Biodiversity and Health Expert
Support countries to integrate One Health into biodiversity planning.
Overview
Support countries to integrate One Health into biodiversity planning.
You have:
- Advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD) in relevant fields is required.
- Minimum of 7 years of experience working in integrated, multi-disciplinary approaches is required.
- Experience in the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation frameworks is required.
- Demonstrated experience in facilitating workshops, developing presentations, and stakeholder engagement is required.
- Experience in project management is required.
- Familiarity with conducting critical reviews of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans is desirable.
- Experience in capacity building and facilitating dialogues across sectors is desirable.
- Fluency in English is required; knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.
Contract
This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.
Result of Service
The expected outputs of this consultancy will enable UNEP to support GEF eligible countries in their efforts to integrate holistic One Health considerations into their biodiversity planning and policy frameworks. The consultant will work to strengthen national and regional capacity to promote the integration of One Health approaches into NBSAPs.
Work Location
NAIROBI
Expected duration
12 months
Duties and Responsibilities
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. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP’s Ecosystems Division engages with governments and other partners to develop and promote ecosystem-base solutions for sustainable development. This assignment is in the Nature and Health Unit (NAHU) of the Biodiversity and Land Branch, Ecosystems Division. NAHU aims to strengthen the integration of environmental considerations in One Health approaches via two main vehicles: UNEP’s role as member of the Quadripartite Collaboration on One Health, and through UNEP’s role as Secretariat of the Nature4Health initiative. These initiatives encompass global, regional, and national interventions, with the aim of stimulating systemic One Health approaches that fully incorporate environmental dimensions. Through these initiatives, NAHU contributes to the work of the Ecosystem Division by fostering cross-sectoral collaboration, enhancing UNEP’s capacity to reduce health risks emerging from ecosystem degradation. NAHU, together with the Nature Frameworks Support Unit of the Biodiversity and Land Branch, aims to support eligible countries in revising and updating their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPS) to enable effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at the national level. The purpose of this programme is to strengthen the capacity of countries to integrate biodiversity-health interlinkages into their NBSAPs in line with the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity. This position is located in the Nature and Health Unit, Biodiversity and Land Branch of the Ecosystems Division. The assignment is intended to support the Nature and Health Unit. Duties and Responsibilities Under the supervision of the Head of the Nature and Health Unit, and in close coordination with the Nature Frameworks Support unit, the consultant will undertake the following assignments: 1. Conduct a review and analysis of the inclusion of Biodiversity and Health into submitted targets and NBSAPs to identify what elements of the GAP are being adopted by countries, to encourage future uptake of biodiversity and health considerations into national biodiversity planning, and to share experiences and lessons learned. 2. Support UNEP’s efforts, in collaboration with the CBD Secretariat, the Quadripartite and other partners, to contribute to the development and peer review of integrated science-based indicators, metrics and methodologies for assessing biodiversity and health considerations in national biodiversity planning and policy frameworks. 3. Strengthen national, regional, and global capacity to promote the uptake of the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health and facilitate expert participation in workshops to foster knowledge on the interconnectedness of biodiversity loss and poor health, material development, and the dissemination of good practices and sharing of experiences on biodiversity and health.
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD) in One Health, Conservation Biology, Environmental Science, Environment and Health, Environmental Governance or other fields directly relevant to the environmental dimensions of health is required. Minimum of 7 years of experience working in integrated, multi-disciplinary or intersectoral approaches to addressing complex challenges at the intersection of nature and health, is required. Experience in the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation frameworks is required. Demonstrated experience in facilitating workshops, developing presentations, including internal and external stakeholder engagement, and designing and delivering webinars and workshops across digital channels is required. Experience in project management, and experience in implementing and overseeing cross-agency programs is required. Familiarity working with and conducting critical reviews of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans is desirable. Experience in capacity building, technical and scientific cooperation and facilitating dialogues across sectors (e.g., environment, health, agriculture) is desirable. Familiarity with UN system operations, procedures, and mandates related to environment and health is desirable. Experience working in developing country contexts or support to countries implementing multi-sectoral approaches to complex problems is highly desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
Additional Information
Not available.
No Fee
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.
Potential interview questions
| Describe your experience with One Health approaches and how it applies to biodiversity planning. | This gauges your understanding of One Health in the context of biodiversity. | Highlight specific projects or programs where you integrated these approaches. |
| Can you provide examples of workshops you have facilitated regarding biodiversity and health? | To assess your facilitation skills and experiences with interdisciplinary topics. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What methods do you use to engage stakeholders effectively? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you approach the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Explain your project management experience in an environment-related context. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Discuss your familiarity with National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What are some challenges you've faced when integrating health and environmental considerations? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Describe a time when you had to work with multiple sectors (e.g., health, agriculture) to achieve a goal. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |