The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEP’s Disasters and Conflicts Programme works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
The Disasters and Conflicts Programme extends UNEP’s work to areas of the world where the natural and human environment have been damaged from conflicts or disasters. Specialized environmental expertise is provided to rapidly identify risks to health, livelihoods and ecosystem services and to integrate environmental needs within the recovery process.
The Disasters and Conflicts Programme promotes sustainable management of natural resources in conflict and disaster affected countries. The branch’s work demonstrates to decision makers the importance of natural resources management as a precondition for sustainable development and as an instrument for peace building and disaster risk reduction. Since 1999, the team has conducted field operations in over 40 countries and works in close cooperation with the humanitarian, development and peace-building frameworks of the UN system. More information can be found at www.unep.org/disastersandconflicts.
Within the Disasters and Conflicts Programme, UNEP has started working in Haiti since 2008 to support the country with environmental impact assessment and recovery after a series of dramatic hurricanes (Gustav, Hanna and Ike). Following the earthquake of January 2010, UNEP designed a long-term vision and country programme to introduce innovative nature-based solutions to disaster risk reductions, adaptation to climate change, resilience and sustainability. Over the years, UNEP has established a robust network of local partners, demonstrated the value of nature to address climate disasters, pollutions, and build a resilient socioeconomic model, and supported the policy and normative agenda of Haiti’s Governments.
Haiti is regularly stricken by disasters and conflicts, including sociopolitical turmoil and surging insecurity. The humanitarian and emergency response mobilizes significant financial support every year to assist a population increasingly vulnerable and facing rampant food insecurity. Mainstreaming nature-based solutions, resilience and sustainability perspectives into the emergency assistance offers an opportunity to leverage funding to accelerate environmental benefits and resilience.
UNEP and the World Food Programme (WFP) are exploring opportunities to take advantage of school feeding assistance and direct these funding to maximize socioeconomic and environmental impacts. WFP is providing food to 1.200 schools in Haiti. Most of this food is imported, mainly due to financial reasons as the price to supply food locally can almost double the cost of an individual dish. WFP has established a “home grown school feeding” approach that tries to establish local level supply chains and promote small-scale farming.
UNEP and the WFP are joining forces to explore how small-scale agro-ecology farming can be scaled up through locally supplied school feeding programmes. Collaboration is expected to extend to other UN agencies including the FAO, UNICEF or ILO.
This internship position is for a person who will support UNEP and partner agencies to collect all relevant experiences, opinions and information to inform the design of a business case for local agro-ecology solutions to school feeding.
The Internship is UNPAID and full-time. The intern will be provided a UN email address and use IT solutions for remote interaction with the UNEP Haiti team and virtual meetings and interviews with stakeholders. Interns work five days per week (35-40 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned.
Under the supervision of the agro-ecology and resilience expert in the UNEP Haiti team, the intern will:
1. Engage with the UNEP Haiti team, with partner agencies (WFP, FAO, UNICEF, ILO…) and other relevant stakeholders, introduce the initiative, maintain regular working relationship including reporting on progress and requesting assistance and guidance on a regular basis.
2. Collect relevant literature from international, national and local sources.
3. Carry out an early desk review and draft the targeted table of content of the internship report.
4. Formulate a work plan, including interviews with stakeholders and further data collection and desk review. The workplan will drive the intern exploration through the following questions:
a. International aid for school feeding in Haiti: volume, trends, practices…
b. Experiences of locally supplied school feeding in Haiti: operations and business models, challenges and risks, opportunities, benefits…
c. Listing and exploring opportunities and potential solutions for challenges identified, for instance:
i. Financial model: how to reduce the cost of supplying locally? Opportunities for valuing social and environmental benefits and using green finance solutions to balance the cost and massively incentivize
a shift to local supply?
ii. Production model: what is the potential for local agro-ecology small-farming models to meet the demand for school feeding? How to reduce or manage risks for supply disruption or shortage? What models of organizations of farmers and arrangements with the school can de-risk the supply chain?
iii. Diet model: Should changes be promoted or needed to improve the ability of locally-produced food under agro-ecology models to meet the demand for balanced and nutritious school feeding?
iv. Monitoring system: How to ensure that supported food production model delivers on socioeconomic and environmental benefits? How to monitor these benefits? How they can be linked to green finance and looped back into the business model?
5. Implement the work plan and record actions systematically (establish a comprehensive list of relevant literature, prepare summary notes from each interview…)
6. Formulate the internship report and finalize it through a round of final consultations, including a webinar with key relevant partners and stakeholders
Communication:
-Speaks and writes clearly 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 the 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
Client Orientation:
-Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view
-Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect
-Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions
-Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems
-Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects
-Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client
Applicants 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 program (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent);
c. Have graduated with a university degree.
Be computer literate in standard software applications.
Have demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter;
Have a demonstrated 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.
Preferred area of study:
Background in management, economics and business development; food, agriculture and environmental sciences and policy; climate change and disaster management, emergency and humanitarian affairs; or other related fields
Strong interest and familiarity with food systems, agro-ecology and human development
Ability to write clearly and succinctly in English and French is required
No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of Spanish is desired.
NOTE: "Fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of "confident" in two of the four areas.
Potential candidates will be contacted by hiring manager directly for further consideration.
Your application for this internship must include:
1.A Completed application (Personal History Profile) and Cover Note, through the UN careers Portal. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
The Cover Note must include:
- Title of the degree you are currently pursuing
- Graduation Date
- IT skills and programmes you are proficient in
- Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship
Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme, ensure to include all past work experience (if any).
2. Proof of enrollment from current University (if not graduated).
3. A copy of degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
Due to a high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship remotely in view of constraints regarding visa issuance, international travel and access to UN premises. Applicants must be willing and prepared to undertake the internship remotely for a part or the entirety of the internship. The work hours during the internship shall be determined based on individual discussion between the intern and the supervisor(s) taking into consideration the minimum requirements of the Organization and the time difference between the hosting office and the location of the intern.
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.