OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Office of Legal Standards and International Affairs (LA) is seeking highly motivated graduate students who wish to gain professional experience in international law within an international organization. An internship at UNESCO is a unique opportunity to discover the different aspects of legal work within a specialized agency of the United Nations. 

Under the overall authority of the Director of the Office of Legal Standards and International Affairs (DIR/LA), you will be working under the supervision of the head of one of the three LA sections. More information on the structure and missions of the Office is available at the following address: https://www.unesco.org/fr/legal-affairs/oisla. 

The intern will assist DIR/LA, the Section Head, or one of the Section's lawyers in researching, analyzing, or drafting memos on a wide variety of public international law issues.

In particular, the intern will be required to carry out the following duties:

• Assisting in conducting legal research on issues related to international law, including issues of international civil service law, privileges and immunities, law of international organizations or contract law, and other areas of specialization. The studies undertaken generally relate to complex and/or sensitive areas. 

• Assisting in the preparation of legal advice on both institutional matters and issues that may arise before or during the execution of the Organization’s program, for example relating to the conclusion or amendments of contracts, difficulties encountered in ensuring their satisfactory execution, possible remedies to be envisaged etc.

• Assisting in the preparation of meetings of the governing bodies of the Organization, or of the statutory organs of conventions adopted under the auspices of UNESCO.  

• Assisting LA in providing legal advice to its clients on administrative law matters, including policies, agreements, issues related to the Medical Benefits Fund, UNESCO Staff Savings & Loan Services, etc.; Review appeals against administrative decisions and assist in drafting the Organization’s submissions before the Appeals Board and the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization;

• Attending various conferences and meetings. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Understand the functioning of the Legal Office of an international organization;

• Strengthen legal skills in various areas of international law;

• Strengthen skills in the context of teamwork;

• Learn about UNESCO’s structure, mandate and how it operates;

• Learn about the elaboration, negotiation and implementation of standard-setting instruments adopted under the auspices of UNESCO; 

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

Accountability (C)

Communication (C)

Innovation (C)

Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)

Planning and organizing (C)

Results focus (C)

Teamwork (C)

Professionalism (C)

For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Age:

• You must be at least 20 years old to apply.

Academic qualifications:

At the time of your application to the internship programme:

• You are currently enrolled in a graduate programme (Master’s degree, PhD, or equivalent, second university degree or higher).

• You have recently graduated with a Master’s degree or PhD (or second degree as defined above), 12 months prior to the start of the internship. 

Please note that candidates who have completed their full-time bachelor's degree but are not enrolled in a graduate programme are not eligible to apply.

Applicants in secretarial/assistant or technical/professional assignments must be enrolled in a secretarial school or in a specialized technical/professional institution, and must have reached the last year of their studies, or have recently graduated (within the last 12 months) from their school or institution.  

Languages:

You should have an excellent command, both written and spoken, of English or French. A working knowledge of the other language (English or French) is an asset, and may be required for internships in secretarial and assistantship assignments at the Headquarters.

Computer skills: You must have an excellent knowledge of computer systems and office-related software.

Team player:

You should be able to work well in a team and adapt to an international working environment.

Communication skills:

You should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills.