Exciting Internship Opportunity in Legal Affairs at UNFCCC: Shape Climate Change Policy!

Join the UNFCCC Legal Affairs Division and gain hands-on experience in global climate negotiations, legal research, and climate litigation trends. Work closely with experts to support the implementation of international climate agreements and shape sustainable solutions for the future!

If you’re passionate about climate change and international law, this is your chance to make a real-world impact. Apply now!

Background

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the focus of the political

process to address climate change. The UNFCCC secretariat supports the Convention, its Kyoto Protocol

and the Paris Agreement through a range of activities, including substantive and organizational support

to meetings of the Parties and the implementation of commitments. It is a dynamic organization

working in a politically challenging environment to help resolve one of the defining environmental

issues of our time.

This position is located in the Legal Affairs Division of the secretariat of the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Legal Affairs Division is accountable for providing legal

and procedural advice and services to support (1) the intergovernmental negotiation process, (2) the

implementation of the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, and (3) the

administration and operations of the secretariat.

Objective of the internship and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the legal officer, Intergovernmental Negotiations Support Subdivision, and

in close collaboration with staff members of the Legal Affairs division, the selected candidate will

perform the following tasks:

• Conduct research and analysis on global climate litigation trends, including advisory options

related to climate change and legal responses.

• Assist Legal Officers in servicing meetings of constituted bodies, such as the Paris Agreement

Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC), including the preparation of background

materials, issue summaries, and delegation viewpoints.

• Undertake basic or extensive review of legal documents, instruments, or other material;

identifying important issues, similarities, and inconsistencies, etc.;

• Assist in the preparation of research studies and legal opinions, as well as perform extensive

legal research and analysis on highly complex or novel legal issues/questions.

• Support the organization of capacity building activities, such as workshops, courses, and

trainings.

• Assist in other tasks being carried out by the Legal Affairs division as required.

Minimum requirements

• Candidates must be enrolled in the last year of an Undergraduate (bachelor) or in a Graduate

(master) or PhD programme at a recognized university in a law programme at the time of

application and for the duration of the internship.

• Candidates must be fluent in English (both oral and written) and have strong writing skills.

Excellent skills in additional United Nations languages are an asset;

• Excellent computer literacy (Microsoft Office) is required;

• Demonstrated interest in climate change and sustainability is highly desirable.

Timeframe

The internship is for a period of minimum four months within the period between August to the end

of December 2025. The exact period will be determined based on the availability of the intern and

the needs of the division. The maximum duration of the internship is six months, subject to the

intern’s continued university enrolment and performance.

Computer requirements

For a remote internship, candidates will require a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 10 or newer)

or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An

Office 365 license will be provided by the UNFCCC to enable the candidate to access official emails,

SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel.

Further computer requirements:

• An antivirus application which receives regular updates;

• Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled;

• Regular Windows 10 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC.

In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

through SMS or the Authenticator App.

Internship conditions

UNFCCC secretariat internships are not remunerated and the selected intern will be responsible

for all costs before, during and after the internship assignment. Interns of the UNFCCC secretariat

are not considered to be staff members. The selected intern will work in Bonn from the offices of

the UNFCCC secretariat on a full-time basis (40 hours per week). For more detailed information

about UNFCCC Internship programme please visit the internship section on our recruitment

Application procedure

Candidates who are interested in this assignment and meet the minimum requirements must use

the on-line application system and include a cover letter. Due to the high number of applications,

only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted for an interview..

Location: Bonn, Germany
Application Deadline: March 28, 2025
Expected Start Date: August 1, 2025
Duration: 4 months (flexible based on availability)

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