Intern/Assistant to the Senior Regional Advisor for the Africa Region

The Convention on Wetlands, also known as the “Ramsar Convention” from the name of the city in Iran where it was signed in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and of wetland biodiversity and services. It was the first of the modern global multilateral environmental agreements and remains the only one devoted to a specific critical ecosystem.

The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, where the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provides some administrative services to the Convention’s Contracting Parties for the operations and implementation of the Convention.

The Secretariat initiated a regional internship programme in 1997 which allows four interns to assist the respective Senior Regional Advisors in their day to day work within the Secretariat. The tasks will rarely involve field work. Exceptionally interns could be asked to visit projects or participate in meetings abroad. There will also be opportunities to attend international meetings held in Geneva and to become acquainted with other international agencies based there.

With an upper age limit for applicants of 30 years old, the post offers an opportunity for young graduates to become acquainted with the workings of an intergovernmental treaty dealing with the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Candidates should be prepared to provide services for a period of at least 12 months. The assignment will be subject to a two-month probationary period. After six months of service, the Secretariat may offer an intern an extension of up to twelve months, i.e. for a maximum period of 24 months' service.

The intern will report to the Senior Regional Advisor for Africa.