Internship- Environmental Law

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

Water and Energy Cluster

Based in Copenhagen, the UNOPS Water and Energy Cluster provides specialized project management services to partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank. Together with partners, the cluster executes projects that support sustainable development by:

• promoting international cooperation to prevent and reverse environmental degradation of international water systems
• enhancing the resilience of communities and eco-systems to climate change
• lowering emissions by bridging renewable energy solutions
• developing Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions to strengthen climate-resilient development

Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem is a water body bordered by China, RO Korea and DPR Korea, covering an area of 400,000 km2. Rivers discharge about 1.6 billion tons of sediment and 1,500 billion tones of freshwater into the Yellow Sea. The low flushing rate between Yellow Sea and East China Sea of one every seven years, combined with weak water circulation, makes this sea vulnerable to pollution and its coastal areas highly susceptible to localized pollution discharges. Qingdao, Dalian, Shanghai, Seoul/Incheon (RO Korea) and Pyongyang/Nampo (DRP Korea) are the five cities with over tens of millions of inhabitants bordering the sea. This population replies on the Yellow Sea’s ecosystem carrying capacity to provide capture fisheries resources in excess of two million tonnes per year, mariculture over 14 million tonnes per year, support for wildlife, provision of bathing beaches and tourism, and its capacity to absorb nutrients and other pollutants.

In order to help students to enhance their educational experience and gain experience in the work of the United  Nations, the Project Management Office has developed an internship program with initial vacancy for the following opportunities:

 Environmental Law

Description of duties: Under the guidance of the Project Manager, the intern will conduct review of existing multilateral environmental agreements that China, DPR Korea and RO Korea have ratified and their national implementation laws and regulations pertinent with restoration of the ecosystem carrying capacity of the Yellow Sea. Ultimately the intern will help create a clearing house of laws and regulations of China, DPR Korea and RO Korea related with marine environment protection and biodiversity conservation of the Yellow Sea. Previous experiences with legal research is recommended.  Specific tasks include:

• assist in developing a legal framework of the legislation related with marine environment protection, biodiversity, pollution reduction, fishery management, climate change adaptation pertinent to restoring ecosystem carrying capacity of Yellow Sea;
• conduct online research to collect available legislation of China, DPR Korea and RO Korea;
• review the available legislation to identify keywords and develop online search criteria for easy search by users;
• work with team to develop the clearing house of legislation;

Education:

• be enrolled in a graduate school program (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or
• be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent)
  

Experience:

• Excellent organizational and communication skills; attention to detail; and determination to meet deadlines.
• Computer literacy with strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Familiarity with the work of the United Nations Organization, its mandate, main areas of focus, United nations Bodies, agencies, entities and departments, current priorities issues.

Language:

Applicants must have an excellent knowledge of English with advanced written and verbal skills. Knowledge of Korea is an advantage.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.