The WHO Internship Programme places students and recent graduates in the World Health Organization’s technical and administrative units, from public health to communications, external relations and human resources.
Vacancies open year-round at headquarters in Geneva and at regional and country offices; each posting belongs to one unit and sets its own requirements, dates and deadline.
Benefits & funding
- Living allowance for selected interns who need financial support; the maximum is in each vacancy notice and varies by duty station.
- Medical and accident insurance during the internship; lunch vouchers at some duty stations.
- Travel may be covered for some interns from least developed and middle-income countries; visa costs and insurance outside the internship dates are the intern’s own.
- 6–24 consecutive weeks, full-time, at one location.
Eligibility
- Aged 20 or over on the date of application.
- Enrolled in a degree (including PhD) in public health, medicine, a social field, management, administration, communications or external relations — or graduated within the past 18 months.
- At least three years of full-time university study completed before the internship starts.
- Degree from an institution listed in the World Higher Education Database (WHED).
- Fluent in at least one working language of the office of assignment.
- Holds a valid passport of one of WHO’s 194 Member States.
- Not related to a WHO staff member, and no previous WHO internship.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Andorra · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Armenia · Australia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Bahamas
+ 182 more
Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belarus · Belgium · Belize · Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei · Bulgaria · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Canada · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Colombia · Comoros · DR Congo · Republic of the Congo · Cook Islands · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Croatia · Cuba · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Estonia · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Fiji · Finland · France · Gabon · Gambia · Georgia · Germany · Ghana · Greece · Grenada · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Hungary · Iceland · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Jamaica · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Latvia · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Malta · Marshall Islands · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Micronesia · Moldova · Monaco · Mongolia · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nauru · Nepal · Netherlands · New Zealand · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · Niue · North Korea · North Macedonia · Norway · Oman · Pakistan · Palau · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Qatar · Romania · Russia · Rwanda · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · San Marino · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Serbia · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Slovakia · Slovenia · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Korea · South Sudan · Spain · Sri Lanka · Sudan · Suriname · Sweden · Switzerland · Syria · Tajikistan · Tanzania · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · Ukraine · UAE · UK · USA · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Bachelor · Master Enrolled · Master · PhD Enrolled
Age requirement
≥ 20 yrs
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Application process
- 1Pick an open internship vacancy on WHO’s careers site; each sets its own dates and deadline.
- 2Apply through Stellis, WHO’s online recruitment system, before the posting’s deadline; no other route is accepted.
- 3Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by the technical unit, possibly with a written test, and may be asked to prove their stated language level.
- 4Only successful candidates hear back.
Program timeline
Year-round
vacancies posted continuously, each with its own deadline.
4–8 weeks after a vacancy closes
no reply by then means not shortlisted.