Community Volunteer-Intangible Cultural Heritage, Climate Change, and DRR

Volunteering Communications & PR

Overview

Support community-based inventorying, awareness raising, and stakeholder engagement for safeguarding ICH.

You have:

• At least 1 year of experience in community mobilization, participatory research, or heritage/environment projects.
• Knowledge of local traditions and culture of Thame; Sherpa language proficiency is an asset.
• Good communication and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work respectfully with Indigenous communities and elders.
• Basic record-keeping and reporting abilities.

Contract

This is a UNV Community Volunteer contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV Community Volunteer contracts.

This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is part of UNESCO’s Heritage Emergency Fund project. Situated in Solukhumbu District within Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site- Thame village is home to Indigenous communities whose living heritage is deeply connected to the surrounding natural environment. The village was affected by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in 2024, causing widespread destruction, damaging homes, an elementary school, a clinic, a nursery and a monastery. Increasing threats from climate-induced hazards, particularly Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), endanger both community livelihoods and intangible cultural heritage (ICH). This climate change induced loss extends beyond physical structures, threatening the community’s cultural fabric by displacing approximately 135 individuals and dismantling spaces vital for passing down local and indigenous communities’ traditions and knowledge systems.

Anchored in the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO’s Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) Programme and 2025 International year of Glaciers’ preservation, the project focuses on safeguarding the cultural heritage of the ecologically sensitive and culturally rich Sagarmatha region. It focuses on documenting the impacts of the of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) on the intangible cultural heritage of Thame’s Indigenous communities while exploring the role of living heritage in addressing climate-induce disasters

This UNESCO-led project aims to document the and living heritage, integrate disaster risk reduction (DRR) into ICH safeguarding processes, and develop recommendations for climate-resilient cultural heritage management.

National UN Community Volunteers will support community-based inventorying, awareness raising, and stakeholder engagement to safeguard ICH while promoting resilience to climate change and disasters. The UNCV will work closely with local authorities, community leaders, and the UNESCO project team to assist in field data collection for the ICH inventory. Support coordination for training workshop, missions and validation workshop.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the office and with Culture and Natural Sciences Unit and with guidance from the National ICH Expert, the UNCV will: 1. Community Engagement & Mobilization: Facilitate participation in capacity-building training, consultations, and workshops. Ensure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for all interviews and recordings. 2. Field Data Collection: Conduct community-based surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) on community-based ICH inventorying and GLOF impacts. Document Indigenous knowledge on disaster prediction, preparedness, and coping strategies. 3. Support Field visits: Assist visiting UNESCO mission teams in logistics, interpretation, and community liaison. Help organize the validation workshop for the ICH inventory and action plan. 4. Communication & Awareness: Contribute local content (stories, photographs, testimonies) for the project documentary and social media materials. 5. Monitor and Evaluate project implementation: Monitor the documentation of Indigenous knowledge on disaster prediction, preparedness, and coping strategies in accordance with performance indicators of the project.

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

At least 1 year of experience in community mobilization, participatory research, or heritage/environment projects. Knowledge of local traditions and culture of Thame; Sherpa language proficiency is an asset.

Skills:

• Good communication and facilitation skills.

• Ability to work respectfully with Indigenous communities and elders.

• Basic record-keeping and reporting abilities.

National UN Community Volunteer (UNCV) – Intangible Cultural Heritage, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Reduction position is based in Thame, Solukhumbu District, Nepal.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 10 months ago - Updated 9 months ago - Source: unv.org