Intern: Rio+20 Research

Internship Purpose: ClientEarth is seeking an enthusiastic and committed intern to support our programme and communications teams in the lead up to theRio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development which takes place 20-22 June 2012.Rio+20 is a significant international event where decisions will be taken which relate to all ClientEarth’s work programmes. You will have the opportunity to carry out legal and policy research relating to the upcomingRio+ 20 meeting. Working closely with programme and communications teams, you will track, monitor and analyseRio+20 developments relevant to ClientEarth and produce a weekly information brief for internal distribution prior to, during and immediately after theRio+20 conference. This is great opportunity to gain exposure across a number of our policy areas from climate change and ecosystems to the green economy and environmental rights issues.

Key responsibilities will include:

-          Research the upcoming law and policy issues on theRio+20 agenda and how these relate to ClientEarth’s areas of interest

-          Research and prepare summaries of different stakeholder, country and regional positions on key issues

-          Liaising with and assisting staff across our programmes on relevantRio+issues

-          Participation in relevantRio+20 meetings in and aroundLondon

-          Monitor emerging developments and media and produce a critical weekly information brief of relatedRio+20 news, meetings and matters prior to, during and in months immediately post-conference.

This internship would suit a graduate in law, science or policy, and would be suitable for a current law or Masters student in a relevant field including environmental science, law or policy.  Strong research and written communication skills will be essential to the role. Depending on your interests, you will also have the opportunity to help develop our positions and responses to emerging developments atRio+20, assist in preparation of advocacy and policy materials, and comment on media debate. 

Skills and competencies

-          Excellent academic credentials with a good first degree in a relevant field

-          Experience of or a demonstrated interest in international environmental law

-          Strong research skills and attention to detail – legal research skills an advantage

-          Strong applied research skills

-          Intellectual curiosity and applied lateral thinking

-          Excellent written and oral communication skills

-          Ability to appreciate and take into account the political and commercial dimensions ofRio+20 issues

-          Self starter who takes pride in their work

-          Be fluent in English and preferably also French, Spanish or Portuguese

-          Positive attitude and a commitment to working for the environment.

About the role: We generally ask that interns commit to a minimum of 3 days per week for at least three months. The maximum duration for our internships is six months. For theRio+20 internship we are looking for a continuous commitment over 4-5 months and we have flexibility to tailor days/hours during that time depending on your availability.

ClientEarth covers interns’ work-related expenses (travel and lunch) via a contribution of £10 for each day spent in the office.

Recruitment is open now and you should send your application as soon as possible and no later than 30^th March 2012. Interviews will take place on the 11^th April 2012. The successful applicant will be expected to start on the 16^th April 2012.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Feja Lesniewska (flesniewska@clientearth.org) and Mike Haines (mhaines@clientearth.org)

To apply: Please send us a CV along with the internship form which you can download from the website.

Please send your application by email to: internship.uk@clientearth.org. Please include “Rio+20 intern –London” in the email subject line, and identify the documents you are sending by including “[your name] internship form” and “[your name] CV” in the file name.