 200 correspondents from the world's major news agencies and foreign media outlets permanently accredited to the United Nations in Geneva.
Working in this Section means producing material that reaches that press corps and the audiences behind it.
Who You Will Report To
The internship is under the direct supervision of the Press Officer who:
🎓 Coordinates the Graduate Study Programme (GSP)
📲 Manages @UNGeneva social media
Those two responsibilities map directly onto the two halves of the intern's workload.
The 65th Graduate Study Programme: The Main Project
The intern will help with planning, organizing, conducting, and evaluating the 65th Graduate Study Programme, which will be held in June and July 2027.
This is a named, dated flagship programme rather than a vague assignment, so the intern joins at the preparation stage and works towards a fixed delivery date.
Selecting the Participants
Specific tasks include the preselection and final selection of participants for the Programme. The intern takes part in the process that decides who joins the 65th edition.
Correspondence With Participants, Speakers and Counterparts
The role involves correspondence with participants, speakers, moderators, and other counterparts. Liaising with several groups at once is a core part of the work, which is why the job opening asks applicants to list any experience with organizing events and liaising with various counterparts.
Documents, Files and the Software Behind Them
The intern prepares various documents and files, including:
📑 Agendas
📰 Information leaflets
📘 Brochures
🗒️ Reports
These are produced in Word, Excel, PDF, Canva, PPT, and Adobe PremierPro. The tool list mixes office software with design and video editing, so the role is both administrative and creative.
Statistics, Feedback and Fresh Ideas
Three further GSP tasks round out the Programme work:
🔢 Conducting statistical analyses
💡 Proposing innovative ways to improve the Programme
📝 Analyzing participants' feedback
The intern is explicitly invited to suggest improvements, not only to execute what already exists.
Creating Content for @UNGeneva
The second half of the role is social media. The intern will create social media content for @UNGeneva channels, using Adobe PremierPro, Canva, Trello, and other platforms.
Trello on that list points to content planning and workflow, alongside the editing and design work itself.
Measuring How @UNGeneva Performs
The intern will conduct regular analysis of @UNGeneva performance on social media. Reporting on reach and engagement is a standing task, not a one-off project, which fits the statistical analysis asked for on the Programme side.
Browse more internships and traineeships on Youth Works Hub →
Daily Media Monitoring in Four Languages
The intern will contribute to daily media monitoring of Swiss newspapers in French, German, Italian, and English. Switzerland's multilingual press landscape is the reason the language bar for this internship is set high.
Biweekly Press Briefings
The intern is expected to attend biweekly press briefings. These are the regular briefings through which UNIS speaks to the accredited press corps in Geneva.
Human Rights Council and Treaty Body Meetings
The intern will also attend meetings of human rights treaty bodies, the Human Rights Council, and other major events. Geneva is where these bodies meet, and the internship puts the intern in the room.
Other Tasks Across the Service
Finally, the intern will carry out any other tasks as requested by the United Nations Information Service, so the workload can extend beyond the listed duties when the Service needs it.
The Education Criteria You Must Meet
To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, one of the following conditions must be met:
🎓 Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher)
📜 Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent)
The job opening restates this requirement: applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master's or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor's, Master's or Ph.D. Programme.
Proof of Studies, Now and Later
Applicants are asked to indicate which of the above criteria they meet and attach proof to the application. The job opening also notes that the selected candidate will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage, so the document trail continues after the application.
Work Experience: Not Required, Still Worth Listing
No prior work experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme, and applicants are not required to have professional work experience.
Even so, the job opening asks applicants to list:
🗂️ Any experience with organizing events and liaising with various counterparts
📣 Any experience in the field of communications, particularly with outreach, event organization, or social media management
Why Your Field of Study Matters Here
A field of study closely related to the type of internship being applied for is required. Applicants are asked to explain how their field of study relates to the work of UN Information Service Geneva.
For an unpaid United Nations placement, that explanation is the heart of the application. If you are weighing this kind of offer against a salaried position, our guide on how funded traineeships actually work sets out the difference between a paid internship and one where the costs sit with you.
