Unpaid UN intern confesses to publicity stunt

David Hyde admitted on Friday that his stay in a tent on Lake Geneva was intentionally leaked to attract media attention to the plight of students and young professionals trying to gain work experience at international institutions such as the United Nations (UN).

"It seemed that in doing so I could hit two birds with one stone: It was an affordable way to live in Geneva with my limited funds — and the fact that a UN intern was living in a tent could help to raise awareness on the issue," he wrote in an article for The Intercept.

In an interview with a Swiss paper earlier this week, the 22-year-old had claimed he was living in the canvas shelter because of a lack of affordable housing in Geneva. His story garnered support from locals who offered to lodge the New Zealander.

The supposedly precarious situation also propelled unpaid internships into the spotlight as international media scrambled to cover the story. Hyde said he was surprised by the amount of coverage he received.

Instead of accepting accommodation, Hyde chose to resign from his internship out of fear the overwhelming media exposure would impact his colleagues.

Although Hyde is no longer part of the UN internship program, he is proud to have put internship rights in the spotlight.

"Whether what I did was justified should only be answered by young people who are affected by the current internship reality," Hyde wrote. "Let them be the judge."

Proud mom

His mother praised her son's actions, describing them as "moral leadership."

"I'm still proud that he's willing to put his career opportunities to one side to highlight an issue which seems to have been going on a long time, but no one's been paying attention," Vicki Hyde told Fairfax Media.

"This is an issue which did need to be raised ... and I think having the UN, who encourages equal rights and pay for equal work, should be the moral leaders."