Background

Established in 1976; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is one of the United Nations Agencies working in Jordan and is the main convener of sustainable development.

As part of the global development system; UNDP Jordan upholds a vision focusing on the achievements of Sustainable Human Development in Jordan, ending poverty and reducing inequalities. UNDP is at the heart of the UN’s work on sustainable development and a leader for the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals.

UNDP Jordan partners with government and people at all levels focusing on three main areas which are:

  • Sustainable Development Pathways
  • Inclusive and Effective Democratic Governance
  • Resilience-building

 

The three main areas are implemented through the following portfolios;

 

Socio Economic and Decentralization

 

In Jordan, since 2013, UNDP has been leading a significant programme to support Jordanian host communities mitigate the impact of the Syria refugee crisis on the country (Programme Title: “Mitigating the Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis through Support to Host Communities”), through leveraging the absorption capacity of public services and improving the standards of living for local communities and enhancing social cohesion.  The programme has grown over the last few years to become a multi-donor multi-UN platform for support to host communities through several pillars. A mid-term evaluation of this programme is needed to build on the outputs results as the programme has been extended vertically and horizontally and resources were mobilized to implement more outputs until the second quarter of 2017.

 

Main Projects include:

  • An Integrated Economic and Social Development Policy Framework for Jordan
  • UN Joint Support to the Jordan National Response to the Syria Crisis, Phase I
  • Mitigating the Impact of Syrian Refugee Crisis through Support to Host Communities

 

Inclusive and Effective Democratic Governance

Electoral Assistance in Jordan:

  • UNDP has been leading efforts to strengthen national capacities especially in issues related to good governance. UNDP technical and advisory assistance to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) helped in the restructuring of the commission with regards to the functions, internal communication system, and recruitment processes.

 

Other projects include:

  • Support the implementation of the national Youth strategy
  • Inclusive political process in Jordan
  • Property tax management

 

Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction

Jordan is signatory to many major global environmental conventions and has started putting in place mechanisms to support their implementation.  Nevertheless, being a semi-arid country with limited natural resources and growing population, Jordan is confronted with the typical problems that arise from rapid urbanizations, industrializations and depletion of resources.  Furthermore, the country is totally reliant on imports to meet its household and industrial energy requirements.  The Environment and Climate Change programme has a number of ongoing projects that focus on support to the government of Jordan related to these issues. These projects include support to: the Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Tourism sector, Mainstreaming RIO conventions into National development planning , Restoration of sustainable livelihoods creation and natural resource management in Badia Communities,  Strengthen National decision making towards Ratification of the Minamata Convention (on Mercury), Fostering small-scale Food Processing Industries and Tourism Services to support Local Economic Development in Tafileh and Ajloun,  Strengthening human resources, legal frameworks, and institutional capacities to implement the Nagoya Protocol and Preparation of Jordan's First Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC  

 

The focus will include:

 

  • Developing an integrated programme of support that gives priority to climate change within the context of UNFCCC, but also having clear components of support to those global environmental conventions that Jordan has signed and made commitments to, such as:  DRR, Biodiversity, Desertification, and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, (POPs).

 

  • Linking this integrated programme to the ongoing projects and UNDP’s other pillars, so that in many ways climate changes will become embedded in all UNDP support to Jordan.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specified TORs will be based on the selection of the portfolio selection and upon need and availability of the opening. 

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong sense of collaborative work, excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
  • Keen attention to details;
  • Ability to respond quickly to un expectancies;
  • Proven record of interest and work in the development field.

 

Communication:

  • Speaks and writes clearly, concisely and effectively;
  • Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
  • Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
  • Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience;
  • Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

 

Teamwork:

  • Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise;
  • Is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda;
  • Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position;
  • Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

 

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

(a)Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or

equivalent, or higher);

(b)Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);

(c)Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

 

Experience:

  • Strong academic background in economics, gender studies, international development, media, or any other relevant fields;
  • Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in Arabic and English are required; Ability to write clearly and concisely;
  • Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
  • Good command of information and communication technology.