UNDP Jobs - 56692- United Nations Interagency Sustainability Team Int

United Nations Interagency Sustainability Team Intern

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

04-Jun-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

In June 2012, at the RIO+20 UN Global Conference on Sustainable Development, world leaders renewed their commitment to advancing sustainable development, and further re-affirmed that its enactment is the only viable solution for addressing the world’s growing environmental, social and economic problems. A new spirit of collective responsibility emerged from RIO+20 which included a call for greater accountability and transparency about progress made in achieving sustainable development. This call for increased accountability for sustainable development was also extended to include the international development sector and the UN system, the latter being seen as vital to the credibility of the UN in facilitating related efforts to promote sustainable development in countries and regions.

The United Nation’s journey towards climate neutrality took momentum on the 5th June 2007 when UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon publicly called on all UN agencies, funds and programmes to “go green” and become climate neutral. In line with the larger UN goals and vision, seven UN agencies: UNDP, UNEP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNOPS, WHO, as well as three important financing institutions in the market for global health aid: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and UNITAID, have started the process of aligning their sustainability goals in procurement procedures and practices. Sustainability is not only an area where these institutions will find themselves committing more time and resources to, it is also gaining higher priority on the UN Global Agenda and has the potential to replace the Millennium Development Goals post-2015.

Linkages between health sector procurement and the environment are still only partially understood despite the fact that the important role of procurements in influencing the environmental impact of health sector operations is well acknowledged. For example, studies show carbon emissions by national health systems and global health programmes are closely linked to procurements, especially with regards to pharmaceuticals and other health products throughout their life cycle including production, use and disposal.

The UN can undoubtedly be a market shaping force in regards to greening procurement processes and criteria. UN agencies procurement for the health sector represents a sizable proportion of some segments of the global pharmaceutical market. Thus, UN agencies not only have a certain market power in some segments of the pharmaceutical market, but also a normative mandate that is now being exploited to address the environmental issues associated with their procurement. By adopting sustainable procurement policies and practices, governments and international development actors –by virtue of their cumulative global purchasing power – could influence a major shift in environmental and social standards applied to products and services.

The informal Interagency Task Team on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector (SPHS) was established in May 2012 with an aim to leverage the normative mandate and joint procurement volume of participating agencies (around US $5 billion in the health sector annually) to influence the global health aid market towards reducing its environmental footprint, particularly through the introduction of green procurement criteria.

One of the key activities SPHS Secretariat will focus on in 2015 is the implementation of green procurement criteria in the SPHS members’ procurement practices. The overall objective of this activity is to achieve that members’ procurement policy and practices in the health sector promote and protect health and do not adversely impact on the environment or on human health and well-being.

With this call, the HHD Team at the UDNP IRH is seeking for an intern that will support the HHD Consultant to the SPHS and Regional HHD team for Greening Health Systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

The interested candidate will report to the HHD Consultant to the SPHS and Regional HHD team for Greening Health Systems and the Regional HHD Team Leader for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The intern will be expected to:

Assist on the landscape analysis of current green procurement initiatives undertaken by the UNDP Procurement Support Office, Global Procurement Unit (UNDP PSO GPU) and the UNDP GF Partnership PSM Team;
Support the analysis of the UNDP PSO GPU and the UNDP GF Partnership PSM Team procurement;
Assist in the in-depth research on environmental impact of recommended key product and product categories which should be in focus for an introduction of green procurement criteria at UNDP PSO GPU and the UNDP GF Partnership PSM Team;
Assist in identification of best practices of environmental supplier engagement from other public and private sectors;
Assist in the research on green procurement criteria practices in the health sector as well as other sectors;
Assist on the development of a questionnaire which will serve to assess the environmental profile of the UNDP PSO GPU and the UNDP GF Partnership PSM Team intermediaries/ suppliers / manufacturers;
Support the analysis of data obtained through the questionnaire and assist in the writing of a report on the environmental profile of UNDP PSO GPU and the UNDP GF Partnership PSM Team intermediaries/ suppliers / manufacturers;
Assist in the review of lessons learnt from SPHS members and other green procurement initiatives.

The internship will also span broader aspects related to sustainability in procurement of goods and services for the health sector. This will be in terms of further research into the innovations being carried out globally in this field as well as aspects such as Corporate Social Responsibility. The ways in which UN policies and practices for sustainability can promote economic and social development in developing countries rather than pose obstacles to economic growth in emerging markets is also an important area of consideration that the intern will be encouraged to explore.

The aim of the internship will be to enhance the theoretical knowledge of the intern through substantive and operational engagement with sustainability practices and policies of the Organization while assisting with the initiatives and plans that are already in place and those that are in the pipeline.

Competencies

Excellent research and intelligence gathering skills;
Good team worker;
Strong organizational skills and the ability to multi-task;
Able to work in a multicultural environment and be aware of political sensitivities;
Responsible, responsive, and enthusiastic;
Willing to work within the framework of UNDP’s internship policies.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme in a development related field such as environmental studies, sustainability, public health, health and environment economics, public or business administration;
Interested candidate will be eligible to undertake this internship only if he/she is currently, and over the full period of internship, enrolled in the graduate level course.

Experience:

Knowledge of sustainable development terminology and environmental impact assessment a strong advantage;
Must be available at least 20 hours a week for a period of 6 months;
Proficient with managing Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and data bases;
Solid writing and communications abilities.

Languages:

Fluency and ability to communicate and perform complex tasks in English;
Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable. Knowledge of other regional languages would be an asset.

Interns are selected on a competitive basis. The above minimum qualifications are required:

Conditions

Internships within the UN system are unpaid and subject to conditions the applicant must get familiar with prior to signing his/her internship agreement.
The costs associated with the internship must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her own arrangements for travel, accommodation etc.

UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.
UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.
Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
It is important to note that interns are responsible to arrange for their own visa and residence documents, and need to plan for these well in advance.
The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern’s studies.
Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
More information available at: http://www.undp.org/internships/.

Candidates who are selected for must submit prior to the interview the following documents:

Official letter from the University confirming enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme;
Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out. Selected intern must have medical and life insurance.

Application procedure
The application should contain:

Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;
Current and complete CV in English;

Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.