Two Legal Internships with the Office of the Executive Director (OED), New York Headquarters, and Copenhagen, Denmark, 6 months

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture.., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, commitment

UNICEF’s Legal Team supports the organization’s business units around the world – our clients – by delivering strategic legal solutions through collaboration. We provide legal advice that is risk-informed, timely, responsive, and pragmatic. We empower clients and build their capacity to self-help. We proactively engage in anticipating trends and challenges and develop systemic solutions, and we protect UNICEF by identifying legal, reputational and other risks, and helping to mitigate those risks. Our lawyers are based in several UNICEF locations, including at New York Headquarters, and in several other duty stations, including Rome, Copenhagen and Brussels.

The Legal Team is seeking two highly motivated legal interns (for New York and Copenhagen Offices) to support its work and gain practical experience in the legal function of an international organization. Please indicate your preference for the location (if any) in the cover letter. 

How can you make a difference? 

The internship is intended to provide a law student or recent law graduate with practical exposure to the legal work of a large international organization. The selected candidate will have an opportunity to develop legal research, drafting and analytical skills while working with Legal Team colleagues on a variety of assignments.

Under the supervision of a Legal Affairs Specialist, the intern will assist with assignments that may include:

• Conducting legal research on issues relevant to UNICEF's mandate, programmes, operations, partnerships and institutional framework.
• Assisting in the preparation of legal memoranda, briefing notes, presentations, correspondence and other legal documents.
• Reviewing and analyzing legal, policy and background materials.
• Supporting knowledge-management and documentation initiatives within the Legal Team.
• Assisting with the preparation of background materials for meetings and discussions.
• Attending meetings and preparing summaries or notes, as appropriate.
• Supporting other projects and activities of the Legal Team, as assigned.

The exact assignments may vary depending on the needs of the Team and the interests and qualifications of the selected candidate.

The intern will work under the supervision of a Legal Affairs Specialist in New York and will collaborate with colleagues throughout UNICEF’s Legal Team.

Regular guidance, feedback and monitoring will be provided throughout the internship.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in a graduate program in law (e.g. LL.M, J.D. or equivalent);
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program in law: or
• Have graduated from such a program within the past two years

Experience

No professional legal experience is required.

Relevant academic, research, volunteer or internship experience in international law, public law, commercial law or related fields is desirable.

Skills

A constructive and client-oriented approach to resolution of problems is required.

• Strong legal research and analytical skills
• Strong written communication and drafting skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

Language Requirements

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Spanish is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian) is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel.
Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. 

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.