Programme Specialist -Ecology

Contract

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

This UN Volunteer position is in the Africa Office of UNEP based at Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The Africa Office is responsible for implementing UNEP’s approved 4-year Medium Term Strategy and the biennial Programme of Work in the 54 countries of Africa under different the seven (7) sub-programmes namely: Climate change, ecosystems, chemicals and wastes, environmental governance, environment under review, resource efficiency, and environmental resilience to disasters and conflicts. This position falls under the Ecosystems and Biodiversity sub-programme.

Under the Ecosystems sub-programme, the Africa Office of UNEP is responsible for the sound management of water resources in Africa through various efforts aimed at governments, civil society actors, private sector and the local communities. This is achieved through partnerships with other UN entities such as FAO, UNESCO, UNICEF and the African Development Bank. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is jointly led by UNEP and FAO. In Africa the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration, Africa’s commitment to implement the UN Decade, is coordinated by NEPAD with support of UNEP and other partners. UNEP further supports regional integration by working with the African Union and Regional Economic Commissions (EAC, SADC, IGAD, ECOWAS, etc).

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. This position is located in the UNEP Africa Office in Nairobi, Kenya under the Healthy and Productive Ecosystems Sub-Programme.

Under the direct supervision of Coordinator of the Healthy and Productive Ecosystems Sub-Programme, Africa Office, United Nations Environment Programme, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks related to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration for increased resilience in Africa. The National Volunteer will further assist to establish links to other policy processes and decisions such as the Africa Green Stimulus Programme of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment, and the Africa Green Recovery Action Plan of the African Union. In specific the incumbent will support the implementation of ecosystem restoration programme by:

A: Project management • Support implementation of projects, activities and initiatives by preparing plans budgets and instruments to facilitate implementation of the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration on different aspects of ecosystem restoration. • Monitoring the implementation progress of various projects/activities, preparing re-ports, and following through to see that management actions are acted upon. • Liaising with stakeholders, project implementation partners, government officials etc to ensure that restoration projects fit into the priorities of countries e.g., in national restoration action plans etc. • Participate in capacity building activities of the programme and Unit as required from time to time.

B: Knowledge management • Compile reports from various restoration initiatives from across Africa and populate the Monitoring Platform developed by NEPAD. • Support the visibility of the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration through communications activities of the project by identifying story items, soliciting contributions, drafting stories, etc and liaising with the communications Unit of Africa Office, etc. • Manage the Africa Eco-Voices communication project of the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration. • Adapting global resources of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and making them suitable for the African context and aligned to the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration. • Support in organizing various meetings, preparing documentations and presentations of the meetings, maintaining records of the meetings, and following up to action points agreed during the meetings, etc. • Develop and maintain a basic database of projects, partners, policies, minutes of meetings etc. • Keep track of requests from partners and other stakeholders, and prepare responses to as appropriate, etc.

C: Programme development • Assist in preparing concept notes, project proposals, programme documents, etc for resource mobilization. • Conduct desk studies, surveys, and limited field research on ecosystem restoration, including by using GIS resources, and prepare reports based on the analyses of data; • Review documents and provide comments as required Results/Expected Outputs • Implementation of the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration enhanced • Africa Eco-Voices communication project revamped and functional in a timely manner and with high quality articles • A simple knowledge management platform established to support the implementation of the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Management • At least one concept note developed for resource mobilization

Adaptability and Flexibility Client Orientation Commitment and Motivation Commitment to Continuous Learning Creativity Knowledge Sharing Planning and Organizing Professionalism Respect for Diversity Working in Teams

ecology, ecosystem management/restoration, or natural resources management. experience (after graduation). • Demonstrated experience working on ecosystem management, ecosystem restoration/ rehabilitation e.g. forestry, wetlands, or closely related field of work in a reputable organization/s; • Practical experience in conducting field research on biodiversity (species), ecology/ecosystem services/ ecosystem management including data collection, data analysis, report writing and presentation of results; • Practical experience in the use of GIS in basic mapping and data interpretation; • Demonstrated experience working with different levels of experts, government officials, and local and international NGOs, etc.; • Demonstrated experience in undertaking stakeholder consultation and engagement with local communities, capacity building; networking and knowledge management including communication with different audiences;

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.