Internship at the Delegation to European Union – 6 months At Fédération internationale pour les droits humains

FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights) is an international human rights NGO. Since 1922, we have been committed to defending all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You can find us on our social networks:

We are a federation of 188 national human rights associations active in 116 countries. For us, transforming societies is first and foremost the responsibility of local players. Our activities aim to strengthen their capacity for action and their influence.

The International Secretariat, which carries out FIDH’s missions on a daily basis, is made up of an international team of 70 employees based in France and in several offices abroad (Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Thailand, Colombia, Africa), as well as consultants working on various programmes from time to time. It is structured into an Operations and Programmes Department and an Advocacy Department, as well as Support Departments (Communications, Finance, Fundraising, Human Resources, etc.).

We are recruiting a : INTERN OR VOLUNTEER (M/F) – 6 MONTHS

The intern will be involved in the following activities:

Your tasks :

The intern will work closely with the FIDH representative to the EU and assist in running the delegation. This includes the following tasks:

Assisting with research and analysis in human rights related issues and in devising and implementing advocacy strategies to influence the political agenda in line with FIDH’s mission and vision
Drafting thematic notes, syntheses and memoranda for internal use, and assist in writing advocacy letters, press releases and position papers
Attending and occasionally representing FIDH at advocacy meetings, conferences and seminars
Monitoring developments in policies, legislation and practices at both the national, regional and international level to help identify crisis situation and advocacy opportunities. Monitoring the European Union agendas
Assisting in organising and accompanying human rights defenders for advocacy missions before the EU institutions in Brussels
Supporting in organising and running meetings and events
Providing organisational and administrative assistance, including updating databases and information on FIDH’s website, distributing documents, etc.

Profile required :

Excellent understanding and interest in human rights issues
Good knowledge (academic and/or practical) of EU (and UN) policies, systems and standards
Good knowledge and background in EU law, international law, international human rights law (proved by a 1st or 2nd degree in law, international relations, political sciences, etc.)
Excellent command of English (both oral and written) and at least an intermediate level of French (oral and written).
Good research, analytical and drafting skills
Good communication skills (oral and written)
Commitment to human rights and a desire to work in an international, challenging and fulfilling environment

Terms and conditions :

The internships are within the framework of a University course and are unpaid, but local transport is fully reimbursed and a small daily allowance for lunch is provided.
Important : All interns must be able to provide a ‘convention de stage’, ie a written agreement signed by their university proving that they are doing this as part of their studies. If this is not possible, we can arrange a ’volunteer’ agreement.
12 days’ paid holiday and 12 days’ RTT leave

Internship to be offered : FIDH Delegation to the European Union

course dates : From 1 April 2024 to 1 October 2024

Duration of internship : 6 months, including teleworking

FIDH is committed to diversity and equality and does not discriminate in its recruitment practices on the basis of race, religion, age, disability, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, state of health or any other situation protected by French and international human rights law.

For people with disabilities, we ask you to indicate in your cover letter any adaptations that might be useful.

How to apply

Why join us?

This internship will be highly formative and a good springboard for starting a career in human rights.

Send your CV and cover letter to recrutement@fidh.org , quoting reference INTERNSHIP2024 in the subject line, for the attention of Peter Sennekemp

Applications will be examined on a rolling basis in the coming weeks. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews, which will be held by telephone or by online conferencing..

Only candidates whose applications are selected will be contacted.