UNDP Jobs - 65455- Intern for Meta-analysis of SDG

Intern for Meta-analysis of SDG

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

02-May-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

2-3 months (maximum of 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

UNDP works with national partners to reduce poverty and advocate for sustainable human development. Today, the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia faces a variety of challenges. [Except where otherwise specified, the “region” refers to programme countries whose development aspirations are supported by UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo (as per UNSCR 1244 (1999)), Kyrgyzstan, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine.] It is a high emitter of greenhouse gases, and suffers from the world’s highest rise of HIV cases. According to a recent study, one-third of people are at risk of exclusion. Not all governments are responsive to citizens. Women are often excluded from decision-making. Some countries face the aftermath of conflict; others are particularly vulnerable to the risk of natural disasters. UNDP aims are to foster the inclusion of marginalized people into economic, social and political life, to empower people by promoting democratic governance and human rights, and to promote less resource intensive growth, while facilitating the transition to “greener” modes of production, and supporting biodiversity and alternative energies. Istanbul Regional Hub supports UNDP’s work in the whole region through research, policy and programme advice and regional programming. We work with development partners to ensure that economic growth benefits everyone, including those at greater risk of poverty and exclusion (ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, internally displaced persons, rural populations, women and young people).

The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were adopted in September 2015 by world leaders as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action for people, planet, peace, partnership and prosperity. Consisting of 17 goals, 169 targets and 228 global indicators, the SDGs continue and build on the development journey ensconced in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with a much wider focus beyond poverty, gender, hunger and major health problems, but as well break new ground by addressing inequalities, economic growth, decent jobs, energy, natural resources and environment, climate change, human settlements, and peace and justice, among others. They represent an agreed vision to put people and planet on a sustainable path by 2030. There are a number of crucial differences between SDGs and previous global development agenda, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). First, while MDGs were more technocratic exercise with rather limited focus, SDGs were developed by Member States through participative process and offer a comprehensive agenda. While MDGs were applicable mostly to the least developed countries, SDGs offer an agenda for all people of the world. Last but not the least, SDGs offer a complex, integrative and transformative agenda (comparing with narrow, sectorial MDGs). Communication of the big number of goals and targets to the broad audience of all citizens in the world will be challenging and, yet, provide many promising opportunities. Data and measuring progress will require assessing and enhancing human, technical and institutional capacities of statistical entities and make use of new sources of data. Success will depend on synergies, integration and coherence between various groups, responsible institutions and sectors accountable for SDG implementation, strong national capacity and also political will and financial resources.

Duties and Responsibilities

The intern under present ToR will work within Istanbul Regional Hub, in the Sustainable Development Cluster under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist. The scope of work is to conduct meta-analysis (i.e. analysis of existing studies) of linkages between SDG targets and goals. More specifically this support includes

Conducting literature review for documenting relationships between SDG targets, including direction of relationship and possible quantification of effects (example https://goo.gl/ADre9r);
Collecting and systematizing information regarding SDG-related policy measures undertaken, as well as programs implemented by Governments, UNDP and other development organizations;
Support revisions of SDG complexity maps (example http://goo.gl/ytpkTq) and Extended SDG profiles / clusters (example http://goo.gl/cCKkEl);
Support mapping of national policy documents and M&E frameworks to SDGs and SDG monitoring framework;
Identifying highly connected SDG targets and possible bottlenecks to inform MAPS analysis;
Compiling and documenting database of studies and policy measure and effects identifies;
Providing support to implementation of MAPS—Mapping, Acceleration, and Policy Support—framework in countries of region;
Drafting analytical materials on the basis of information collected;
Preparing presentation materials and dissemination upon request;
Undertaking other related activities upon request.

Competencies

Advanced research and writing skills and be fully conversant with Microsoft Office;
Effective communication skills;
Adherence to UN’s values and ethical standards;
Creative thinking, drive for results and strong commitment;
Cultural and gender sensitivity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Enrolled in a Masters or higher degree with distinctive academic performance in Economics, Development, Environmental Studies, Public Policy, Political Studies, Statistics and related fields.

Experience:

Experience with statistical packages (R, Stata) and visualization tools (Gephi, Cytoscape, ggplot) will be considered as an advantage.

Language skills:

Fluent in spoken and written English including economic, statistics and development terminology;
Knowledge of regional languages will be considered as an advantage;
Knowledge of human development terminology in English will be considered as an advantage.

Financial Issues:
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.

Application:

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.

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.

Subsequent Employment:
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/.