Review: A Summer as an Intern in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Human rights work and international politics in Geneva

Learning the meaning of acronyms was my first challenge when working for the UN this summer: OHCHR, UNHCR, HRTB, CRPD, CMW, CEDAW, and HRC were some of the many acronyms people assumed that I knew the meaning of and which I pretended to know as well.

But, as soon as I picked up the lingo and began using the abbreviations for the “Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights” and the “Human Rights Treaty Bodies”, I began to feel like I was now on the “in” at my internship. It was a great feeling—that I had adapted to the milieu of an international human rights organization for which I had dreamed of working.

Interning for OHCHR this past summer in Geneva, Switzerland was, pardon the cliché, life changing. Having completed a Master’s in Socio-Legal Studies before law school, where my personal research revolved around women’s rights issues, I could not believe that I had the opportunity to assist with the 70th Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) session and its 72nd Pre-Sessional working group.

Not only was I working on very high-level case files involving confidential information about Member States, but I was surrounded by the world’s leading women’s rights activists and academics. I sat and observed committee members discussing the ramifications of making a public statement against State Parties for imprisoning a women’s rights defender, watched them parsing out the most “diplomatic” language for criticizing a country’s government, and felt their deep understanding of complex systemic issues that were barriers to equality.

I also heard their tales of meeting our Prime Minister (and fashion icon) Justin Trudeau and his counterpart to the south, the orange man himself, President Donald Trump, at the G7 Summit in Quebec. Speaking of President Trump, I was also in the room when the president of the Human Rights Council removed the United States’ name-plate a day after Trump withdrew his country’s seat. Through many unique moments such as that, my understanding of international bodies and human rights work grew.

There were around forty interns working for OHCHR, all of whom were  from different corners of the world. Despite the many cultural, linguistic, and personal differences, we connected over our common passion for human rights. As coordinator for the Interns’ Council, I organized many events, like watching the FIFA World Cup matches, swimming at the UN Beach (though it did not have any sand), and having lunch at the cheapest shawarma joint.

We connected over a truth that we all know but don’t always appreciate: human beings are humans. Despite being very different, we all shared a lot of the same drive in life. This sentiment was fitting for the work I was doing, as it allowed me to connect more deeply with the space and organization I was working for. It was bittersweet to end my internship in Geneva, where my personal, professional, and social media growth surpassed my expectations.