Lehigh University’s UN Partnership: Youth Representatives, UN Trips and Internships

Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is one of very few universities that is itself an accredited non-governmental organization (NGO) at the United Nations. Through the Lehigh University/United Nations Partnership (LU/UN Partnership), students attend UN briefings in New York, serve as Youth Representatives for UN-accredited NGOs and compete for UN internships. This guide explains how the partnership works, what students can do through it, and what prospective students should check, as of November 2026.

What the LU/UN Partnership is

An NGO, not a club: Lehigh says the partnership “is an officially accredited Non-Governmental Organization at the United Nations” and works with all five of Lehigh’s colleges, program areas and student organizations (LU/UN Partnership FAQ).
Two decades of accreditation: Lehigh was the sixth university in the world to receive UN NGO accreditation, and held that observer-role status for 20 years (Lehigh News, September 3, 2025).
Special consultative status with ECOSOC (2025): In September 2025, Lehigh announced that it had been granted special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council after a year and a half of review; Bill Hunter, director of the Office of Fellowship Advising and U.N. Programs, said the application was “unanimously endorsed by all 19 nations serving on the U.N. Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations.” Lehigh says it is one of only 20 higher education institutions worldwide with this status. The upgrade allows seven additional Lehigh designees to attend and present at UN conferences, gives first-time access to the General Assembly, and lets Lehigh submit written statements, make oral statements at UN headquarters, hold parallel events, and send students to the UN climate change conference (Lehigh News).
Scale: As of September 2025, Lehigh counted 23,000 faculty, staff and students who had visited the UN through the partnership, more than 150 students who had served as Youth Representatives, and 61 students and alumni who had been UN interns.

What students can do

UN Youth Representative Program

Founded in 2008, the Youth Representative Program matches UN-accredited NGOs with high-achieving undergraduate and graduate students, from first-year students to Ph.D. candidates, who serve as the NGO’s voice at the UN. Youth Representatives visit the UN once a month for briefings, conferences and private meetings with UN officials, and may moderate broadcast briefings or speak on the General Assembly floor. The program currently lists 11 partner NGOs on six continents, including Lehigh itself, the American Association of University Women and India’s Nadam Foundation (Lehigh: Youth Representative Program). In 2008 Lehigh became the first university to formally ask the UN to grant students official credentials to serve on behalf of accredited NGOs (Lehigh News, May 2, 2025). Positions open on a rolling basis, and Lehigh calls the program “highly competitive and selective”; openings are announced in the partnership’s Weekly Update (FAQ).

UN trips and campus events

Students of any major and class year, and graduate students, can join UN trips and campus events. A typical example: on April 25, 2025, during the partnership’s 20th year, Ambassador Richard Verma ’90, a Lehigh President’s Distinguished Fellow, led a student delegation to New York City. The students heard former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson discuss national security, civic responsibility and his path from law to public service; took part in a fireside chat with Ford Foundation President Darren Walker on philanthropy’s role in advancing justice; and met Acting U.S. Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. First-year student Claire Eckroat ’28, an international relations and environmental studies double major, said the UN program influenced her decision to attend Lehigh: “Lehigh’s partnership with the U.N. has opened so many doors for me” (Lehigh News, May 2, 2025).

Students meeting UN officials

UN internships

Students who want to intern at the UN go through the UN’s global recruitment process as well as a Lehigh review, and partnership staff recommend outstanding candidates. Questions about UN internships go to Bill Hunter (FAQ).

Other activities

First-year entry points: incoming students can join the GlobaLehigh PreLUsion program, visit the partnership’s table at the fall club fair, or attend its open house.
Certifications: the partnership’s site offers a route to earn United Nations certifications.
International Labour Organization: in 2021 Lehigh hosted America’s first Model ILO Conference (Lehigh News).
Model UN: Lehigh does not have a Model UN team; students who want to start one are asked to contact Bill Hunter.

Who benefits most

The partnership is most useful for students interested in international relations, political science, global studies, environmental policy, public health, human rights and international development, but it is open across Lehigh’s colleges, including engineering and business. Monthly UN visits, NGO advocacy work and UN internships give students experience that is hard to get at a university without an NGO accreditation of its own, which is useful when applying for graduate programs in international affairs or jobs at NGOs and international organizations.

Notes for international students

Lehigh’s FAQ and Youth Representative pages do not say whether international students are eligible for every opportunity. Ask the partnership office before counting on a specific role.
Paid or unpaid internships off campus, including at the UN, may require work authorization such as Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for F-1 students. Under SEVP guidance issued in August 2026, CPT can be approved only when the training is a required part of the degree program for all students in it, so check with Lehigh’s Office of International Affairs ([email protected]) early.
Lehigh is No. 44 in the U.S. News 2027 national university rankings (Forward Pathway Lehigh profile).

References

#Lehigh University #International Relations