Environmental Inspection Specialist

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - UNODC, is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. The work of the UNODC is guided by a wide range of international legal instruments and a set of United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice. The UNODC Regional Office to which Ecuador belongs, also covers the countries of Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile, which will allow the volunteer to have contact with colleagues from other countries, learn about the situation of drugs and crime in the region and exchange experiences.

Since 1991, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has worked in partnership with the Brazilian government, aligning its actions with national priorities in addressing illicit trafficking, corruption, transnational organized crime, and their intersections with environmental crimes. As the guardian of key international instruments, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, UNODC provides technical assistance to Member States across the full spectrum of prevention, law enforcement, and criminal justice responses. In Brazil, the organization implements several initiatives aimed at addressing organized crime in the Amazon, a region increasingly affected by criminal networks engaged in illicit activities that contribute to deforestation and environmental degradation.


In this context, the Project Promotion of Information, Policy, and Education to Address Environmental Crime in the Legal Amazon (INPOED) was launched in 2026 to strengthen environmental governance, promote sustainable territorial development, and enhance the effective enforcement of national legislation. Supported by the Brazil–United Nations Fund for the Sustainable Development of the Amazon (Fundo Brasil–Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Amazônia), the project aims to expand the availability and dissemination of qualified data on environmental crimes and their impacts on biodiversity. This effort will contribute to evidence-based policymaking while incorporating gender-sensitive analyses and highlighting the differentiated impacts on women, girls, and Indigenous peoples.


Among its initiatives, the project also promotes the strengthening of participatory governance by encouraging the engagement of civil society organizations, community leaders, Indigenous peoples, and environmental defenders in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policies.

Within delegated authority and under the supervision of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) office in Brasília, the UN Specialist will support the implementation of the project’s state-level activities in the Amazon region, specifically in the target states of Pará, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, and Rondônia. The incumbent will support the implementation of planned activities with state authorities, partner UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration, policy coherence, and alignment with project objectives.

In this capacity, the UN Specialist will facilitate strategic engagement and maintain dialogue with high-level institutional counterparts at the state and local levels, supporting and fostering political commitment for the implementation of project activities. The incumbent will identify opportunities to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation, build partnerships, and promote cooperation among government entities, the justice sector, environmental authorities, Indigenous organizations, and other relevant actors. The role will also involve supporting the planning and execution of technical activities, as well as the organization of trainings, workshops, high-level meetings, and multi-stakeholder dialogues.

The incumbent will monitor progress against planned outputs, identify implementation challenges and political or institutional risks, and propose corrective measures to ensure the timely and effective delivery of results. In addition, the UN Specialist will support data collection and analysis efforts, contribute to the preparation of technical, policy, and progress reports, and ensure that activities are implemented in accordance with UNODC standards and donor requirements.