Historique
The Regional Hub for Arab States leads UNDP’s provision of policy and programme support to regional and local partners across on a range of development issues in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Regional Hub’s staff supports the formulation and implementation of regional initiatives, provides technical advice to UNDP Country Offices and local partners regards national programming; advocates UN and UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at regional fora and dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination for common frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction mark a turning point in development policy.
Today the Middle East and North Africa region, as a global hotspot for climate risks and vulnerability, is experiencing one of the most dramatic periods of change in history – with an escalation of conflict, famine crisis, a dramatic resurgence of poverty, and emergence of unprecedented refugee flows and internally displaced peoples. As leaders in the region strive to achieve stability and put the region back on a development trajectory, they do so in the face of risks from climate change, more severe droughts, and growing insecurity of energy and other natural resources. These trends pose risks for achieving the SDGs and for achieving long-term recovery in fragile and crisis contexts. As a result issues of climate change, DRR and related issues of resilience have risen to the top of many country’s development agendas, with growing level of partnership emerging with the UN and other development partners.
The Intern for Climate Change and Environment works with the focus on supporting UNDPs Regional Team located at the UNDP Regional Hub for Arab States in Amman. The Regional Hub is organized into a number of substantive technical teams corresponding to UNDPs areas of work, including a team composed of UNDPs Regional Team Leader; four Regional Specialists on Climate Change and two Regional Specialists for Energy. The team focuses on:
Climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction: climate change and drought are acting as a risk multiplier to social instability and conflict in the region, threatening to roll back development gains and entrench poverty. UNDP supports capacities to implement national NDC climate plans, the Paris Climate Agreement and Sendai DRR Framework, in ways that bring dividends to all SDGs.
Climate change mitigation and sustainable energy: support is aimed at helping countries scale-up renewable energy solutions and expand energy access for the poor; designing new low-carbon development strategies; and reducing the energy intensity of urbanization and growth in key sectors of industry, buildings and transport.
Ecosystem resilience and nature-based solutions: UNDP places top priority on developing resilience of communities and ecosystems and supporting more sustainable use of biodiversity, water, land and other resources critical for achieving the SDGs.
The internship is intended to facilitate the following knowledge/learning:
Means of implementing the Paris Agreement and national NDC climate plans at the local level
Ways to take climate action in a way that generates co-benefits across the SDGs
Challenges in addressing environmental priorities in the fragile and crisis contexts of the Middle East
Devoirs et responsabilités
- Assist in initiating UNDPs new ‘SDG Climate Facility’ regional project, aimed at helping countries take climate action with co-benefits for SDGs on poverty, gender, ecosystems and peace in the Middle East and North Africa
- Assist in follow-up actions to the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit including design of new UNDP grant initiatives to help countries like Egypt, Iraq, Palestine and Somalia implement their NDC climate plans under the Paris Agreement on climate change
Support for preparations and completion of a new UNDP regional policy brief on the linkages between the SDGs and the NDCs climate plans under the Paris Agreement
Compétences
- An understanding of environmental challenges and systems;
- An interest in addressing environmental challenges;
- Creative, out-of-the-box thinking;
- Excellent analytical skills and research capacity;
- Excellent writing and editing skills;
- network, liaison and collaboration skills;
- Experience editing images or preparing graphics for the web and email communications a plus.
Qualifications et expériences requises
Education:
- Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent) such as environment, development, or other closely related field.;
- Or be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher) such as environment, development, or other closely related field;
- Or have graduated with a university degree such as environment, development, or other closely related field. if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation
Experience:
- Technical and intellectual skills in relevant substantive area;
- Facilitation and coordination skills;
- Entrepreneurial abilities and ability to work in an independent manner;
- Full computer literacy;
- Knowledge of the UN and international organizations is an advantage
Language requirements:
- Excellent knowledge of the English language, with good writing, presentation and communication skills;
- Proficiency in other UN languages is an asset.