UNCITRAL Secretariat vacancies are managed by the United Nations Office for Human Resources Management (UN OHRM). For more information on how to work with the United Nations please visit the UN Careers - Department/Office: Office of Legal Affairs portal.
The International Trade Law Division of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (ITLD), which serves as the substantive secretariat of UNCITRAL, offers an internship programme for a selected number of applicants who hold a first university degree (or equivalent) and are enrolled in a degree programme in a graduate school (working towards a second university degree or higher) at the time of application and during the internship, with their major field of study being as a general rule commercial law, international trade law or private international law.
The Division includes a Legislative Branch and a Technical Assistance and Coordination Section. Those are tasked, respectively, with the development of harmonized legislative texts, and the provision of technical assistance with respect to the adoption and use of UNCITRAL legal texts and coordination among organizations working in the field of international trade law.
In determining the area and substance of the intern's work, account will be taken of the projects currently being undertaken in the Division, the qualifications of the intern and the purpose of the internship as expressed by the sponsoring institution or the intern. Interns will normally be requested to undertake tasks, under the supervision of a legal officer, in connection with the ongoing projects of UNCITRAL working groups, or with the activities of promotion of UNCITRAL texts and assistance to legal reform.
Legislative Branch:
Technical Assistance and Coordination Section:
Admission to the UNCITRAL internship programme is highly competitive. Prospective interns are encouraged to apply six to eight months in advance of the desired internship period.
The names of three persons who could give their opinion on the academic and/or professional qualities of the candidate are also required.
The internship programme is for an initial period of two months, which may be extended for an additional two months. The total duration may, exceptionally, be extended to a maximum period of six months.
The United Nations is unable to provide any financial assistance or remuneration to interns, and service as an intern entails no financial implications for the United Nations.
To be considered for internship at the UNCITRAL secretariat, interested candidates must be listed in the UNOV/UNODC Interns Roster. Candidates shall apply to the Roster in accordance with the Guidelines covering the internship programme of the United Nations Office at Vienna and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, by filling in the following Internship application form. All questions related to the application procedure should be addressed to the UNOV/UNODC Internship Coordinator. The UNCITRAL secretariat does not administer the application to the Roster.