Background

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.

UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: inclusive digital economies, connecting individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyze participation in the local economy, and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; local transformative finance, that capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and investment finance, that provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a broad diversity of SDGs.

UNCDF’s Local Transformation Finance Practice (LD) – channel (2) - is a centre of excellence and innovative fund for local government finance and local economic development finance in the LDCs. LD promotes and supports transformative investments through local governments and domestic financial institutions (banks, pension funds) in LDCs by piloting and scaling up innovative financing mechanisms and policies in the public and private sectors. UNCDF’s LD team focusses on local economies and sub-national finance and aims at ensuring that people in all regions and locations benefit from economic growth. This means dealing with the specific local challenges of, for example, peri-urban areas and remote rural locations. It means investing domestic resources into local economies and services through, inter-alia, fiscal decentralization, climate finance and project finance. UNCDF focuses its efforts towards strengthening public financial management and local revenue, improving the quality of public and private investments at the local level.

The Municipal Investment Finance Program is part of the LD Finance Practice and its objective is to increase the capacity of local governments and other non-sovereign entities to address key urbanization challenges through access to sustainable sources of capital financing. UNCDF’s mandate, through MIF, is to leverage public resources to mobilize private capital investment. This blended finance approach to municipal financing is critical to addressing the imbalance that exists within LDCs while creating opportunities for collaboration with the private sector and transitioning local governments and non-sovereign entities from traditional pure grant funding to a mix of public and private sources, in order to address local challenges.

Alongside to specific country programs, The MIF team is working on two major global Initiatives:

  1. International Municipal Investment Fund (IMIF) – Technical Assistance Facility (TAF): The International Municipal Investment Fund is a unique, bespoke fund designed and set up by UNCDF and UCLG with the collaboration of FMDV to support cities and local governments (notably municipalities in developing countries including the least developed countries) in accessing national and international capital markets. It will provide cities and local governments with reimbursable funds to finance investment projects and programmes of general interest. The Fund is managed by Meridiam, a private asset manager. In order to assist the cities in preparing their project documentation for submission to the International Municipal Investment Fund, UNCDF has set up a Technical Assistance Facility - IMIF-TAF. The aim of this facility is to provide technical assistance to cities to help them finalize their investment project and, where necessary, strengthen their capacity to access credit, so that their investment project can be presented to the Fund Manager, Meridiam, with the best chance of success. 
  2. The Blue Peace Financing Initiative under the MIF program suggests that water can be used as an entry point to enhance cooperation at transboundary, cross-sectoral and intergenerational levels and therefore drive sustainable development, circular economies as well as more resilient and peaceful societies. The Blue Peace Financing Initiative is about promoting access to capital for non-sovereign entities by using water as an entry point for multi-stakeholder cooperation frameworks, leading to more sustainable economies and peaceful societies (peace dividend). Hence, investing in Blue Peace supports the achievement of the SDGs while also transforming water from a potential source of crisis into an instrument of cooperation and peace.

UNCDF is seeking qualified data analytics and research intern for an in-depth research that will provide an overview of existing transboundary water bodies (river basins, lakes, aquifers) and an analysis of their potential in terms of enabling framework and readiness for the Blue Peace Financing Initiative.

Outputs and Deliverables:

The vision of the Blue Peace Financing Initiative is about promoting access to capital for non-sovereign entities (closing the market gap) by using water as an entry point for multi-stakeholder cooperation frameworks, leading to more sustainable economies and peaceful societies (peace dividend). By identifying transboundary basins with a high potential for the Blue Peace Initiative, this research will support the expansion of the Blue Peace Financing Initiative to other regions. In doing so, the Blue Peace Financing Initiative will be able to close the above mentioned market gap - lack of access to capital for non-sovereign entities – by using catalytic capital to promote their access to the investment ecosystem and hence creating a new market for impact investors. In that sense, the Blue Peace Financing Initiative is a catalyst for systemic change and transformation on two levels:

  • it will change the approach and perception of investors towards looking at water not as a distinct sector but as an entry-point for multisectoral and regional impact investment opportunity;
  • it will provide a new financial incentive for countries and sectors to cooperate and create joint management frameworks for a more sustainable management of shared resources, reducing social, political and economic conflicts.

The main deliverables/outputs that this internship will support will be :

  1. knowledge products presenting the results and response to the key research questions (see below under activity 1);
  2. a score card (set of criteria) and rating methodology specifically for the Blue Peace Financing Initiative (to be developed based on the Blue Peace Index criteria and categories)
  3. a dataset structured based on that rating mechanism and the underlying indicators
  4. factsheets presenting the transboundary basins and their potential to implement the Blue Peace Financing Initiative.

 

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities:

The selected intern will work under the supervision of the MIF Global Program Manager and the  Blue Peace Program Specialist.

The key activities of the Intern will involve the following:

1)  Draft deep-dive thematic research on transboundary water bodies (river basins, lakes and aquifers) and collection of relevant data for research questions. Key research questions are:

  • How many transboundary basins (rivers, lakes and aquifers) do exist? Including description of geography/region, riparian countries, volume/length, etc.;
  • How many of these transboundary basins have an established cooperative management framework?
  • Detailed description of nature of these cooperation frameworks: how many of these go beyond “simple” legal agreements and are in form of a joint institution (e.g. a River Basin Organization or a Commission)?
  • Detailed description of these joint institutions;

2)  Support development of score-card (“Readiness-Tool”) for Blue Peace Financing Initiative

  • Review Blue Peace Index criteria and identify “missing indicators” from the perspective of the Blue Peace Financing Initiative
  • Based on this, develop new criteria set and score card to identify the “readiness” of a transboundary water institution for the Blue Peace Financing Initiative.
  • Consultation of criteria and score-card with partners;
  • Analysis of data collected under activity (1) based on score-card developed under activity (2): Based on the scoring according to the indicators within each category, each transboundary basin entity will be rated according to its potential (readiness) for the Blue Peace Financing Initiative: (a) high (b) medium or (c) low potential

3)  Support development of dataset based on research and analysis under activity (1) and (2): 

  • Support identifying software to present dataset (software should be user-friendly and allow customized search)
  • Feed in research results and data collected under activity (1) as well as results from analysis under activity (2) into a software
  • Launch event to present dataset and mainstream in different networks and platforms

4)  Develop Factsheets

  • Develop content for factsheets for transboundary water bodies with high, medium and low potential; 
  • Work together with communication officers to finalize factsheets 
  • Integrate factsheets into dataset

5)  Knowledge Management and Learning

  • Synthesize and summarize research outcomes and lessons learned into formats tailored to government, digital finance service providers, private sector and donors
  • Support MIF Program on other activities related to the Blue Peace Financing Initaitve  

 

Competencies

Core Competencies:

  • Commitment to UNCDFs vision, mission, and strategic goals;
  • Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty;
  • Excellent organizational, inter-personal, communication and administrative skills;
  • Able to work effectively in a team and in an international environment.

Functional Competencies:

  • Demonstrable skills in research, analytical thinking, and communication;
  • Excellent writing and editing skills in English; French is an asset;
  • Proven ability to manage diverse and complex tasks, with tight deadlines;
  • Able to take initiative and work independently, with minimum supervision;
  • Strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills with ability to work under pressure within an international setting;
  • Interest in the UN system and general knowledge of sustainable development and/or water governance topics is a plus;
  • Ability to perform a variety of administrative tasks.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:
  • Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);
  • Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);
  • Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
  • Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

 

Work Experience and Desired Skillset:

  • Demonstrated experience (part or full-time, paid or volunteer) in water governance, research, data collection, policy related work, finance, or related fields;
  • Demonstrated research and analytical capacity;
  • Excellent computer capabilities.

 

Language:

  • Strong writing and speaking abilities in English.
  • French is a plus.

 

Work arrangements:

  • The Intern will work full-time from home
  • Work space will be provided; Interns are expected to use their own computer/laptop as they may not have full-time access to office computer/laptop

 

Internship conditions:

  • UNCDF Internship Programme is governed by the UNDP Internship Policy Framework and Rules.
  • The maximum internship duration is 6 months.
  • Interns are partially financially remunerated by UNCDF. The costs associated with the assignment will be partially supported by UNCDF and the rest to 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/her own arrangements for travel, accommodation, etc. Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out (i.e. Bangkok, Thailand).
  • Under the new revised UNDP Internship Policy, UNCDF will provide a modest monthly internship stipend to its interns, in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship Policy. All expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the Intern or her/his sponsoring entity/institution.
  • Selected interns must be able to share proof of education enrolment and/ or graduation, medical/health and life/accident insurance, valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out and be able to provide insurance documentary proof at the time of their selection.
  • It is expected that due to CoVID-19 restrictions in place, the most- immediate internship assignments will be home-based till the situation in respective duty station improves.
  • The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNCDF but to complement an Intern’s studies and learning growth.
  • There is no expectation of employment at the end of these internships.
  • Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNCDF in any official capacity.

Evaluation:

Shortlisted candidates shall be invited for an interview, candidates who were not shortlisted will not be notified. Candidates will be evaluated mainly from 4 aspects:

  • Working and/or research experience in relevant area;
  • Knowledge on water governance, sustainable water resource management, policy frameworks, development finance and SDGs;
  • Data analytic skills;
  • Communication skills.

 

How to apply:

Please group all your documents into one single PDF document as the system only allows to upload a maximum of one document.

  • In your application, please state in one paragraph why you would like to be considered for the internship and your primary motivation to apply for this role;
  • Please note that you will need to answer the mandatory questions on timeframe and availability (under Additional Questions section), which is a part of the internship application process, in addition to your cover letter.
  • Please submit your Resume/CV and an application using the UNCDF Internship Application form: http://www.uncdf.org/download/file/127/2509/internshipdoc 
  • Applications should include the application form and latest resume. Applicants are welcome to submit any additional work samples or portfolios in one single file, preferably PDF.
  • Please note that the UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents (CV/ Resume, Cover Letter etc. into a single file before uploading).
  • Interested candidates can apply at any time indicating the timeframe of their availability in the internship form. However, only those candidates selected for interviews / further assessment by hiring managers will be contacted.  

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

This is an open Call for 2022 Internship Applications from January 2022 to April 2022.

We accept applications from interested and qualified applicants, on an ongoing basis for the Municipal Investment Finance (MIF) Program within the UNCDF Local Transformation Practice. Interested Candidates can apply at any time indicating the timeframe of their availability in the internship form.