As you may be aware, the is the only international legally binding global instrument that gives the public broad and concrete rights to participate in decision-making and to have access to information and justice regarding the environment. In doing so, the Convention links environmental and human rights and aims to protect the rights of both present and future generations to live in a healthy environment. The Aarhus Convention currently has 47 Parties from Western Europe to Central Asia and is open globally. More information on the Aarhus Convention is available .
It is my pleasure to inform you that the secretariat to the Aarhus Convention offers internships to graduate or post-graduate students in law. We are currently seeking an intern for January to March 2024.
During their internship, interns have the opportunity to apply their legal skills in the UN context, working closely with officers in the secretariat and gaining hands-on experience in many aspects of servicing a high profile international environmental treaty. A notable component of the internship is the opportunity to support the work of the Aarhus Convention's innovative Compliance Committee, an international committee that hears cases brought by members of the public and governments seeking to ensure the Convention's rights are upheld. Another exciting aspect of the internship is the opportunity to support the work of the Aarhus Convention’s Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders, the world’s only rapid response mechanism to protect environmental defenders and whose role is to take measures to protect any person experiencing or at imminent threat of penalization, persecution, or harassment for seeking to exercise their rights under the Aarhus Convention.
Interested candidates should:
- be presently undertaking, or have recently completed, a graduate school programme, or be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree (bachelor’s level or equivalent), preferably including international law, and environmental and/or human rights law.
- be fluent in written and spoken English. Fluency in Russian and/or French is desirable.
To submit your application, please register , complete your profile and create a draft application, including motivation statement, and send this PHP in pdf file format by email. Please indicate “Internship application” in the subject line of the email.
Please note the deadline for applications is 11 November 2023.
If you or your students may have any questions regarding the internship or the application process, please do not hesitate to contact me by sending an email to Ms Maike Salize.
