About UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa:

The UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and with additional offices in Dakar, Senegal and Nairobi, Kenya, serves UNDP’s 45 Country Offices in sub-Saharan Africa, develops high quality knowledge and policy, is the organization’s main interface with regional and continental bodies such as the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities, and implements UNDP’s Regional Programme for Africa.

This continent-wide Regional Programme supports Africa’s transformation agenda by 1) enhancing inclusive and sustainable growth, 2) widening political participation and giving everyone a voice, and 3) developing responsive institutions which deliver desired services and promote inclusive processes of state-society dialogue. The work builds on UNDP’s expertise in development thinking and practice, and decades of experience working at country level and globally.  

Specific areas of work led from the Centre, on a regional and continent-wide basis include: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), improving countries’ public finance management, mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS, building capacity for disaster risk management and climate change mitigation and adaptation, enabling access to sustainable energy and sustainable use of natural resources, promoting gender equality and empowerment, and enhancing food security in the Sahel. The Centre also provides support to countries on aid and development effectiveness and South-South Cooperation.  

Climate Change and Resilience:

• This area leads the development and coordination of policy in climate change adaptation and mitigation, climate risk management, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster recovery. The Cluster specifically incorporates risk as a key element of strategies to pursue sustainable development, to anticipate conflict and crises and to strengthen resilience. Specific areas of work include:
• Climate Change;
• Disaster Risk Reduction;
• Sustainable Energy for All.

Country Office Support:

The Climate Change and DRR Team  works with the Country Support Team to provide policy, technical and programmatic advisory support to country offices on a regular basis and ensures coordinated support to their day-to-day activities, including but not limited to programme and management-related matters from a corporate perspective, planning, monitoring and reporting, and troubleshooting.
Objective of the UNDP-RSCA Internship Programme

The internship will be beneficial to the intern as well as to UN Office. The internship is intended to familiarize the intern with UNDP system and with its multidimensional activities in Africa. The placement should further add practical knowledge and skills to the intern’s theoretical knowledge of international development issues, in particular, climate change.

The UNDP-RSCA will also benefit from the wide variety of academic knowledge, professional experience and personal creativity of interns.  Interns can bring new, refreshing ideas/thoughts to the Office.  Moreover, they can contribute by keeping the Office self-reflective and critical of its own performances.

Facilities in the office

An intern will be provided with a supervisor who is approachable at any time and willing to make a genuine effort to involve the intern with substantive programme activities. The intern will attend weekly staff meetings and will be provided with all opportunities to acquire deeper insight into the functioning of the respective agency.

Nature of Assignment:

The intern will assist a staff member in the Office, who will concurrently function as the supervisor, in the execution of his/her work. The intern may be asked to perform any task indicated in the Terms of Reference or designated by the supervisor. The intern will be involved to the greatest possible extent in substantive Office activities. Interns could also add valuable contribution in preparations to specific or incidental activities such as forums, exhibitions or workshops.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Technical input to  regional (Africa Union and Regional Economic Communities) and national climate policy/plans development processes;
• Technical input to the Country Programme Document (CPD) formulation processes in the UNDP Strategic Plan alignment thematic area of Climate Change and subsequent programme development processes after approval of CPDs;
• Assistance in preparation of National Climate Financing Frameworks  including linking countries to best practices;
• Providing administrative and technical support to processes that contribute to compliance with the  Climate Change Convention such as regional preparations to COPs, implementation of the Paris Agreement, including implementing and communicating Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (I) NDCs;
• Technical and administrative support to regional climate programmes/projects and events including organisation of workshops and dialogues;
• Development of  TORs, concept notes and proposals for strategic regional climate interventions;
• Conducting research and drafting technical analytical papers on selected climate change topics;
• Revision/updating of country office contacts and expert rosters.

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to receive / integrate feedback;
• Works collaboratively with team members by sharing information openly and displaying cultural awareness and sensitivity;
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external partners;
• Positive and results-oriented attitude.

Education:

• Enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme (Master) in natural sciences, preferably in the field of climate sciences, international development, environmental studies or international politics;
• Not have graduated prior to the beginning of the internship.

Experience:

• Demonstrated interest in the field of development;
• Computer literate in standard software applications (knowledge of GIS and Stata programming experience would be an added advantage);
• Demonstrated keen interest in the work of the UN, and of UNDP in particular, and have a personal commitment to UNDP's Statement of Purpose  and to the ideals of the UN Charter;
• Demonstrated the ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Language:

• A good command of English and/or French;
• Knowledge of additional languages such as Portuguese or Spanish would be an asset..

Intern requiements:

• Applicants should indicate which months they are available part- and/or full time and when they complete their studies;
• UNDP internship programme does not provide a salary or remuneration for the internship;
• All the expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring Government or institution;
• UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
• 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 or for six months immediately following the expiration date of internship;
• The intern must provide proof of enrollment in health insurance plan;
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;
• Only those students who will return to their studies upon completion of their internship assignments are eligible.

Interns should possess/or be enrolled in a programme for a university degree in natural sciences, preferably in the field of climate sciences, international development, environmental studies or international politics. Interest in climate mitigation and adaptation should be reflected in the curriculum vitae. Some work experience in the field of international cooperation, development assistance or humanitarian aid in their home countries would be an asset.