The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and of wetland biodiversity and services. It was the first of the modern global multilateral environmental agreements and remains the only one devoted to a specific critical ecosystem.
The Secretariat of the Convention has its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, where the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provides some administrative services to the Convention’s Contracting Parties for the operations and implementation of the Convention.
This position is part of IUCN’s Junior Professional (YP) Programme, which has specific eligibility criteria. It is offered as a one year contract, renewable only once for an additional year, and renewal is subject to performance and the availability of funds.
Applicants must meet all of the following conditions:
- Be a young professional up to 35 years old;
- Hold at minimum a Bachelor’s Degree;
- Have between 6 months and 3 years of relevant professional experience.
The Junior Professional Programme is designed to provide early-career professionals with their first international work experience. Through meaningful assignments and structured learning opportunities, participants develop the technical, organisational and intercultural competencies required to succeed in an international and multicultural work environment..
Within this framework, this Young Professional position supports the implementation of the Convention on Wetlands through a collaborative, whole-of-Secretariat approach. The role offers professional development and direct experience in:
- understanding how international legal instruments support conservation and sustainable use of natural and human-made ecosystems;
- understanding how different multilateral environmental agreements work in synergy, notably through the contribution of data and indicators for the implementation of global sustainable development programmes and goals;
- exposure to national authorities, diplomats, scientific experts and practitioners focusing on the development and implementation of international and national policies;
- experience of working in the context of a small international team supporting 172 countries that are Contracting Parties to the Convention.
