UN and Government Sites

  • BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR (DRL)

    Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and LaborDRL conducts human rights investigations, reports on country conditions, speeches and votes in the UN, and asylum profiles. DRL annually submits to Congress a report on human rights conditions. DRL provides relevant information on country conditions to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and immigration judges in asylum cases. Along with conducting investigations, DRL takes stands on current and past humanitarian abuses. For employment opportunities with the DRL visit the US Department of State’s website.

  • INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA (ICTY)

    International Criminal Tribunal for the Former YugoslaviaSecurity Council resolution 827 established ICTY in May of 1993. ICTY is located in Hague, Netherlands. Its mission is to bring to justice persons allegedly responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law, to render justice to the victims, to deter further crimes, and to contribute to the restoration of peace by promoting reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia. It has authority to prosecute when grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Convention occur, when countries violate the laws or customs of war, in cases of genocide, and in crimes against humanity. For information on employment visit their employment website. For information on internships visit their internship website. Applicants must have written and oral knowledge of English and/or French and are strongly encouraged to have written and oral knowledge of Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian. For more information about ICTY visit their website.

  • IPAS

    IPASIPAS strives to increase women’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights and to reduce deaths and injuries of women from unsafe abortion. Ipas’s global and country programs include training, research, advocacy, distribution of equipment and supplies for reproductive-health care, and information dissemination. For information on how to get involved in country programs email Ipas at programs@ipas.org.

  • The Office of Special Investigations of the US Department of Justice (OSI)

    OSIThe Office of Special Investigations of the US Department of Justice (OSI) began as a special team to prevent former Nazi officials and concentration camp employees accused of serious human rights crimes from entering the United States. One of the most celebrated cases they work on involved former guard John Demjanjuk, who was deported in 2009 to face charges in Germany. Currently, the OSI is shifting focus to new situations of human rights abuses around the world. They research then take action to deport accused human rights abusers to countries where they will be prosecuted.

    The OSI offers internships for both undergraduate and law students.

  • OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

    Office of the High Commissioner for Human RightsThe High Commissioner for Human Rights is responsible for overseeing human rights issues for the UN. This position was created in 1993 by the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Ms. Louise Arbour, a Canadian national, is the current High Commissioner for Human Rights. For current issues OHCHR is addressing visit their website.

  • UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)

    UN High Commissioner for RefugeesThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was created in 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. This international agency coordinates international action to protect refugees. It is primarily a humanitarian agency that strives to protect the rights of refugees and ensure them the right to seek asylum and safe refuge. It addresses refugee situations multilaterally. Currently, UNHCR has more than 570 sister organization that it works with individually to solve refugee conflicts. If you are seeking a career at the UNHCR please visit their website. You must take an entry exam, show working knowledge of English and a second UN language. For recent graduates, the Junior Professional Officer Programme allows young University graduates exposure to UNHCR. The average age range for this program is 25-32 years old. A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 2 years experience in the field is required to apply. Please visit their website to learn more about these positions. UNHCR also offer internships. Visit the website to learn more. They are currently not accepting any internship applications.