Intern - Climate and Disaster Resilience

Background

CORPORATE BACKGROUND

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN development system and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work is carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, and forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. The GPN also aims to provide rapid and integrated support to UNDP country offices, combining policy advice, technical expertise, financial resources, agile tools and procedures, and partnerships. The Global Policy Network (GPN) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2018-2021).

Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response and recovery. The UNDP’s Crisis Bureau supports emergency and crisis response and ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. The Crisis Bureau assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  The CB supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts. The CB’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

INTERNSHIP OFFICE BACKGROUND:

The Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery for Building Resilience Team (Global Note in Bangkok) provides integrated policy and programme support on disaster risk reduction and recovery in the context of UNDP’s broader approach to resilience building. The Team specifically fosters the integration of risk reduction as a key element in sustainable development and recovery at national, sub-national and sectoral level to strengthen resilience. It is also the responsibility of the team to support the regional hubs in their efforts to strengthen national capacities on disaster resilience and disaster risk reduction. The team provides high quality advice and programmatic support in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes. The team leads the development and coordination of policy in disaster risk reduction (DRR), and disaster recovery with a focus on resilience building and integrated approaches with climate adaptation.

The intern will be based in UNDP Global Node on Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangkok and reports to the Disaster Risk Governance Policy Specialist. S/He will support the team with the internal knowledge management, knowledge sharing systems and support the Community of Practice on Crisis Prevention and Resilience. Also, the intern will support the design of UNDP global thematic programme on Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery and organize and engage in various global knowledge sharing events and key global online dialogues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Competencies

•          Interest and motivation in working in an international organization;
•          Good analytical skills in gathering and consolidating data and research for practical implementation;
•          Good writing and oral presentation skills.
•          Outgoing and initiative-taking person with a goal oriented mind-set;
•          Communicates effectively when working in teams and independently;
•          Good in organizing and structuring various tasks and responsibilities;
•          Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
•          Responds positively to feedback and differing points of view;
•          Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•  Enrolled in a Master’s degree programme in the areas of climate change, sustainable development, public administration, environmental studies or related field in a graduate school (second university degree or higher) at the time of application and during the internship (if a candidate is graduating before the internship period begins, they are no longer eligible); or
• Pursuing their university studies, having completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree, if pursuing their studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages;
• Not have graduated prior to the beginning of the internship.

Field of study: climate change, sustainable development, public administration, environmental studies or equivalent.

IT skills:

• Knowledge and a proficient user of Microsoft Office productivity tools.

Language skills:

• Fluent in English required;
• Knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.

INTERNSHIP CONDITIONS

• UNDP internships are not remunerated. All expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern or her/his sponsoring entity;
• UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
• Interns are responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
• Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship;
• Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan;
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;
• Interns are expected to work full time but flexibility is allowed for education programmes;
• Interns need to obtain financing for subsistence and make own arrangements for internship, travel, VISA, accommodation, etc.

NOTE: If selected for the position, interns are requested to provide a letter from university confirming current enrollment and graduation date, a copy of school transcript, a letter of endorsement from professor, a medical certificate of good health, a copy of medical insurance coverage during internship assignment in Thailand, and a copy of passport.