Health sector's climate carbon tracking
Conduct desk research on health and climate activities' impact.
Overview
Conduct desk research on health and climate activities' impact.
You have:
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in environmental science, public health, international development, economics or a relevant field is required.
- Experience with desk research and policy analysis is required.
- Excellent writing skills in English are required.
- Experience or interest in health issues and health taxation is considered an asset.
- Knowledge of Spanish or French is an advantage for some countries but not essential.
Contract
This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.
Climate change has been already driving an increase in morbidity and mortality and is projected to further alter the geographical range and numbers of cases of injuries, illnesses, and deaths from climate-sensitive health risks, and to affect the functioning of public health and health care systems. COP26 (2021) set a global ambition to build climate resilient and sustainable health systems and promote the integration of climate change and health nexus into respective national, regional, and global plans with the leadership of WHO-led Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health. Within the current (2022 -2025) and last (2018 -2021) strategic plans, UNDP has designed and lead development initiatives that demonstrate its thought leadership on climate change response globally. Some of these include but are not limited to the work on the Climate Promise, Plastics elimination, management of chemicals and waste, and coordinating the UN informal Interagency Task Team on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector (SPHS) platform among others. At implementation level, UNDP has several interventions implemented in a number of countries across the globe. One signature project that just ended is the Sustainable Health in Procurement Project (SHiPP). The aim of the project was to strengthen sustainability in the health sector in selected countries to ultimately reduce harm to people and the environment caused by the manufacture and disposal of medical products. This and many other initiatives have contributed to shaping the global, national, and local climate work and discourse.
The Online Volunteer will use desk research to review the impact of ongoing Health and climate activities to understand the possible contribution to the reduction of carbon footprint and distill the data to the health sector. The exercise should be able to quantify carbon (emissions) reduction because of ongoing investment in climate and health. The Online Volunteer will be assigned a country or countries and will use UNDP's relevant Guidance Note to summarize the findings, focusing on quantitative changes or impact on the ground. UNDP HIV and Health Group will provide additional required information and guidance to complete the exercise. Additionally, the Online Volunteer will be introduced to other key informants that could provide additional input or triangulate generated data. Upon completion, the online volunteer will be given due credit and receive a Certificate of Appreciation for their contribution. No financial compensation is provided for this online volunteering opportunity.
The Online Volunteers are expected to have experience with desk research, analyses of policy environment/political economy, referencing, and excellent writing skills in English. At minimum, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in environmental science, public health, international development, economics or a relevant field is needed to perform this task. Experience and/or interest in health issues and health taxation are considered assets. For some countries, knowledge of Spanish or French could afford easier access to sources but is not considered essential.
Potential interview questions
| Can you describe your experience with desk research and how you've applied it in previous roles? | This assesses your research skills and ability to gather data effectively. | Provide specific examples of research projects you've handled. |
| What methods do you use for analyzing policy environments? | This evaluates your understanding of policy analysis and political economy. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Could you provide an example of a time when you had to communicate complex data findings effectively? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you prioritize your tasks when managing multiple research assignments? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What interest do you have in health issues and taxation, and how does it relate to your career goals? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |