IISD Geneva Internship Program (Winter 2027)

About the role

The IISD Geneva Internship Program offers students studying at Swiss universities the chance to gain direct practical experience with IISD's Geneva office. IISD is an independent think tank working on sustainable climate solutions, sustainable resource management and fair economies, with offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa and Toronto. The program is open only to students at Swiss universities.

Internships are for Winter 2027 (January to April), for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 4 months (or more with university approval), at 15 hours per week during term time and up to 40 hours per week during university vacation. If the internship is part of a course credit, full-time hours are possible by joint agreement with the university. The application deadline is November 10, 2026; selected candidates are not contacted until after the deadline.

Key responsibilities

• Economic Law and Policy: support work on international economic policy such as investment, trade, taxation, infrastructure, public procurement, finance, agriculture, mining and sustainability standards, including negotiations at the WTO and UNCTAD and advisory work for governments.
• Energy: support the Global Subsidies Initiative and the sustainable energy supply and just transition teams in shifting financial flows away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy.
• Resilience: support climate risk management, National Adaptation Plans and research on the nexus of nature, security, environment, conflict and peacebuilding.
• Project Management and Monitoring & Evaluation: support project delivery, donor reporting and evaluation of project activities against their intended impacts.
• SSI: support data collection and analysis on government policies addressing sustainability challenges in global value chains.
• IGF: support the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development.

Required profile

• Enrolled in a master's or Ph.D. program at a Swiss university during the internship period, with the internship counted toward academic credits.
• Fluent in spoken and written English.
• Excellent academic performance shown by recent records.
• Valid Swiss residence permit (B or C) or Swiss citizenship.
• Applications must include a cover letter naming one IISD Geneva program and a CV, both in English.

Additional consideration is given to past professional experience, relevant experience in the chosen team's focus area, additional languages (especially French or Spanish) and a written statement of support from academic supervisors or referees.