Stages

Internship Fur Farming Industry – Preparedness and Resilience Department – WOAH HQ Paris, France

Paris
Internship – Global mapping and characterisation of the fur farming industry Preparedness and Resilience Department – WOAH HQ Paris, France
Context
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) is an intergovernmental organization responsible for animal health and welfare globally. Its main responsibilities are related to standard setting and capacity development for animal disease control, including prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases. Members are required to notify WOAH of the emergence of new diseases and other important animal health information, which helps the organisation in responding quickly, producing guidance, and conducting risk assessments together with partners and countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the general populations attention to the disruptive potential of zoonotic viruses for both humans and animals. Animal fur farms, can be susceptible to disease outbreaks, including emerging diseases such as COVID-19 and avian influenza.. For example, some fur farms experienced COVID-19 outbreaks among their mink populations, leading to concerns about the potential for virus transmission between animals and humans. More recently, outbreaks of avian influenza H5N1 influenza in farmed minks and foxes have raised further concern.

WOAH recognises the importance of engaging in dialogue with the fur farming industry to better understand and to guide approaches to risk management. To expand its knowledge of this industry WOAH will recruit an intern to conduct a mapping exercise.
Positioning and reporting  
The Intern will work and learn under the co-guidance of the Programme Manager for Laboratory Twinning and the Coordinator – Wildlife Networks. The Intern will be under the responsibility and supervision of the Head of the Preparedness and Resilience Department.
Internship role and activities
1) The intern will work on mapping and characterising the fur farming industry globally including:
– Industry representative groups (at international and regional level);
– Distribution and species farmed;
– Husbandry and production practices;
– Disease risks and biosecurity practices Business models and stakeholders;
– Trade volumes and clients;
– The final product of the internship should be a report describing all the points abovementioned and any others deemed as relevant during the internship.  

2) The intern will also provide support to the secretariat of the Ad Hoc Group on Emerging Infectious Diseases including:
– Taking notes during meetings;
– Preparing call/meeting reports;
– Scheduling calls/meetings;
– Preparing briefings/presentations;
– Others as deemed appropriate.
Qualifications and Experience  

– Currently enrolled in an academic programme;
– Field of study: Agricultural Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Public Health, Environment Health, Social Sciences, International Relations, or other relevant fields.    

Requirements  

Technical skills
– Ability to work in English at a high level including excellent oral and written communication skills;
– Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office;
– Analytical ability: problem definition and establishing research questions;
– Ability to synthesize and identify relevant information from large amounts of qualitative and quantitative data;
– Problem-solving.

Additional skills
– Knowledge of Chinese, Finnish, Danish, or Polish is an asset;
– Knowledge of the fur farming industry would be an advantage.  

Interpersonal skills
– Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, interpersonal);
– Courtesy, tact and ability to establish and maintain good working relations in a multinational and multicultural environment;
– ‘Can do’ attitude and ability to work within short deadlines;
– Ability to work well as part of a team;
– Adaptable and flexible.  
Working conditions  
WOAH places high value on a multicultural and positive work environment. WOAH is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates, irrespective of their ethnic origin, gender, opinions or beliefs. 

WOAH will provide a stipend in the amount of 715,00 EUR monthly for full time work (39 hours per week); This is a full-time internship based in Paris, France. The maximum internship duration is 5 months (from May to September 2024). The intern must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan. 

Some of the results of this analysis will be confidential. The trainee will therefore be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. This will not prevent the publication of a scientific article and the writing of the internship thesis.   
General information  
WOAH places high value on a multicultural and positive work environment. WOAH is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications of all qualified candidates, irrespective of their ethnic origin, gender, opinions, or beliefs. If you are interested in this internship, please complete your application online by 12 February 2024 at the latest by clicking on the link below. APPLY NOW