Sustainable Environmental Management Specialist

Volunteering Legal

Overview

Support implementation of sustainable environmental management practices.

You have:

• 3 years of experience in human rights and activism, climate change, sustainability, or related fields.
• Experience in human rights, environmental policy, environmental assessment and audit, research, monitoring, advocacy, or related fields.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills; attention to detail and accuracy in producing written outputs.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and inclusively in multicultural teams, with sensitivity to diverse cultural, gender, and social perspectives.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work independently with minimal supervision and under tight deadlines.
• Familiarity with the United Nations (UN) system, sustainable development agenda, and/or the Greening the Blue initiative is desirable.
• Interest in human rights activism and environmental protection.
• Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), email, and internet-based collaboration tools.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) East and Southern Africa Regional Hub (ESARH) supports the promotion and protection of human rights across the region, including economic, social and cultural rights. As part of this work, the Hub is strengthening its engagement on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (R2HE), recognizing the growing human rights impact of climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. These issues also affect the enjoyment of rights including life, health, food, water, housing, culture and development particularly for communities and groups in vulnerable situations.

Aligned with the UN Sustainability Strategy (2020–2030), OHCHR’s Organizational Effectiveness Action Plan (OEAP) on Deepening Sustainable Environmental Management (SEM) 2024–2027, this United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment supports OHCHR ESARH in its efforts to implement sustainable environmental management practices to reduce OHCHR’s environmental footprint across operations and programming. By taking more effective sustainability action now, OHCHR has the opportunity to influence broader, potentially more impactful UN Secretariat wide and business practices. In addition, this United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment supports ESARH in advancing R2HE through research, monitoring, analysis and reporting, and by supporting the integration of R2HE considerations into its programming on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR), with particular focus on R2HE.

Through action at the regional level and active coordination with the SEM Group and OHCHR HQ, this assignment will contribute to: • Advancing OHCHR’s work on R2HE, including through research, reporting, awareness raising, engagement with human rights mechanisms, and coordination with stakeholders. • Implementation of the OHCHR’s environmental sustainability policy in the Regional Office and its country presences and sustainable environmental management practices (environmentally sustainable procurement, travel and facility management including energy, waste and water management) among the staff of ESARH. • Supporting coordination and reporting efforts under the UN-wide Greening the Blue initiative, engagements with government actors and civil society to promote environmental rights and build inclusive green initiatives.

More information: • OHCHR Environment and Climate Change Work • Greening the Blue

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Director of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) East and Southern Africa Regional Hub, or delegated responsibility, and the direct supervision of the Program Management Officer, the UN Volunteer will be assigned to: • Advance the implementation of OHCHR’s environmental sustainability policy through engagement with staff, capacity building, and awareness-raising activities on sustainable environmental management. • Support greenhouse gas (GHG) data preparation, collection, and reporting for OHCHR East and Southern Africa Regional Hub (ESARH) and its country presences through the Greening the Blue initiative, in compliance with the United Nations (UN) Sustainability Strategy 2020–2030. • Support office-wide advocacy related to sustainable environmental management (SEM) and human rights, including coordination of environmental assessments, audits, and the establishment, implementation, and monitoring of green initiatives to enhance environmental action. • Research and collect information pertaining to the Right to a Healthy Environment (R2HE) and its impact on human rights from a variety of data sources (e.g., communications, publications, the press) to keep abreast of issues and events, providing up-to-date information; assist in the analysis of this information. • Assist in drafting a variety of reports and correspondence relating to R2HE, environmental sustainability, and their impact on human rights. • Support regional mapping, comparative analysis, and identification of cross-border environmental human rights trends across East Africa. • Support engagement with government counterparts, the African Union Commission and its human rights organs, UN partners, development actors, and civil society working on climate, clean air, environmental, and social governance. • Assist in supporting engagements by the human rights mechanisms, including treaty bodies, special procedures, and the universal periodic review.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management • Respect for Diversity • Working in Teams

• 3 years of experience in human rights and activism, climate change, sustainability, or related fields. • Experience in human rights, environmental policy, environmental assessment and audit, research, monitoring, advocacy, or related fields. • Strong analytical and organizational skills; attention to detail and accuracy in producing written outputs. • Proven ability to work collaboratively and inclusively in multicultural teams, with sensitivity to diverse cultural, gender, and social perspectives. • Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work independently with minimal supervision and under tight deadlines. • Familiarity with the United Nations (UN) system, sustainable development agenda, and/or the Greening the Blue initiative is desirable. • Interest in human rights activism and environmental protection. • Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), email, and internet-based collaboration tools.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging their own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are covered by the CIGNA insurance plan. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 9 hours ago - Updated 6 hours ago - Source: unv.org