Climate Resilient Agriculture Intern

Background

UN Women is grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Agriculture remains a cornerstone in Africa’s development in eliminating hunger, and generating income for the prosperity of the people as embodied in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa’s Agenda 2063. Women are at frontline of agriculture in Africa, yet they are sidelined when it comes to access to land, production resources, finance, information and markets.  The severity of climate impacts on agriculture, especially under rainfed and smallholder farms that predominate in the region, have great implications disproportionately for women’s exposure and vulnerability to the impacts. As countries step up their national response efforts to climate change under the Paris Agreement, it is important to underscore women’s contributions in the realization of the nationally determined contribution (NDCs) pledged by countries especially in agriculture. To support the flagship programme of women’s access to land and other productive assets for climate resilient agriculture, the UN Women Regional Office is seeking an intern.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main objective of the assignment is to demonstrate the contribution of UN Women’s project activities on climate resilient agriculture in the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) by countries in West and Central Africa, and to highlight the multiple benefits for increasing women’s engagement in national climate response especially for the implementation of NDC that is timebound.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Regional Policy Advisor Climate Resilient Agriculture, the intern will provide support to the following key tasks in the areas of Climate Resilient Agriculture and Women’s Economic Empowerment:

• Prepare a matrix of UN Women’s climate resilient agriculture projects that are ongoing and in the pipeline in the region, and the agricultural value chains coupled for empowering women.
• Analyze the gender actions in the NDCs of the countries in the region, and how to increase women’s participation in national implementation of NDCs.
• Undertake a mapping of gender mainstreaming into the NDCs of countries in WCA region.
• Develop factsheets and information sheets on UN Women country projects on climate resilient agriculture
• Other related assignments.

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
• Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Ethics and Values

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Core Competencies:

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Functional Competencies:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards other.
• Excellent research, writing and organizational skills;
• Ability to work with different actors, including through remote contact;
• Ability to multi-task and address competing priorities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• The intern should be pursuing academic studies in environmental science, gender studies, international development, agricultural sciences, social sciences or other similar subject at post graduate level.
• Be enrolled in a post graduate school programme (second university degree, or equivalent, or higher)
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent).
• Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.

Language:

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English and French are required.

Experience:

• Strong computer skills, Word, Excel, Power Point.
• Previous experience with an UN agency will be an asset
• Experience in organizing events and/or training would be an asset.

Conditions:

UN Women will not pay for the internship; all the expenses connected with it will be borne by the intern;

• UN Women accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
• The Intern must provide proof of enrolment in a health insurance plan;
• The Intern will not be eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UN Women during the period of my internship or for the six months immediately following the expiration date thereof;
• The Intern will be personally responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed.

Once the candidate has been selected, the following additional documents need to be submitted:

• Scanned visa document/scanned passport document if no visa is required;
• Scanned medical insurance document.