Climate Change Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

This UNV assignment is part of UNICEF’s regional accelerator on Climate Change and will focus on the roll out of the new UNICEF Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (SCAP) and in particularly the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) related aspects of it. The UN Volunteer will work within the WASH and Climate Change team at the UNICEF Regional Office.

Under the direct supervision of Climate Change Regional Advisor, the UN Volunteer will:

• Support the implementation and monitoring of the UNICEF global Sustainability and Climate Change Plan at the regional level, including, among other actions, providing technical support to Country Offices (COs) in the region. • Provide technical support to COs in the region on climate, DRR, humanitarian nexus. • Provide support to COs as they roll out the global plan in line with the CO level Climate Landscape Analysis for Children documents developed with specific country-level actions in all CO UNICEF sections (WASH, nutrition, health, child protection, social policy, supply education, and SBC) involved. • Support in the development of climate-related funding proposals within the region. • Support knowledge management actions around climate change and DRR issues within the MENA region and make the linkage to the humanitarian operations. • Coordinate UNICEF regional and global advocacy points and inputs into the annual climate and DRR related conferences. • Support the documentation of evidence, best practices, and lessons learned within the region. • Additional deliverables will be decided upon discussions with the UNV upon arrival, based on the expertise and interest of the UNV and the evolving needs of the Climate Change team.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

areas related to climate change and DRR and emergencies at the country or international levels. • Desirable: Understanding of global and national government climate and DRR political landscape, global and national frameworks and financial landscape. • Language skills: Fluency in English required, Arabic language skills is an advantage. • Familiar with children's rights, gender, and disability in the context of climate change. • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development. • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.

Location: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is located in the Middle East. Bound by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, Red Sea to the south and the Palestinian National Authority to the west.

Weather: Jordan’s climate can be classified as semi-arid (Bsh) on the Koeppen-Geiger classification. It features a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. The climate is influenced by Jordan's location between the subtropical aridity of the Arabian desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. January is the coldest month, with temperatures from 5°C to 10°C, and August is the hottest month at 20°C to 35°C. Daily temperatures can be quite hot, especially in the summer; on some days it can be 40°C or more, especially when a hot, dry southerly wind blows. Such winds can sometimes be very strong and can cause sandstorms. About 70 percent of the average rainfall in the country falls between November and March; June through August are often rainless. Rainfall varies from season to season and from year to year. Precipitation is often concentrated in violent storms, causing erosion and local flooding, especially in the winter months.

Safety and Security: Jordan is a relatively stable country. The potentials for internal or external armed conflict are considered very unlikely in the current political environment. Peaceful demonstrations, and sometimes road blockages, do occur in Jordan, motivated by domestic factors such as unemployment, deprivation of resources and development or for regional issues such as solidarity with the Palestinian cause or with the Syrian crises. Most of these events are driven by civil society unions and Islamic parties. Domestic tribal civil unrest sometimes turns violent, especially outside main cities, due to tribal disputes or socio-economic reasons. In all occasions law enforcement agencies usually manage to contain the situation rapidly. Road traffic accidents are the primary threat against UN personnel in Jordan. Poor road conditions and bad driving behaviours are the main reasons for the high rate of traffic accidents. Amman is a category A duty station with security level 1.

Transportation and housing: Taxis as well as ride-hailing services (Uber and Careem) are abundant and affordable in Amman. Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Public minibuses are the most common form of public transport. They normally only leave when full, so waiting times of an hour or more are inevitable, especially in rural areas. The larger air-con buses offer a speedy and reliable service, departing according to a fixed schedule. Housing is readily available with rents for one- to two-bedroom apartments ranging between 500 and 800 JD (1 JD = 0.708 USD) depending on the location.

Health Services: Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Almost all doctors (and most pharmacists) speak English; many have studied abroad.

Language: The official language of Jordan is Arabic, but English is widely spoken – especially in the cities. Many Jordanians have travelled or have been educated abroad so French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken, but to a lesser extent.

Learn more about Jordan from the Ministry of Tourism’s website: https://www.mota.gov.jo/Default/En