INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY – HQ LEGAL AFFAIRS, Jerusalem At UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

united Nations relief and works agency

for Palestine refugees in the near east

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

Internship Opportunity – HQ LEGAL AFFAIRS

Department : Department of Legal Affairs, UNRWA HQ

Duty Station : Jerusalem

Type of Appointment: Full time internship

Duration: 3-6 months

Preferred Starting Date: February 2022 (all interested candidates are encouraged to apply indicating earlier/later starting date, and preferred length of internship, in their motivation letter)

BACKGROUND

If you are passionate about legal affairs in support of making a lasting difference for Palestine refugees, an internship with UNRWA will give you the opportunity to work on the provision of legal advice, training and assistance on matters and policies relating to UNRWA’s mandate and areas of operation within the Department of Legal Affairs (DLA), UNRWA-HQ. DLA consists of a General Law Team and an International Law Team, and interns will support both teams and have the opportunity to work on a range of topics.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

In support of the General Law Team and International Law Team of DLA, potential areas of work that interns will be asked to support with include:

• Assist with research and the provision of legal advice on the interpretation and application of relevant public international law, including international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law, as well as United Nations privileges and immunities;
• Assist with the drafting and review of legal documents, including correspondence, summary notes, briefing papers and reports on a wide variety of legal matters, including on the Agency’s mandate and humanitarian principles;
• Assist with engagement with the international human rights system and advocacy in relation to the enjoyment of human rights of Palestine refugees;
• Assist in the provision of legal advice and analysis on matters arising from contracts entered into by the Agency, including those relating to the procurement of goods and services and donor financing and project agreements for the delivery of humanitarian and development assistance;
• Assist in research and analysis on a wide range of administrative law issues, including use of the Agency’s system for internal administration of justice for staff members and matters relating to allegations of staff misconduct;
• Assist in reviewing legal matters related to the governance of the Agency, including drafting and reviewing UNRWA administrative issuances;
• Assist with servicing high-level and other meetings as well as training sessions for staff members covering a range of legal issues; and
• Perform any other duties as may be required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Applicants must be students enrolled in, or have recently completed (i.e. commence internship within one year of graduation date), either a graduate school programme (i.e. second university degree or equivalent degree, or higher) or the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent), with major area of study in law.

Work Experience: Applicants are not required to have professional work experience.

Languages: Applicants should demonstrate excellent English communication skills, both orally and in writing, including the ability to draft legal documents in English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

· Specialization in international law, commercial law or administrative law is desirable.

• Experience in a professional office environment is an asset.
• Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.

COMPETENCIES

• Advanced level of legal research skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Communication skills
• Analyzing

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, please send your CV and a motivation letter as one attachment (pdf only) to internship@unrwa.org no later than 23:59 hours (Jerusalem time) on 14 November 2021. As the subject line, please note “**DLA internship** February 2022: [your name]”. Only applications submitted via email as per the above instructions will be considered. Do not rely on third-party applications or websites to submit your application; UNRWA does not monitor those.

The motivation letter (maximum one page) must:

· Explain why you would like to undertake an internship with UNRWA and the Department of Legal Affairs;

· Explain your knowledge, if any, of legal issues related to Palestine refugees and the operations of UNRWA;

· Note the title and stage of your University degree (including expected graduation date, if applicable);

· Note the period of availability and preferred duration of the internship;

GENERAL INFORMATION

Please note that due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, and depending on related developments, internships may be conducted either in part, or entirely, remotely.

Only those applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted.

UNRWA staff and complementary personnel are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality at all times. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity, and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women.

UNRWA will not be responsible for the costs of travel, visa, accommodation, or any other costs related to the placement. All costs connected with an intern’s participation must be borne by the intern, including arrangements for travel (including to and from the office), visas, accommodation, etc., as applicable. Interns will be solely responsible to secure visas, where necessary. In principle, applicants should be able to travel in the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East.

At the stage of acceptance of an internship placement, interns must prove to the satisfaction of UNRWA that they have adequate medical and accident insurance coverage prior to commencing the placement.

Intern placements shall not constitute employment by UNRWA. Interns are considered to be complementary personnel with non-staff status. The purpose of the internship program is not to lead to further employment with UNRWA but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship. Interns are eligible to apply as external candidates for UNRWA staff vacancies in accordance with normal selection procedures.

Please note that UNRWA does not charge fees at any stage of the application process. Vacancy announcements advertised at: https://www.unrwa.org/careers/internships, will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (Jerusalem time) on the deadline date.

UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.

12 October 2021