Media Consultant

Result of Service Under the guidance of the UNREDD Communications and KM Specialist, the Media Consultant will be responsible for organizing the media junket, including identifying and bringing together journalists and planning a site visit. Such activity will be essential for the global advocacy efforts and UN-REDD and for expanding the reach, visibility and footprint of the Lower Mekong project and UN-REDD Asia Pacific activities among its target audiences and beyond.

Output 1: Pre-organization of a UN-REDD Lower Mekong Initiative media junket and site visit 1.1. List of participating journalists, government officials and venue/ site confirmed 1.2. Draft programme and activities confirmed 1.3. Promotion of the media junket and site visit on social media and corporate media channels

Output 2: Implementation of the UN-REDD Lower Mekong Initiative media junket and site visit 2.1. Implementation of the media junket including booking the venue and travels of at least 12 participating journalists 2.2. Final media tracking Excel spreadsheet to list all media mentions resulting from the junket 2.3. Final progress report with key deliverables and outcome summary delivered

Output 3: Webinar on forestry, REDD+ and sustainable forest trade ahead of the media junket and site visit 3.1. 60-minute webinar executed to prepare participants of the workshop as well as give opportunity to other journalists who cannot attend the media event 3.2. Sending out and tracking all invitations and handling of all promotions around the webinar 3.3. Edited and captioned recording of the webinar

Output 4 Production of communications content about the UN-REDD Lower Mekong Initiative to assist in its engagement with media 4.1. Three short social media video clips summarizing the outcomes of the media junket for promotion 4.2. At least 2 blog stories related to the content of the media junket

Work Location Home Based

Expected duration 5 months

Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or UN-REDD Programme, is an interagency UN flagship partnership that supports nationally led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation.

The Lower Mekong basin is a globally important ecoregion that encompasses a high diversity of forest habitats. These forests are home not only to diverse and rare wildlife but are also a source of essential products and services for many communities. To reduce the pressure on this valuable natural resource and to halt deforestation and forest degradation in the region, the Government of Norway is collaborating with the UN-REDD Programme to implement a regional initiative that aims to reduce forest crime by strengthening forest governance, and in particular, the effectiveness of systems designed to ensure legal and sustainable trade in timber.

As part of its outreach and communications efforts, the UN-REDD Programme will hold a media junket in Thailand in order to enhance the understanding by media in the Asia Pacific region about the role that the Lower Mekong Initiative plays in ensuring sustainable wood trade in the region. Additionally it will help support the global advocacy strategy by UNEP and the UN-REDD programme with increased media coverage of REDD+ topics and mentions of UNEP and the UN-REDD Programme in the Asia and the Pacific.

The objective of this consultancy is to support the development and implementation a media junket that will enhance the understanding and capacity of journalists in the Asia Pacific region to report about sustainable wood trade and other relevant REDD+ topics. Specifically, the media junket will: •Serve as a platform to bring together journalists across the region to communicate complex, highly technical concepts around sustainable forest trade, REDD+, forest carbon credits/offsets and carbon markets; •Build capacity of journalists to analyze and understand data on forest trade, safeguards, forest carbon credits/offsets and other REDD+ topics; •Support the strategy of increased media engagement by UNEP and the UN-REDD programme; and •Increase media coverage of REDD+ topics and mentions of UNEP and the UN-REDD programme in the Asia and the Pacific

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: A Bachelor degree in journalism, media, communications or any related field is required.

Experience: - A minimum of five years working as a media professional or journalist is required - Experience working in the media industry is desirable - Experience working with international organizations is desirable - Prior experience working for the U.N. is desirable

Skills: - Strong practical background in media engagement is required. - Ability to work independently with minimum supervision and able to work closely with staff; - Innovative and creative.

Languages Language: - Fluency in written and spoken English is required - Knowledge of Thai, Khmer or Lao language is desirable.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.