2026 Center for Civil Liberties
Host Organization: Center for Civil Liberties
Website: https://ccl.org.ua
Organization Profile: Human/civil rights advocacy organization with 25 permanent employees and between 10-20 volunteers.
City: Kyiv
Internship format: Virtual (Remote)
Department Profile: International relations, outreach, and partnership
The Center for Civil Liberties is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organization based in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties was established in 2007. The organization is known for its work in:
● promoting reforms in the field of the rule of law;
● aligning national legislation in accordance with human rights standards to meet EU and Council of Europe standards *(see, e.g., the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2022). Ratification of the ICC Rome Statute was one of our priorities.
● documenting war crimes during the Russian armed aggression;
● conducting training on human rights and democracy.
● monitoring the activities of the police, courts and local self-government authorities.
Project description: This internship will support an intern’s long-term interest in pursuing a career in international human rights law, where familiarity with European legal systems and their impact on global standards is essential.
Main tasks for the intern:
- Conduct in-depth legal research on international human rights violations, focusing on treaties, case law, and customary law.
- Draft memoranda or reports on findings related to ongoing cases or advocacy efforts incorporating thorough legal and/or policy analysis, case comparisons, and recommendations.
- Develop expertise in different forms of international human rights and humanitarian law.
- Analyze international treaties, case law, or statutory frameworks relevant to work.
- Analyze their relevance and application to current events.
- Build a professional network in human rights advocacy.
- Networking with professionals in the human rights field.
- Conduct targeted comparative legal analysis of human rights protections.
- Attend relevant webinars, meetings, conferences, and events to connect with practitioners and learn about current trends in the field.
- Develop specific knowledge of European legal systems and their roles.
Number of Opening(s): 1
Work Hours and Internship Start/End Dates: (Monday to Friday, June 15 – August 7, 2026) Full time/five days and 35-40 hours a week. Flexibility in terms of time.
Work Attire: Casual
Local Language: Ukrainian, Russian
Local language needed: Local language is not required. Office staff that will work with the interns speak English.
Additional desired intern qualifications: We expect interns to demonstrate a sincere interest in human rights and international humanitarian law, a commitment to the inevitability of punishment for the crime of aggression, and basic knowledge of human rights work.
The intern has to show a commitment to justice and equality, focusing on addressing war crimes, gender equality, and human rights either through studies (academic curriculum, e.g., subject taken/papers written) or volunteering.
The intern must demonstrate knowledge of the code of conduct by consistently maintaining a professional demeanor and engaging positively with colleagues and supervisors. The student must also have interpersonal skills and experience working with diverse groups.
Privacy
Intern must guarantee confidentiality and non-disclosure of information, personal data and communications acquired during cooperation with CCL.
Intern should be able to work independently.
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- Local language skills are based on the internship description requirements.
- Global Studies minors receive preference for the program.
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- To be eligible for a stipend, students must maintain health insurance for the duration of their internship.
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