English and French Are Both Required
Fluency in both English and French, oral and written, is required for this position. This is not a preference: it is the stated language requirement, and the daily media monitoring explains why.
German, Italian and Other UN Languages as an Advantage
Knowledge of any other UN languages, German, or Italian, is an advantage. German and Italian are named separately because Swiss newspapers in both languages are part of the monitoring work.
An Unpaid Internship: What That Means in Practice
The job opening states twice that the placement is unpaid: "This unpaid internship is located in the Press and External Relations Section" and "NB: This internship is unpaid."
The conditions are spelled out:
💶 Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations
✈️ Costs and arrangements for travel are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions
🛂 Visa costs and arrangements are also the intern's or the sponsoring institution's responsibility
🏠 Accommodation is the intern's or the sponsoring institution's responsibility
🧾 Living expenses are the intern's or the sponsoring institution's responsibility
Geneva is an expensive duty station, so the sponsoring institution route matters for anyone applying without other funding.
Visas and Work Authorisation
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/employment authorization.
The job opening advises that successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer, so the conversation happens before you commit.
The United Nations Never Charges a Fee
The job opening carries the standard notice: the United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process, whether application, interview meeting, processing, or training. The United Nations also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
Any message asking you to pay for this internship, or asking for your bank details, is not coming from the United Nations.
How to Apply
The application for this job opening is more than a CV upload. Make sure you:
✅ Indicate which education criterion you meet (graduate programme, or final year of a first university degree)
📎 Attach proof of your studies to the application
🧭 Explain how your field of study is related to the work of UN Information Service Geneva
🗂️ List any experience with organizing events and liaising with various counterparts
📣 List any experience in communications, outreach, event organization or social media management
📜 Be ready to provide an official certificate at a later stage
Who This Placement Suits
This internship fits a student or recent graduate in communications, public information, international relations or a related field who already works with Canva and Adobe PremierPro, is comfortable reporting on social media performance, and reads French, German, Italian and English press. The Graduate Study Programme side rewards anyone who has organised an event before and enjoys the coordination that goes with it.
Listings like this one are published as they open on Youth Works Hub, with the application link in every post.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Outreach/Social Media intern at UNIS Geneva do?
The intern splits the role between the 65th Graduate Study Programme (planning, organizing, conducting and evaluating it, including participant selection and correspondence) and @UNGeneva social media (creating content and analysing performance). Daily media monitoring, press briefings and treaty body meetings are also part of the work.
Where is this internship based?
In Geneva, Switzerland, at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The duty station and the work location are both Geneva.
How long does the internship last?
The expected duration is 6 months.
Is the UNIS Geneva internship paid?
No. The job opening states clearly that this internship is unpaid and that interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of the intern or their sponsoring institution.
Which section of UNIS is the internship in?
The Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva.
When is the Graduate Study Programme held?
The 65th Graduate Study Programme will be held in June and July 2027.
What education do I need to apply?
You must either be enrolled in or have completed a graduate school programme (second university degree or higher), or be enrolled in or have completed the final academic year of a first university degree at minimum bachelor's level. You need to indicate which criterion you meet and attach proof.
Do I need work experience?
No. No prior work experience is required, and applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. You are still asked to list any relevant experience in events, liaison and communications.
Which languages do I need?
Fluency in both English and French, oral and written, is required. Knowledge of any other UN languages, German or Italian is an advantage.
What software should I know?
The duties name Word, Excel, PDF, Canva, PPT, and Adobe PremierPro for documents and files, and Adobe PremierPro, Canva, Trello, and other platforms for social media content.
Do I need a visa?
Possibly. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship takes place may need the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization, and successful candidates should discuss their specific requirements before accepting the offer.
Is there a nationality requirement?
The job opening lists no nationality requirement. The stated conditions concern education, languages and the relevance of your field of study.
Does the United Nations charge an application fee?
No. The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of recruitment, and it does not ask for information about applicants' bank accounts.
When is the application deadline?
The deadline is 29 October 2026.
Deadline
⏳ 29 October 2026
Link
🔗 Job opening and application (Apply Now): https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/286113?language=en
