Call for applications for the CMS Family Roster of Translators - more details here and UN Personal History Form (P-11) below.  Last update 5 April 2016.

Call for applications for the CMS Family Roster of Interpreters - more details here and UN Personal History Form (P-11) below.

General information about consultancies within the UN system can be found on the careers pages of the UN website.  Experts with relevant experience who are available for short-term assignments are invited to register in the Consultant Roster through inspira and provide their personal history profile (PHP) so that they are available for consideration when opportunities arise.  Prospective applicants are requested to update their PHP regularly because candidates that have not updated their profiles for over three years are less likely to be contacted.

An internship at the UNEP/CMS Secretariat and co-located Agreement Secretariats provides a good opportunity to gain experience in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment, as well as in the day-to-day functioning of a Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) Secretariat.

The UNEP/CMS Secretariat offers internships to qualified university graduates or students, enrolled in a tertiary course of study, interested in gaining experience in the areas of:

• Conservation biology;
• Environmental and political sciences;
• Law;
• Media and/or communication studies;
• International studies and;
• Any other area related to the work of the Secretariat.

Internship - Areas of Work

Interns are supervised by one of the Officers at the Secretariats, from whom they will be assigned their tasks. Areas of work are structured as following:

• Implementation Support Team
  • Terrestrial Species Team;
  • Avian Species Team; Position;
  • Aquatic Species Team, including the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS);
  • Scientific Advisory Services;
• Capacity Building Officer;
• Communications and Media Team;
• Fundraising Officer;
• Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA);
• Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS);
• Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS);
• Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) for Raptors and Dugong;
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for IOSEA Marine Turtles.

Examples for activities are:

Communication and Media team in cooperation with UNEP/AEWA:

Assistance with the preparations for the annual World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) campaign (e.g. research, drafting web copy, handling the related social media, developing outreach and audio-visual material). 

Capacity-Building Officer:

Assistance with preparations and servicing UNEP/CMS meetings or workshops.

Aquatic Species Team:

Assistance with the Secretariat’s work on cetaceans, sharks, turtles and other marine species, as well issues such as overfishing, bycatch, underwater noise, marine debris or marine tourism, including the preparation of meetings.

All units:    

• Background research and preparation of substantive documents;
• Implementation of decisions of the Parties;
• General administrative duties in the day-to-day operations of the Secretariat.

Terms of Reference outlining the main tasks for each intern will be agreed in advance of the internship, based on the background and interests of the intern as well as the needs in the Secretariats.

Internship – Facts

Depending on places available, the UNEP/CMS Secretariat and the co-located Agreements’ Secretariats offer internships for a period of three to six months, beginning at any time. The UNEP/CMS, the UNEP/AEWA, the UNEP/ASCOBANS and the UNEP/EUROBATS Secretariats are located at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany.

The MOU for Raptors and Dugong is located in Abu Dhabi/ United Arab Emirates.

Internships are not remunerated – all expenses must be covered by the intern or a sponsoring Government or institution. Written confirmation of enrolment in an appropriate health insurance scheme and in a university must be provided in advance.

Internship – Requirements and Application Procedure

Students should:

• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);
• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second  university degree or equivalent or higher);
• Have graduated with an university degree (as defined above)  and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation in a field that is related to the work of the Secretariat;
• The working language of the Secretariat is English; full ability to work in English (written and spoken) is required. Knowledge of further UN languages (French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese) and German is an asset.
• Interns should also have standard computer skills (Microsoft Office);
• Interns need to agree with the scope of tasks before the start of the internship.

Internships at the UNEP/CMS Secretariat are advertised at the UN Careers Portal. Interested candidates can also find further information about internships at the UNEP website.

For further information contact the UNEP/CMS Secretariat at [email protected]