Placement: Stockholm
Spring 2025, 20 weeks
About the organisation
International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) with 35 Member States and an explicit mandate to support sustainable democracy worldwide.
International IDEA develops evidence-based knowledge on democracy and supports the implementation of that knowledge in country- and region-specific projects. The Institute is the only IGO solely dedicated to supporting democracy worldwide with a permanent UN Observer status. The Institute leverages its unique role as a democracy IGO to convene multilateral and national actors, democracy defenders and civil society to engage in collective global action to champion, defend and advance democracy around the world.
Internship assignments
International IDEA is seeking two highly motivated interns to join the Secretary-General’s Office (SGO) for the spring 2025. As part of the role, the interns support the SGO in developing relations with Member States and other key stakeholders, strengthening institutional fundraising, and increasing International IDEA’s visibility. The internship is a chance to gain valuable experience in working with democracy, external relations, and diplomacy in an intergovernmental setting.
More specifically, the interns, under the guidance of the mentors and other staff members of the SGO, will be responsible for conducting desk research on topics related to democracy, democracy support and development policy, including compiling and drafting materials to support the Secretary-General’s international travel. They will also draft communications materials for the SGO, the public website, the internal communications platform, and social media channels.
The interns will work with the SGO to develop and strengthen relations with Member States and partner organizations, assist with the preparation of (internal and external) meetings and events, and assist with minute-taking, logistical support, and follow-up on the contacts established by the SGO. They will proactively take part in external events about democracy and related topics and report the key findings to the SGO. The interns will also liaise with peer organizations to seek out entry points for engagement with International IDEA.
The interns will work closely with event management and help with the coordination of events such as registration, outreach, and other logistics. The interns will support the outreach and communication with the diplomatic community in Stockholm and work with the SGO’s External Relations Team to support the resource mobilization efforts with Member States and other donors.
Additionally, the interns will support the development of the outcome and output reports of the SGO and perform other tasks as assigned.
Qualifications
For this internship, we are looking for two students enrolled in a programme focusing on social science; political science; international relations; human rights; law; development studies, or a related field.
The ideal candidate possesses:
• Excellent knowledge of written and oral English.
• Passion and high motivation for working with democracy and international affairs.
• Communication and writing skills, and a willingness to learn how to formulate and summarise complex issues in an accessible way.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to assess, manage, and structure information.
• Ability to appreciate diversity and work in a highly diverse work environment.
• Good interpersonal and cooperation skills.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office package.
Merit experiences/competencies
• Experience working, studying and/or volunteering in an international context is considered an advantage.
• Knowledge of Spanish and/or French would be an asset.
Other information
The internship will be full-time from 27 January to 13 June 2025 (or as agreed with the mentor and the University). The intern will work office hours from 09.00 – 17.00 if not otherwise agreed. Please note that the internship at International IDEA is a full-time unpaid position that cannot be combined with other full-time duties such as an academic programme.
As an intern at this organisation, you will work directly with the following Sustainable Development Goals:
