Biodiversity Credit Alliance Intern

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels offers a spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in its Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in UNDP’s Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS staff provide technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represent UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private, government and civil society dialogues, and engage in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

UNDP's 2022-2025 Strategic Plan highlights our continued commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying countries in their pathways towards the SDGs and working towards the Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP's Nature, Climate Change, Energy, and Waste Hubs promote and scale up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.

BPPS work with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate nature, climate, energy and waste related concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and oversee the implementation of the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming nature, climate change, energy, and waste. This multi-billion-dollar portfolio encompasses:

• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services including forests;
• Sustainable Land Management and Desertification including food and commodity systems;
• Water and Ocean Governance including SIDS;
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation;
• Sustainable Energy;
• Extractive Industries;
• Chemicals and Waste Management;
• Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy; and SCP approaches.

This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, South-South learning and digital transformation.

UNDP is expanding its efforts to engage private sector in biodiversity financing, contributing to the overall objective of redirecting global finance flows from nature negative to nature positive, as a prerequisite system change for achieving the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Programme and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among the instruments in biodiversity finance, inceasing attention is being dedicated to biodiversity credits. “Biodiversity credits, or ‘biocredits’ (i.e., nature credits, biodiversity tokens, etc.), are a quantifiable unit of positive biodiversity outcome, supported by a scientific methodology, that can be leveraged to incentivize nature conservation and restoration, as well as benefits Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities living with nature.

UNDP has been assisting in setting the Biodiversity Credits Alliance (BCA) with the mission to bring clarity and guidance for the formulation of a credible and scalable market. The BCA Secretariat is funded and facilitated by UNDP, UNEP FI and SIDA. Further details on the BCA can be found at www.biodiversitycreditalliance.org.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the BCA Global Coordinator, the intern will assist in the operations and technical workstreams of BCA.

Support to the Secretariat in

• undertaking day-to-day activities and internal and external communications;
• managing and maintaining relevant documents in a shared repository;
• organizing meetings (especially regularly scheduled BCA Task Force and BCA Forum meetings), including scheduling, agenda drafting, identifying speakers, panelists, resource persons, and drafting minutes and reports;
• implementing innovative tools to render webinars and workshops interactive;
• developing presentations, briefing notes, reports and other relevant materials;
• conducting research on partners, donors and other stakeholders in the biodiversity credit space, as and when needed;
• researching resource mobilization opportunities and proactively pursuing them;
• curating information from the biodiversity credit space for newsletters and other external communication channels including social media and website;
• responding to stakeholder queries and maintaining regular interactions with key stakeholders in the biodiversity credit space; and
• expanding memberships in the BCA Forum.

Support to the technical workstreams through

• liaising with stakeholders and partners and facilitating technical workstreams necessary to establish high integrity, transparent and scalable biodiversity credit market;
• conducting desk reviews, collating information and developing knowledge products;
• conducting research on the biodiversity credit market, including, for example, designing and launching surveys, analyzing data and developing summary reports; and
• tracking and researching relevant updates in the biodiversity credit space, e.g., new methodologies, initiatives, standards, projects, etc.

Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher) in fields such as environmental management, environmental policy, sustainability management, sustainable development, environmental economics, international relations, or related fields.
• Have graduated with a university degree (as defined above), and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

• Excellent analytical skills coupled with experience in research, drafting and developing reports and knowledge products are required;
• Knowledge of the current state of affiars on biodiversity including Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is an asset;
• Experience in programme management support and coordination among multiple stakeholders is an advantage;
• Experience in data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation is an advantage;and
• Knowledge in the preparation of webinar and (virtuál) workshops with experience in using Zoom, MS Teams and other tools is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.

Internship Conditions:

Applicants should become familiar with the internship conditions prior to signing an internship agreement. For information visit www.undp.org/internships/

Institutional Arrangements

The intern will report to the BCA Global Coordinator.

Financial aspects, expenses and medical benefits

• UNDP will not pay for the internship but may provide a monthly stipend in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship policy;
• UNDP accepts no responsibility for the medical insurance for the intern or for any costs arising from accidents and/or illness during the internship period. Interns, whether engaged in-person or remotely, are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship with UNDP and must provide self-certification of good health prior to starting the internship. UNDP will not reimburse the medical insurance of the intern. Any costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship assignment will be the responsibility of the intern.
• UNDP is not responsible for any claims by an intern or third party in the case of loss or damage to property or death or personal injury as a result of actions or omissions on the part of the intern during the internship period.

Working conditions:

• When completing an in-person internship in a UNDP Office, interns must be provided with the workspace and equipment necessary to accomplish the activities related to the internship.
• When completing a remote internship, interns will be responsible for providing their own equipment, internet and communication access and work space.

Subsequent Employment

There is no expectation of employment with UNDP following an internship. Interns cannot apply for, or be appointed to, any position during the period of their internship.

Important note:

Interns are considered as gratis personnel. They are not staff members. Interns may not be sought or accepted as substitutes for staff to be recruited against authorized posts. Interns may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.

Application:

Please provide the following documents to be considered:

• CV
• motivational letter

In case an applicant is successfully selected, s/he will be requested to provide electronic versions of:

• Letter from his/her university confirming current enrolment and graduation date.
• Letter of recommendation from a professor.
• Copy of his/her most recent school transcript.
• Copy of passport.
• Completed UNDP internship application form.
• Signed UNDP Internship Agreement.
• Medical Certificate of Good Health.
• Proof of medical insurance.

Kindly note the above documentation is required within one week after selection.

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