UNDP Jobs - 112198- Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptatio

Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptation intern

Location :

Homebased, SWITZERLAND

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

01-Jun-2023

Application Deadline :

12-May-23 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 Months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 Months

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

Addressing climate and disaster risks in a coherent manner across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. Capitalizing on the complementarity of UN agencies’ expertise across various social, economic and environmental sectors, the UN System can demonstrate its value-added supports in responding to country demand for integrated and coherent solutions.

The Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) is a global partnership composed of 20 UN and non-UN organizations that works towards strengthening countries’ capacities to pursue integrated and coherent solutions to reduce disaster and climate risks to achieve the 2030 agenda and its commitment to leave no one behind. By pooling its member agencies’ resources, expertise, and knowledge, the CADRI Partnership promotes the effectiveness of the UN System to optimally use its assets and expertise. The CADRI Partnership Secretariat is managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Geneva Office.

Over the past decade, the CADRI Partnership has been active in supporting capacity development in disaster risk reduction (DRR), including preparedness for response, and climate change adaptation (CCA) in over 35 countries. The CADRI Partners have jointly developed an assessment and planning methodology covering ten sectors and areas: agriculture and food security; environment, infrastructure; cultural heritage; health; WASH, education, nutrition; human mobility and social protection. Under the CADRI inter-agency programme (2019-2023), the CADRI Partnership is broadening its offer of capacity development services and scaling up its services in the regions to respond to increasing country demand for capacity development support.

In 2023, the CADRI Partnership services are expected to be deployed to new countries in various regions (with subject to change): Asia Pacific (Cambodia, Mongolia), Latin America and Caribbean (Costa Rica), East and Southern Africa (Mozambique, Zambia), West and Central Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone), and Middle East and North Africa (Djibouti, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia).

Duties and Responsibilities

The CADRI inter-agency Partnership Secretariat seeks to recruit an intern, with knowledge and academic background in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, to join the CADRI team to support the CADRI Partnership country work in 2023.

Upon acceptance of the internship, the intern will be assigned one, or more, countries depending on the language skills. The intern will learn about capacity development approaches to advance disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption across socio-economic sectors in various development contexts (Least Development Countries, Middle Income Countries, Fragile contexts). The intern will also get an insight into the mechanics and working culture of the UN System at global, regional and country level.

The intern will be part of the CADRI Secretariat team in Geneva. S/he will work under the direct supervision of the CADRI regional facilitator with the overall guidance of the CADRI Coordinator and in collaboration with CADRI partners including, but not limited to, FAO, IOM, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF experts. The intern will perform, but not limited to, the following duties:

Country preparatory work:

Conduct country research to prepare for the capacity diagnosis including consolidating climate and disaster data and existing sectoral vulnerability assessments;
Conduct country research on social vulnerability and conflict;
Support the mapping of relevant policy documents and reports and classify and upload them of the CADRI country online repository on Prevention web;
Support the mapping of private sector and civil society actors engaged in environmental and disaster/climate change issues at country level working closely with the country UN Resident Coordinator Office;
Support the preparation of customized training for CADRI experts on the CADRI methodology;
Support the customization of the capacity assessment analytical frame to the country context.

Country deliverables:

Support in the consolidation of inputs into CADRI scoping mission reports, capacity diagnosis reports, government capacity development plans, government customized training programmes, when required;
Support the development of country stories for the CADRI website;
Develop 2 knowledge products derived from six to eight CADRI capacity diagnosis reports (Bolivia, Cameroon, Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Maldives, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo);
Develop a good practices paper / case study on vertical & horizontal coordination mechanisms for DRR;
Assist with other tasks as required.

Competencies

Good academic knowledge of Disaster Risk Reduction/ Management, Climate Change Adaptation, Sustainable development;
Experience in developing analytical content (reports, essays);
Experience in developing communications products;
Strong analytical skills, and a proven ability to process large amount of information;
Strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to work in teams;
Initiative taking and ability to work with minimum supervision;
Ability to work in a multicultural environment;
Excellent drafting skills in English;
Fluency in another UN official language is highly desirable;
Experience working in developing country settings is an advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the

following requirements:

(a) Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);

(b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as

bachelor’s degree or equivalent);

selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;

(d) Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Required Skills:

Sound computer skills
Proficient knowledge of MS Office applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud and MS Publisher would be an asset

Language:

Proficiency in English is required;
Good working knowledge of French, Arabic Spanish, or Russian is an asset.

Application Procedure:

The application should contain a) brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post; and (b) current and complete CV in English.

Conditions of the Internship:

Interns may be given a stipend according to the UNDP Internship Policies, if is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation, or scholarship programme;
Interns, whether engaged in-person or remotely, are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship with UNDP and must provide self-certification of good health prior to starting the internship. UNDP will not reimburse the medical insurance of the intern. Any costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship assignment will be the responsibility of the intern;
In cases when the intern is expected to travel to the duty station, the intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship;
Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;
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;
The intern will be evaluated at the end of the contract and due recognition of work will be issued in writing.

In case an applicant is successfully selected, s/he will be requested to provide electronic versions of the following documents upon selection:

Copy of the applicant’s most recent resume or curriculum vitae;
Letter from his/her university confirming current enrolment and graduation date;
Letter of recommendation from a professor;
Copy of his/her school transcript;
Copy of passport;
Completed UNDP internship application form;
Signed UNDP Internship Agreement;
Medical Certificate of Good Health;
Proof of medical insurance.

Application process:

In your application, please (i) state in one paragraph why you would like to be considered for the internship, and (ii) indicate your preferred start and end date, as well as your availability timeframe in 2023;
Submit your CV/Resume.

Please combine the above into one single PDF document as the system only allows to upload one document.

Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.