Climate Change Specialist

Volunteering Crisis & Emergency Response Environment

Overview

Support climate change initiatives to enhance resilience for children in Kenya.

You have:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in areas related to sustainability, DRR, climate adaptation, international development, disaster management, environmental issues, emergency preparedness and resilience building, public policy, social policy, and children’s health and wellbeing.
• Specific experience in policy/advocacy/programming, implementation, monitoring, review, and evaluation related to climate change, environment or disaster risk reduction is required preferably in a developing country context.
• In-depth knowledge on climate, environment, and DRR (CEED) impacts, assessments, and adaptation solutions required as well as at least one of the technical specialist sectors listed: Climate Finance; Environmental Finance; Monitoring and Evaluation; Data and Evidence generation.
• In-depth knowledge of Environmental and Social Safeguards and community resilience.
• Familiarity with children’s rights in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction required.
• Expertise in capacity building, developing tools, training and technical assistance.
• Strong communication skills to explain and visualize climate risks in an easy-to-understand way.
• Programme/project management skills are required.
• Experience working on CEED issues within UNICEF or other international development agencies is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of the East African context will be an asset.

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.

With the launch of UNICEF’s sustainability and climate change action plan (SCAP), UNICEF has further firmed up its commitment to protecting children from the effects of climate change, empowering young people in climate action and reducing its own emissions.

The impact of climate change is already visible in Kenya. The changes in rainfall patterns are causing floods, droughts, and desertification. Climate-related economic shocks push communities towards negative coping mechanisms. The UNV will translate the global action plan to the Kenyan context and further mainstream climate change into UNICEF Kenya’s programming and operations. The UNV will work closely with members of the climate change

task force to identify climate interventions for the different programs by applying a climate risk lens to new and existing projects. This entails capacity building sessions with relevant UNICEF staff and government staff in climate and disaster risk reduction; technical support to include climate risks into the government and county preparedness plans; study and enhance UNICEFs current climate readiness; identify and create climate evidence; and access climate finance. The UNV will also support volunteering and youth-in-climate-action networks in Kenya to accelerate climate action in the country. Detailed tasks are described below.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of WASH, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

· Advocate for cross-sectoral mainstreaming of climate change in UNICEF Kenya based on UNICEFs Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan. Working internally with multiple sections from the Climate Change Task Force (WASH, Nutrition, Health, Edu-cation, Social Protection, Child Protection, Social Behavioural Change and Innovation) to define and oversee the implementation of innovative climate change interventions.

· Build capacity of relevant UNICEF and Government staff on DRR and climate change.

· Provide technical support to include climate risks into the government and county government preparedness plans.

· Study, identify gaps, and enhance UNICEF Kenya’s preparedness for increased climate risks, re-occurring hazards and greater emergencies.

· Lead on generation, identification, and dissemination of (new) relevant evidence and data for climate security, child sensitive disaster risk reduction and climate change.

· Identify and pursue pathways to climate finance for UNICEF KCO.

· Oversee the development of appropriate communication materials to enhance public understanding of climate change and resilience to climate associated risks at the community level.

The UNV will further support in the following areas:

· Support in establishing and growing a UNICEF volunteer network and creating materials to foster guided climate action by volunteers and young people, including locally led adaptation and risk communication (DRR).

· Support mainstreaming of Environmental and Social Safeguards throughout UNICEF programs and operations.

· Oversee the implementation of climate related projects and programmes.

· Support the development of cross-sectoral climate project proposals.

· Over the development of advocacy and social media messaging and visuals around important climate events and days and to UNICEF’s work and mandate.

· Work with national and county governments (Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Health, National Public Health Institute) to support climate coordination, DRR and dissemination of child sensitive climate information, evidence and activities and implementation of Kenya’s National Climate Change Action Plan III (pending release).

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

· Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);

· Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;

· Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;

· Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

· Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

· Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Accountability Adaptability and Flexibility Commitment and Motivation Communication Creativity Empowering Others Ethics and Values Integrity Knowledge Sharing Leadership Professionalism Respect for Diversity Technological Awareness Vision Working in Teams

A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in areas related to sustain-ability, DRR, climate adaptation, international development, disaster management, environmental issues, emergency preparedness and resilience building, public policy, social policy, and children’s health and wellbeing is required.

· Specific experience in policy/advocacy/programming, implementation, monitoring, re-view and evaluation related to climate change, environment or disaster risk reduction is required preferably in a developing country context.

· In-depth knowledge on climate, environment, and DRR (CEED) impacts, assessments, and adaptation solutions required as well as at least one of the technical specialist sectors listed: Climate Finance; Environmental Finance; Monitoring and Evaluation; Data and Evidence generation.

· In-depth knowledge of Environmental and Social Safeguards and community resilience.

· Familiarity with children’s rights in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction required.

· Expertise in capacity building, developing tools, training and technical assistance.

· Strong communication skills to explain and visualize climate risks in an easy-to-under-stand way

· Programme/project management

· Monitoring and evaluation

· Knowledge of the East African context will be an asset.

· Experience working on CEED issues within UNICEF or other international development agencies is considered an asset.

· Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Children make up half of Kenya’s population of more than 50 million.

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta Inter-national Airport and Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel. The socio-economic and cultural background of

the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions in Nairobi is rated low. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location are highland cool and warm tropical climates

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org