ICO Internship Opening – UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Engagement Handbook

Part-time (Short-term) Time Commitment: 2–3 days per week Location: Fully remote Contract: Short-term project role

International Communities Organisation (ICO) is a UN-affiliated, neutral and independent international organisation working across diplomacy, society and communities. ICO supports governments and stakeholders to engage effectively with the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism and to implement accepted human rights recommendations through practical policy and legislative action.

ICO is seeking a volunteer to support the creation of two UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Engagement Handbooks:

• A tailored handbook for the Government of Sierra Leone, with a focus on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
• A general UPR engagement handbook designed for use by governments across multiple countries supported by ICO

These handbooks will be practical tools for government officials and policymakers, supporting engagement with the UPR process from preparation and reporting through to implementation, monitoring and follow-up.

This is a short-term, part-time volunteer role, requiring approximately 2–3 days per week, and is fully remote.

In October, ICO delivered nine high-level capacity-building workshop sessions on engagement with the UPR process. These sessions brought together government officials and stakeholders and covered the full UPR cycle, including reporting, stakeholder engagement, implementation, and monitoring.

The volunteer will support ICO in transforming these workshops — including presentation slides, written notes, and recorded Zoom sessions — into clear, structured and accessible handbook content.

The volunteer will work closely with the ICO team to:

• Review workshop presentation slides and background materials
• Assist with transcription of recorded Zoom workshop sessions (guidance and tools provided)
• Support drafting and structuring handbook content based on workshop materials
• Format documents to ensure clarity, consistency and professional presentation
• Proofread and lightly edit content
• Provide basic design and layout support using Canva, including visual elements and formatting
• Support other related tasks required to finalise the handbooks

Essential:

• Strong written English and excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively
• Confidence working with written documents and structured content
• Good general digital skills

Desirable:

• Interest in human rights, international relations, diplomacy or public policy
• Experience with transcription, editing or document formatting
• Basic familiarity with Canva or similar design tools

Prior knowledge of the UN system or the UPR process is not required.

Why Volunteer with ICO

This is an exceptional opportunity to work on high-level, real-world UN-related human rights work alongside an international organisation supporting governments directly. You will gain practical experience contributing to guidance materials used by states and policymakers, and your involvement will look extremely strong on any CV, particularly for those interested in human rights, diplomacy, international development, or public policy careers.

Application Guidance

Applicants are asked to submit a CV and short cover letter outlining their interest in the role.

Please note: Applicants should not use AI or large language models (LLMs) to generate their application materials. Applications should reflect the applicant\'s own writing and experience.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and cover letter to:

Job Types: Part-time, Internship

Pay: Up to £999,999.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexitime
• Work from home

Application question(s):

• Please give a description of your prior r experience in public relations, journalism, or multimedia production, as well as social media management and digital marketing.

Work Location: Remote