Intern (Legal Affairs)

The internships are located at the UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RCAP), Incheon, Republic of Korea. The UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific is a unit within the International Trade Law Division (ITLD), Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations, Vienna (Austria). The Division functions as the substantive secretariat of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The positions are for a minimum duration of two months and a maximum duration of six months with various starting dates within the period of 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. The internship is UNPAID and full-time. Interns work five days per week (40 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned. UNCITRAL received from the United Nations General Assembly the general mandate to further the progressive harmonization and unification of the law of international trade. UNCITRAL has since come to be the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. The UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific in Incheon, Republic of Korea, has been established for the primary goals of (a) enhancing international trade and development in the Asia-Pacific region by promoting certainty in international commercial transactions through the dissemination of international trade norms and standards, in particular those elaborated by UNCITRAL; (b) providing bilateral and multilateral technical assistance to States with respect to the adoption and uniform interpretation of UNCITRAL texts through workshops and seminars; (c) engaging in coordination activities with international and regional organizations active in trade law reform projects in the region; and (d) functioning as a channel of communication between States in the region and UNCITRAL. For more information on UNCITRAL-RCAP, please visit https://uncitral.un.org/en/TA/regionalcentre_asia_pacific The intern will work under the direct supervision of professional staff of the Regional Centre. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship remotely in view of constraints regarding visa issuance, international travel and access to UN premises. Applicants must be willing and prepared to undertake the internship remotely for a part or the entirety of the internship.

The objective of the internship is on the one hand to assist the officers of the UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific in Incheon, Republic of Korea, in preparing substantive documents in relation to the operation of the Centre and on the other hand to provide practical training to the intern. During the internship, the intern will gain experience in international trade law. Specific assignments during the internship include: • Assisting officers of the Centre with preparing substantive documents in relation to the operation and activities of the Centre, including in the organization of conferences from time to time; • Contributing to the identification of legislative reform needs and technical assistance requirements in selected countries and/or sectors of the region; • Assisting with the collection and analysis of case law on UNCITRAL texts, national legislation and legal developments, in the region; • Assisting with the development and maintenance of the Centre’s web page as well as with the preparation of publicity materials; • Assisting with the coordination functions of the Centre; • Undertaking ad hoc legal and administrative assignments as requested.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology. Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be 'clients' and seeks to see things from client's point of view. Human Rights Reference: Promotes and advocates for the fundamental values, standards, and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for and protection of human rights. Ensures that human rights are promoted, respected, protected, and advanced through, within, and by their own organizational entity/unit.

Applicants for an internship must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); (OFFICIAL MATRICULATION PROOF IN SUPPORT OF ONE OF THE ABOVE OPTIONS HAS TO BE ATTACHED TO THE INSPIRA APPLICATION). The preferred fields of study for this JO are as follows: commercial law, international trade law or private international law. • Be computer literate, including familiarity with applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Internet research. Familiarity with Microsoft Teams and other virtual conferencing software, SharePoint, WordPress, HTML and electronic document management would be an advantage; • Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; and • Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. Is your field of study closely related to the type of internship you are applying for? Do you meet the minimum requirements outlined in this Job Opening? Do you have an excellent command of English? Do you have good drafting and oral communication skills? Do you know how to prepare/draft legal documents and how to conduct legal research? Do you have knowledge of standard office computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets and general research? Can you manage your time and priorities to ensure timely completion of assigned tasks, which are often time-sensitive? Can you interact well with people of various social and cultural backgrounds in an occasionally stressful environment?

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the internship advertised, proficiency in oral and written English is required, and knowledge of another United Nations official language, namely Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, as well as of regional languages such as Japanese, Korean, or others, would be an advantage.