Intern: Environmental Studies, Economics, International Relations, International Law, Social or Political Studies

Duties and Responsibilities

The internship is located in the Water and Industrial Safety Section, Environment and Forests Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe based in Geneva. UNECE Environment and Forests Division contributes to the overall objectives and mandate of UNECE as a multilateral platform facilitating greater economic integration and cooperation among its member States, and to the broad aim of the Environment subprogramme to safeguard the environment and human health, and to promote sustainable development in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The intern is expected to contribute to the work of the secretariat of the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents as follows:

• Support the organization and preparation of the fourteenth meeting of the Convention’s Conference of the Parties and the preceding seminar on chemicals safety;
• Prepare draft presentations and inputs for reports, documents and project proposals related to industrial accident prevention, preparedness and response, including emerging risks;
• Conduct research and contribute analytical inputs on environmental and industrial safety topics, including on land-use planning, accidental water pollution, mine tailings safety, energy transition risks and natural hazard-triggered technological disasters (Natech);
• Support the preparation of meetings, including of the Convention’s subsidiary bodies, and contribute to expert exchanges through background inputs and follow-up;
• Contribute to the preparation and implementation of capacity-building activities and projects under the Convention’s Assistance and Cooperation Programme;
• Identify and support linkages between the Industrial Accidents Convention, the SDGs, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and other international policy processes;
• Support the development and updating of content for the Convention’s web-page, including proposals to improve its usability and accessibility;
• Assist in the preparation of communication materials, such as brochures, flyers, articles and social media posts;
• Support the drafting and review of press releases, informal meeting minutes and other content, and assist in proofreading publications;
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications/special skills

To qualify for the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:

• Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled or have completed a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent).
• Be computer literate in standard software applications;
• For this internship, environmental studies, economics, international relations, international law, social or political studies or equivalent are required.
• Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter;
• Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of French and/or Russian is an asset.

Application Instructions

Completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. The cover note must include: Title of the degree and graduation date or title of the degree that you are currently pursuing and the expected graduation date. List the IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in, Top three areas of interest, Explain why you are the best candidate for the internship position, Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme, and your availability during the period considered.