Internship: Research, Legal, Political and Social Affairs, Project Management

Job Description

Job Opening ID: 270775
Job Network : -
Job Family : Drug Control and Crime Prevention
Category and Level : Internship, I-1
Duty Station : VIENNA
Department/Office : United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Date Posted : Jan 20, 2026
Deadline : Feb 2, 2026

Work Location: Vienna

Expected Duration: 2.3.2026 - 31.8.2026

Duties and Responsibilities

The internship is located with the Firearms Trafficking Section (FTS), Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch (OCB), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna, Austria. The internship is for the period of six months with a desired starting date in March 2026, is UNPAID and full-time. Interns work five days per week (40 hours) under the supervision of professional staff of the office to which they are assigned.

Candidates with the background and interest in research, legal, political and social affairs, peace and security, project management are particularly encouraged to apply.

Below tasks include all main responsibilities of a potential intern but will be tailored according to the profile of selected interns:

• Support the work and activities of the Firearms Trafficking Section, including its normative and intergovernmental work, technical assistance activities, and tools development work;
• Conduct research on both legal documents, official and open sources on various aspects related to the firearms trafficking situation and related topics in regions / countries of priority interest and contribute to the preparation of technical documents, background papers, country profiles, news events, presentations, reports, summaries, talking points and speeches;
• Conduct legal research and analysis of legislation, case law and thematic issues pertaining to illicit firearms and related areas and assist the section in the delivery of legal advice, legislative assistance and drafting support to countries to ratify and implement the UN Firearms Protocol; and support the collection, analysis and dissemination of case law through the firearms section of the Sherloc portal;
• Assist in the preparation of technical assistance activities including workshops, trainings, meetings, high-level events and conferences and support related follow up actions;
• Support the work of the GFP Community of Practitioners against Firearms Trafficking;
• Support fundraising activities through preparing concept notes, project proposals and budgets;
• Conduct regular media reviews on firearms related incidents and events and disseminate weekly briefs among the GFP team, and support related follow up actions, including research, tweets, news events etc.;
• Support the maintenance and regular updating of the GFP webpage;
• Draft ordinary correspondence and communications, attend and take notes at meetings;
• Assist in the preparation of a wide range of written outputs, including briefing notes, reports, minutes, PowerPoint presentations, legal analysis, project proposals, activity / project progress reports, note verbales, letters etc.;
• Perform other tasks as necessary.

Qualifications/Special Skills

• Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
  • (a) be enrolled in, or have recently completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
  • (b) be enrolled in, or have recently completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).
• Be computer literate in standard software applications;
• Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter;
• Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required. 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 recently completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. Programme.

Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage.

Applicants must have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams. Ability to draft news articles and/or social media posts is desirable. Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Additional Information

Not available.

Intern Specific Text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. 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. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

DEADLINE: February 2, 2026