IACHR Human Rights Internship (Winter/Spring 2027)

Organization: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Type: Internship

Location: Global

Deadline: September 11, 2026

Funding: No Funding

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is the autonomous human rights body of the Organization of American States, and it takes interns three times a year through the OAS Internship Program. Interns sit inside the Commission's Executive Secretariat and work with its lawyers and staff on the protection mechanisms of the inter-American human rights system, the machinery behind petitions, cases and precautionary measures. This intake is the Winter/Spring session at the Washington, D.C. headquarters and Session I at OAS national offices, and it is unpaid. **What you get:** - A placement inside the Executive Secretariat of the IACHR, working alongside its lawyers and staff on the Commission's own case and monitoring work - A mandatory weekly orientation programme run by the OAS Department of Human Resources, each session led by a senior officer on a different part of the Organization's work - Visits to other international organisations, including the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, plus networking activities and group mentoring on career development - A certificate of completion for interns who attend at least 80 percent of the orientation activities - No salary, stipend, allowance or financial assistance of any kind. The OAS states plainly that the programme is unpaid and creates no employment relationship **What you'll do:** - Work with the professionals and staff of the IACHR Executive Secretariat on the activities the Commission carries out, with specific assignments set by the Secretariat - Learn and apply the protection mechanisms of the inter-American human rights system, which is what the Commission trains its law interns in - Non-law placements exist as well. The IACHR Press Office takes journalism, graphic design and web design students, and the Commission takes translation students who work in at least two OAS official languages, along with international cooperation and fundraising and information technology students - Work full time, 40 hours a week, 9am to 5:30pm Washington, D.C. time, for the length of the session - Attend the weekly orientation sessions, which run in English and Spanish with captions available in other languages and no interpretation provided **Key dates:** - Applications open August 24, 2026 - Applications close September 11, 2026 at 23:59 Washington, D.C. time - Interviews estimated October to November 2026, subject to change - Internship session runs January 14 to April 30, 2027 - Later 2027 intakes, from the OAS calendar: Summer applications January 25 to February 12 for a June 3 to August 13 session, and Fall applications May 10 to May 28 for a September 2 to November 24 session **More information:** - The OAS Internship Program page carries the full requirements, the modality rules and a long FAQ at oas.org/en/saf/dhr/internships/Default.asp - The 2027 calendar for all three sessions is published as a PDF at oas.org/en/saf/dhr/internships/docs/calendario_2027_web.pdf - Applications are only accepted through the OAS electronic application form at oas.org/interns, where you must tick the IACHR as an area of interest. Supporting documents sent by email are not accepted

Inter-American Commission on Human RightsInternship

IACHR Human Rights Internship (Winter/Spring 2027)

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Internship

Funding

No Funding

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

What you get:

A placement inside the Executive Secretariat of the IACHR, working alongside its lawyers and staff on the Commission's own case and monitoring work
A mandatory weekly orientation programme run by the OAS Department of Human Resources, each session led by a senior officer on a different part of the Organization's work
Visits to other international organisations, including the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, plus networking activities and group mentoring on career development
A certificate of completion for interns who attend at least 80 percent of the orientation activities
No salary, stipend, allowance or financial assistance of any kind. The OAS states plainly that the programme is unpaid and creates no employment relationship

What you'll do:

Work with the professionals and staff of the IACHR Executive Secretariat on the activities the Commission carries out, with specific assignments set by the Secretariat
Learn and apply the protection mechanisms of the inter-American human rights system, which is what the Commission trains its law interns in
Non-law placements exist as well. The IACHR Press Office takes journalism, graphic design and web design students, and the Commission takes translation students who work in at least two OAS official languages, along with international cooperation and fundraising and information technology students
Work full time, 40 hours a week, 9am to 5:30pm Washington, D.C. time, for the length of the session
Attend the weekly orientation sessions, which run in English and Spanish with captions available in other languages and no interpretation provided

Key dates:

Applications open August 24, 2026
Applications close September 11, 2026 at 23:59 Washington, D.C. time
Interviews estimated October to November 2026, subject to change
Internship session runs January 14 to April 30, 2027
Later 2027 intakes, from the OAS calendar: Summer applications January 25 to February 12 for a June 3 to August 13 session, and Fall applications May 10 to May 28 for a September 2 to November 24 session

More information:

The OAS Internship Program page carries the full requirements, the modality rules and a long FAQ at oas.org/en/saf/dhr/internships/Default.asp
The 2027 calendar for all three sessions is published as a PDF at oas.org/en/saf/dhr/internships/docs/calendario_2027_web.pdf
Applications are only accepted through the OAS electronic application form at oas.org/interns, where you must tick the IACHR as an area of interest. Supporting documents sent by email are not accepted

Who can apply

Open to students and young professionals of any nationality. The OAS Internship Program states that applicants do not need to be nationals of an OAS member state
Undergraduate students must have completed their second year of study before applying. All graduate level students and entry level professionals are eligible
A cumulative grade point average equivalent to 75 percent or higher, shown on your academic record. Do not convert your grades, the programme reads your institution's own scale
Proficiency in at least two of the four official OAS languages: Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. No language certificate such as TOEFL is needed to apply
No age limit. The programme is aimed at undergraduates, graduate students and young professionals, and the average participant is 24
Mandatory documents: an academic transcript listing every course and grade, and a CV with a cover letter addressed to the OAS Internship Program in a single PDF. A CV carrying a photo, or a CV without a cover letter, is disqualified
You can take part in the OAS Internship Program only once. Anyone who has already done an OAS internship cannot apply again
Interns must not work for any government or related entity during the session. Accepting a public post ends the internship immediately
Every intern, remote included, must show proof of valid health insurance before starting. In person interns at headquarters must hold at least USD 500,000 of medical cover, at their own expense
Interns need their own computer and a reliable internet connection
In person placement in Washington, D.C. needs US citizenship or permanent residence, residence in the D.C. metropolitan area on an F-1, J-1 or G-4 dependent visa with a work permit, or selection for G-4 visa sponsorship by the OAS. Applicants living outside the United States can otherwise be considered for the fully remote modality from their home country
Undergraduates who have finished their second year, graduate students and entry level professionals anywhere in the world who want to work inside the inter-American human rights system. Law students and recent law graduates are the core intake, and the Commission also takes journalism, graphic design, web design, translation, international cooperation and fundraising, and information technology students. You need two of Spanish, English, French and Portuguese, a cumulative average of 75 percent or better, and the means to support yourself for the session, because the internship pays nothing.

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Good to know

+A human rights placement with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an organ of the Organization of American States
+Free to apply
+A fully remote option exists. If you live outside the United States you can be considered to work from your home country for the whole session, which removes the Washington relocation cost entirely

Worth checking yourself

!Unpaid. There is no salary, stipend or allowance, and interns cover their own travel, housing, meals and transport
!Every intern must show proof of valid health insurance before starting, and anyone at the Washington office needs at least USD 500,000 of medical cover at their own expense
!Whether you work remotely or in person is chosen by the hosting office, not by you, so a remote placement is not guaranteed
!Closes 11 September at 11:59pm Eastern

Sources checked

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