Intern – Organized Fraud

Vienna, Austria

The internship is for a period of 6 months and planned to start in June 2026

The internship is in the Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention in the Conference Support Section (CSS), Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch (OCB), Division for Treaty Affairs (DTA), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna, Austria. The internship is UNPAID and full-time. The Intern will work five days per week (40 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned. Background Fraud perpetrated by organized criminal groups is among the most prevalent and complex global threats. These groups rapidly adapt to advances in information and communication technologies and frequently engage in poly-criminality. Their transnational reach undermines global security, economic stability, and public safety and trust. The international community has recognized the worrying scale of fraud and the need for joint efforts in preventing and combating fraud. Recent developments under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), including the adoption of resolution 12/2, recognize the evolving and growing threat of organized fraud carried out by organized criminal groups on a massive scale throughout the world. UNODC, through its Global Programme on Implementing UNTOC, is working on preventing and combating fraud, through coordinating international action and providing technical assistance aimed at strengthening policy and legislative responses, education and prevention, knowledge development on fraud typologies, public-private partnerships and information sharing, victim and survivor engagement and assessing and assisting national anti-fraud architecture. With respect to coordinating international action, UNODC and INTERPOL organized the Global Fraud Summit on 16-17 March 2026, convening ministers, law enforcement, the private sector and civil society to strengthen international cooperation against fraud. The Summit aimed to translate shared commitments into practical action, culminating in two key outcomes: the Call to Action on Combating Fraud and the Global Public-Private Partnership Framework against Fraud, as well as allowing a platform for stakeholders to submit pledges on combatting fraud. In addition, the UNODC Global Programme has developed an Issue Paper on Organized Fraud, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Toolkit Against Organized Fraud, a Handbook on Effective Communication Strategies for the Prevention of Organized Fraud, and is finalizing a guide to good legislative practice on combating fraud. In the upcoming months, the Global Programme aims to develop a tool for the creation of national action plans against fraud. Primary Responsibilities Within this framework, under the guidance of a Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer and Associate Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officers, the intern will support the work of the Global Programme on Implementing UNTOC, with a focus on assisting in the development of the tool for the creation of national action plans against fraud, and other tasks and activities as requested. Daily responsibilities will vary and depend on the intern’s background. Duties may include, but are not limited to: • Conduct research on aspects related to organized fraud and draft background documents, presentations, and reports; • Conduct research for the development of the tool for the creation of national action plans against fraud; • Assist in the preparation, implementation and follow up/reporting of an Informal Meeting of Experts to review and validate the content of the tool for the creation of national action plans against fraud; • Assist in the preparation of presentations and speeches; • Assist in servicing intergovernmental meetings, such as the Working Group of Government Experts on Technical Assistance and the Conference of the Parties to the UNTOC; • Upload onto SHERLOC a minimum of 50 legislative provisions and 2 cases, with focus on materials related to fraud; • Undertake other tasks and activities as requested.

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent). A field of study in law, international relations or a related area is required. Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required. Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PH.D. Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage. Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel and MS Teams. Knowledge of data management and design software applications is an advantage

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN Secretariat language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) is an advantage.

Not available.

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.