The Convention's Internship Programme

The Ramsar Internship Programme supports four regionally-oriented positions, one each for Africa, the Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe; all are normally one-year to 18-month positions and the Secretariat posts announcements in advance of each new vacancy. Candidates should be nationals of countries from the region being applied for. Here are the common Terms of Reference for all internship posts.

Attention: Please don't apply for Ramsar Internship positions until a vacancy for the appropriate region has been announced on this Web site.

General Terms of Reference for Ramsar internships

The Convention

The Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Ramsar Convention from the name of the city in Iran where it was signed in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation in the conservation and sustainable use of wetland biodiversity and resources. It is the first of the modern global conservation treaties and is still the only one devoted to a specific ecosystem. The Convention presently has 159 Contracting Parties (member countries), which have so far designated 1850 wetlands around the world, covering 181 million hectares, for the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

The Convention Secretariat

The Convention secretariat, which currently comprises 20 employees, is co-located with the world headquarters of IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in Gland (near Geneva), Switzerland. The Secretariat initiated an internship programme in 1997 which allows four interns to work for periods of one year, possibly extendable up to 18 months, assisting the respective Senior Regional Advisors in their day to day work within the Secretariat.

Job Description

The posts offer an opportunity for young graduates to become acquainted with the workings of an intergovernmental treaty dealing with the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and, more specifically, wetland ecosystems. The upper age limit of applicants is 30 years old.

The interns are assigned to assist one of the Senior Regional Advisors dealing with Africa, Americas, Asia/Pacific, and Europe in the full range of their activities, as required during different periods of the year. These include:

• evaluating the data sheets ("Ramsar Information Sheets") and preparing related documentation to accompany the designation process of Ramsar Sites and their updates;
• entering data in RSIS (Ramsar Sites Information Service ) database for new designations and updates;
• evaluating / assessing project proposals for the Convention's small grants assistance programmes and monitoring projects over their cycle, maintaining contact, checking reports and results. This may also include a field visit evaluation;
• organizing regional meetings and contributing to the preparation of annual meetings of the Ramsar Standing Committee and the triennial Conference of the Contracting Parties (the next one will be in Republic of Korea in November, 2008);
• occasionally collating and analyzing information on technical and policy issues related to wetland conservation and sustainable use, as required by the Strategic Plan 2003-2008 and the work plan of the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) (copies of both documents available upon request and on the Ramsar Web site);
• dealing with the conservation and sustainable use issues of individual wetland sites in the respective region and particularly assisting with the procedure concerning adverse changes in the ecological character of Ramsar Sites (Art 3.2);
• providing technical advice to and maintaining routine contacts with governments of Ramsar member and non –member countries, as well as with national NGOs and international partner organizations in the respective region;
• promoting use of the mechanisms for conservation and sustainable use of wetlands that have been developed under the Convention, especially the technical guidelines related to the work on Ramsar Information Sheets, and the development of management tools;
• assisting in activities related to spreading the 'Ramsar message' to governments, decision-makers, the media, the private sector, and the public at large (e.g., the World Wetlands Day initiative) and participating in other events, and possibly delivering presentations.

The Secretariat works with limited support staff resources. Interns have also to be prepared to assist with the routine administrative work of the Secretariat, particularly in relation to their regions, including preparing correspondence (mostly by e-mail), sending faxes, making photocopies, assisting with bulk mailings, translation etc.

The tasks will rarely involve field work. Exceptionally interns could be asked to visit Contracting Parties or participate in meetings abroad, in particular if the costs involved can be covered from sources other than the regular Ramsar budget. There will also be opportunities to attend international meetings held in Geneva and to become acquainted with other international agencies based there.

Qualifications

The principal qualities required are enthusiasm and a commitment to nature conservation and sustainable use issues.

Interns should have a university degree (preferably a post-graduate degree) in a subject relevant to wetland conservation and sustainable use, such as geography, biology, hydrology, marine sciences, natural resources management, land use planning, or anthropology/sociology. Experience of field work in wetland subjects will be a clear advantage.

In addition, interns should have well-developed computer skills (Word for Windows, Excel, e-mail) and be able to perform routine secretarial tasks efficiently (typing in particular).

The Ramsar Secretariat’s working languages are English, French, and Spanish. Full ability to work in English is required for all regional internship positions, and knowledge of another language is an advantage. Additional language requirements may be specified for specific vacancy announcements.

For this internship, candidates should be nationals of countries from the region being applied for and have lived most of their lives in that region.

Conditions of Service

Candidates should be prepared to provide services for a period of at least 12 months. The assignment will be subject to a two-month probationary period.

After six months of service, the Secretariat may offer an intern an extension of up to six months, i.e. for a maximum period of 18 months' service.

The Ramsar Secretariat will provide for each intern:

1) a return train/boat or air ticket (depending on the distance) from and to a previously-agreed point of departure, using the most economic fare available (return fare offered only up to three months after end of the intern's tenure in the Secretariat).

2) a monthly remuneration, subject to the following deductions:

a) Swiss pension and unemployment funds;
b) income tax.

This makes a net “take home” salary of approximately SFR 2,000.00 per month

3) a furnished and equipped studio apartment at a short distance from the office. (Note: Interns do not have the choice of living elsewhere, since the Ramsar Secretariat rents these apartments on a permanent basis for the purpose of providing accommodation for interns.)

4) a half-price tariff ticket on the Swiss railway system, to allow travel at reasonable cost on the excellent Swiss rail network.

5) a subsidized mid-day meal in the IUCN cafeteria.

NOTE. Owing to the type of accommodation, level of salary, and Swiss health insurance and residency conditions, candidates should be aware that it is not possible for interns to bring members of their families to live with them during their internships. Of course, holiday visits are possible with a tourist visa (at the cost of Interns).

If you are interested in applying, please send us the following:

• completed application form (link below)

• a covering letter in English explaining your interest in an internship with the Secretariat and your future career goals;

• your CV, and

• For Africa, Asia and the Americas: two letters of reference from your previous supervisors or dean of the faculty where you carried out your studies;

but

• For Europe: the names and contact details of two referees, including e-mail addresses, from your previous supervisors or dean of the faculty where you carried out your studies.

February 2008 : (from left) Evelyn Parh Moloko (Cameroon),Pragati Tuladhar (Nepal), Mila Llorens (Guatemala), and Monica Zavagli (Italy)

More photos of interns in the past few years