Intern, Environmental Crime Alliance, Forest Legality Initiative

WRI Overview

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean.

Internships at WRI are learning experiences designed for current students, recent graduates, and other candidates who wish to gain knowledge about a specific area of our work. We strive to attract diverse, intellectually driven candidates who have a passion for sustainability and development. WRI provides many internship opportunities throughout the year in all our programs.

WRI is committed to advancing gender, racial, and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. 

Program Overview

The internship will focus on development of a new multi-stakeholder initiative, the Global Alliance to End Environmental Crime (GAEC), expected to be formally launched during 2022. GAEC is envisioned as an alliance of governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), inter-governmental organizations, front-line civil society environmental defenders, and technical centers of excellence coming together to increase political attention and financing focused on combating illegal logging, forest clearing, fishing, mining and wildlife trafficking. WRI is leading the GAEC interim secretariat, in cooperation with the Meridian Institute and the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI).  It builds on WRI’s Forest Legality Initiative, an ongoing program designed to combat the trade in illegally-logged timber and promote trade in legally-harvested forest products.

Internship Summary

The internship will support the director of the GAEC Interim Secretariat and Meridian Institute colleagues by carrying out legal and policy research and writing on specific natural resources crime issues (e.g., illegal deforestation, illegal mining, illegal fishing) as well as supporting outreach and engagement with key stakeholder groups and partner organizations.

Learning Outcomes

The intern will gain experience in the following areas:

• You will carry out research on key natural resources crime sub-sectors such as illegal fishing, mining and wildlife trafficking via literature reviews and syntheses of policy initiatives.
• You will draft short analytical writing pieces on a variety of environmental crime topics.
• You will support the WRI GAEC team in ensuring that cooperation with the Meridian Institute and other key partners is smooth and efficient.

Internship Qualifications

• Experience with law and public policy related to international environmental policy and organizations.
• Demonstrated research, writing and editing ability, especially with law-related topics.
• Comfortable interning remotely.

General Internship Requirements

• Applicants must have personal health insurance coverage.

Compensation

The pay range for this internship opportunity is between $15-18/hour, commensurate with qualifications.

Duration and Location

This is a full-time, four-month summer internship with flexible start and end dates (May to October) based on the candidate’s availability and need for the project.

This is a remote-based internship.

How to Apply

Please submit a resume and cover letter. Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI’s policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI’s global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI’s policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.