Communications & Advocacy 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.

UNEP’s Ecosystems Division 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. This IUNV would support the non-formal education and advocacy work steams within the Youth, Education and Advocacy Unit.

Objective of Assignment:

This role is required in the Ecosystem Division to support the delivery of the non-formal education work stream in addition to increasing the advocacy outputs, impacts across the Ecosystem Division. This would be until 12 months contract full-time, ideally from March 2022.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of The Chief, Environmental Education & Training Unit or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Youth and Education Unit will:

1. Provide assistance on the non-formal education workstream:

With UNEP’s growing workstream with non-formal education partners such as the World Scout and Girl Guide Movements, this role would support the delivery of these workstreams. Specifically, this would include: • Tide Turners: Support the delivery of the Tide Turners programme which is currently working in some 30 countries around the world and has already reached some 500,000 youth. The role would support the delivery of the programme. • Other non-formal education projects: Work on other non-formal education projects on a case-by-case basis, this could range from our work with the video gaming industry, sports such as the Olympics and more.

2. Provide assistance on internal and external communication and advocacy:

With others across the Division, work to raise the organization’s profile on nature, biodiversity, and the ecosystems in general. • Briefing notes / report launches: With others, to ensure that reports are coordinated and launched well within the house and in collaboration with the Communication Division / technical focal points. • Participate in the Division’s Communication Focal Point Group: Work with the Group to identify key events and moments for advocacy and communication activities, ensuring that the Director has readily available highlights that enhance the visibility of the Division’s lead role within the context of the organization’s goals and priorities as outlined in the Medium-Term Strategy as well as other initiatives with high visibility on issues such as the UN Decade on Ecosystems restoration, Marine Litter and other key agendas for the division.

3. Support other tasks as required:

• This role will need to be agile / supportive to other needs within the Unit so flexible and able to support on tasks as / when required.

1) Results/expected outputs

The UNV is expected to deliver the following outputs.

• Support the project management of non-formal education projects and the development of advocacy and communication objectives for non-formal education projects. • Support the delivery of the Tide Turners programme over the course of the 12-month period. • Support on the advocacy workplan / reports over the course of the 12-month period. • If needed, prepare talking points and briefs as required from the organisation for senior management and high-level strategic activities and events, duly organized and filed in the database.

• Professionalism: • Teamwork and respect for diversity • Planning and organizing • Communication • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNEP’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values. • Sound security awareness. • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision, ability to work with tight deadlines. • 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. • 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.

a university environment with insight as to how to work with such institutions around the tasks described above, or other relevant programmes; as is experience working with youth movements, higher education or in the UN or other international development organization. • Knowledge of project design: a strong track record of designing projects that secure buy-in and generate results (essential), project management: able to deliver highly complex projects of a global nature efficiently and effectively. • Experience in videography and video-editing will be preferred but is not essential. • Experience in online event production with be preferred but is not essential. • Excellent oral and written skills – strong writer of stories and proposals that support the agenda of the week, excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills, and able to bring diverse group of individuals and partners together to agree a collective programme of work as well as able to write high quality reports and proposals as required. • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing. • Familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development. • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment, ability to think creatively about how to evolve pre-existing programmes to have maximum impact. • Have affinity with or interest in Advocacy, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighbouring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

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 International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate.