Background:
With 57 participating States in North America, Europe and Asia, the OSCE – the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – is the world’s largest regional security organization. The OSCE works for stability, peace and security for more than a billion people, through political dialogue and through practical work to build and sustain peace and stability. As the organization evolved, the participating States established a way to organize the manifold of OSCE activities into three dimensions: politico-military, economic-environmental and human.
The human dimension, also referred to as the third dimension, focuses largely on Human Rights and democracy. Co-operation in Humanitarian and Other Fields" was the official heading of the third focus area of the Helsinki Final Act. It marked the first recognition that commitments in this field were matters of legitimate concern to all participating States and not solely the internal affairs of individual States. Accordingly, human rights became a legitimate subject of dialogue, treated equally to the two other security concepts. Some of the OSCE’s most significant developments took place under the ‘human dimension’, including free elections, freedom of the media, and the protection of people belonging to national minorities. These were conceived at the Conference on the Human Dimension, which took place in different European capitals from 1989 to 1991, and led to other human-rights related events, such as the Human Dimension Implementation Meetings, the Supplementary Human Dimension Meetings, and the Human Dimension Seminars.
The OSCE Secretariat is looking for qualified candidates to carry out internships for 2–6-month periods in the programmatic areas within the Human Dimension . Based on the conviction that lasting security cannot be achieved without respect for human rights and functioning democratic institutions, the OSCE helps its participating States in the fields of democratization, human rights, elections, media freedom and development, rights of the national minorities, rule of law and tolerance and non-discrimination practices.
What can the OSCE’s internship programme offer?
- The chance to learn about the day-to-day working environment of the OSCE and about the Organization’s mandate;
- The opportunity to develop your professional skills and gain practical working experience in a multi-national environment;
- The chance to meet many professionals and benefit from their knowledge and mentorship;
- The opportunity to meet and link-up with like-minded young professionals.
Please note that:
- OSCE internships are full-time (40-hour week), but flexible arrangement for part-time internship can be approved in special cases;
- OSCE internships will only be offered to nationals of the OSCE participating States/Partners for Co-operation. Applicants holding dual or multiple nationalities must be nationals of at least one OSCE participating State/Partner for Co-operation;
- Start dates for selected candidates will depend on the needs of the Hiring Offices;
- The cumulative duration of internship at the OSCE is limited to 6 months for any individual. Once this duration of internship has been served, regardless of the OSCE duty station, further applications for internships from the same person shall not be considered;
Tasks and Responsibilities:
To give you an idea of what kinds of assignments you can expect, we have listed some typical day-to-day duties which interns perform in our different departments:
1. Drafting research papers, policy reports, concept papers, and other written materials such as briefing papers/memos/ talking points/speeches/documents/newsletters/presentations;
2. Assisting in project management and implementation such as the preparation of project proposals/budgets, and compiling project progress reports for donors;
3. Conducting thematic research, assisting with the revision legal documents and with the preparation of legal opinions, assisting with media monitoring, or conducting surveys and/or financial analyses;
4. Supporting communication-related events/outreach activities such as website updates, putting together booklets and leaflets and creating audio-visual content for social media;
5. Supporting the organization of events, meetings, regional workshops, press conferences, round-tables and other conferences;
6. Attending meetings of the OSCE decision-making and OSCE-related bodies, taking minutes, drafting official records and writing reports;
7. Supporting daily operational work in our administrative departments such as human resources, financial services, supply chain/travel management/procurement activities, information and communication technology;
8. Assisting senior managers in preparing for trips, bi-lateral meetings and country visits by compiling background documents, dealing with logistic arrangements and communicating with a range of OSCE internal and external stakeholders.
For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Secretariat, please see: http://www.osce.org/secretariat.
To learn more about the OSCE Fields of work, please see: https://www.osce.org/fields-of-work. We also recommend you to visit https://jobs.osce.org/internships, where you can find a video created by former interns and recently presented webinar.
Should you have any questions or experience problems applying, please contact [email protected]
Necessary Qualifications:
- You should not be older than 30 years on the deadline of this vacancy;
- You should have completed two years of full-time post-secondary education or graduated within two years prior to the deadline of this vacancy;
- You should have education in a relevant field, such as international relations, law, human rights, journalism, communications, public administration or similar fields;
- You should be professionally fluent in English, both oral and written, and have the ability to communicate clearly and concisely (interviews will be conducted);
- You should bring along high motivation, open-mindedness, and flexibility;
- You should be able to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national, cultural and religious backgrounds whilst maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
- You should be aware of the importance of integrating a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
- You should be able to operate a computer, with familiarity of Microsoft Office applications (Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint, word processing and e-mail).
Assets:
- Previous work experience in a relevant field;
- Experience of working in a multilateral/multicultural environment;
- Organizational, multi-tasking and analytical skills; research; drafting skills;
- Working knowledge of at least one other language from the OSCE region is an asset.
Remuneration Package:
Please note that, in line with other international and multilateral organizations, the OSCE does not provide remuneration to interns or reimbursement for their travel expenses for relocation to/from the duty station. However, in lieu of remuneration, the receiving office shall contribute towards the cost of living of international and national interns who are non-residents at the duty station (place of assignment). Should the receiving office not be in the position to contribute towards the cost of living, they may accept interns, who are residents at the duty station.
The internship lasts from 2 to 6 months and does not constitute a commitment to future employment with the OSCE.
Should the selected intern not have already existing health insurance applicable to the duty station, he/she will participate in the group health insurance scheme at his/her own expense, but the OSCE will cover life and disability insurance. Please note that some nationals may require a D-visa in order to work at the OSCE Secretariat, if selected for the internship, the OSCE will assist you with a support letter.
If you meet the above requirements and wish to apply for this internship opportunity, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/. Please mention your availability dates in the cover letter.
Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.
Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States and Partners for Co-operation
The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, or offer an internship with modified terms of reference or a different duration.
The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.
Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model,
Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.
Additional Information
- Issued by: OSCE Secretariat
- Requisition ID: SEC001013
- Contract Type: Intern
- Grade: No grade
- Job Type: Intern
- Number of posts: Multiple
- Location: SEC - OSCE Secretariat, Vienna
- Additional Locations: SEC - OSCE Secretariat, Prague
- Issue Date: Jul 3, 2026
- Closing Date: Dec 31, 2026
- Employee Status: Short-Term
- Schedule: Full-time
- Job Field: Administration & Support
