UNODC- Wildlife and forest crime data analysis specialist

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the United Nations (UN) entity responsible for the fight against illicit drugs and transnational crime in its various aspects. The agency provides technical cooperation to UN member states in the areas of drug control and crime prevention, including prevention and control of organized crime, corruption, money laundering, wildlife crime, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and terrorism, among other crimes, based on respect for and guarantee of human rights. UNODC has a Liaison and Partnership Office in Mexico including the UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence in Statistical Information on Government, Crime, Victimization and Justice (CoE) in Mexico City.

In response to ECOSOC Resolution 2013/40, UNODC’s current global research effort on wildlife and forest crime, is focusing on “organized crime networks involved in the illicit trafficking of specific protected species of wild fauna and flora, their parts and derivatives”.^[1]

In May 2014, UNODC launched its Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime (GP WLFC), aiming to improve cooperation and capacity of Member States to work locally, nationally, and internationally to prevent and combat wildlife and forest crime. The World Wildlife Crime Report (WWCR) was launched on 24 May 2016, laying the foundation for UNODC’s research work on wildlife crime. The report is now in its 3rd edition. This edition will include a focus on improving information from regions, like Latin America, where the scale and specifics of the illegal wildlife trade are still not sufficiently researched.

As part of the World Wildlife Crime Report, UNODC performs a quantitative assessment of illicit wildlife markets by triangulating the data on supply, trafficking, and demand, primarily based on the official data submitted by parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Improving the submission and quality of Annual Illegal Trade Reports (AITRs) by CITES Parties, especially in Latin America, is particularly important to build a stronger evidence base for wildlife trafficking issues in the region. The requirement for AITRs to be submitted was agreed at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in 2016, and the first reports were due in 2017. Following CITES Resolution 11.17 (Rev. CoP 18) on National reports, CITIES and UNODC established a partnership to ensure that “data collected in the annual illegal trade report and included in the database are made available to Parties for research and analysis of wildlife and forest crime as it affects them, and to the members of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) for ICCWC global research and analysis studies on wildlife and forest crime^[2]”.

Objective

The wildlife crime data analyst will contribute to the collection and management of relevant data for the AITRs and the World Wildlife Crime Report more generally. He or she will also work with UNODC’s partners to build capacity for improved reporting of illegal wildlife trade data by Latin American countries (LAC).

The selected professional will work closely with UNODC, its partner organizations, national authorities, and other counterparts to ensure the efficient flow of information and the implementation, with excellence, of the Project's activities, actions, work plans and agendas. To achieve this objective, the following indicative activities are foreseen:

• Literature review and gap analysis: build on UNODC’s previous literature reviews and gap analyses on data sources, wildlife crime patterns, and trends in Latin America to act as background for the empirical data collection, analysis, triangulation, and data improvement described below.
• Following the work of the LAC data gap consultant, review the AITR and World WISE database data relating to Latin America and identify any data gaps, quality issues, and improvements to be made to the database, its management, the content of the AITRs and the analysis of the AITR data.
• Acquire missing AITR data from countries in the region, using a network of contacts within relevant agencies such as the CITES Management Authority.
• Act as the focal point for all wildlife crime data collection efforts for Latin America.
• Identify other sources of data that can be used to supplement the available AITR and World WISE data for Latin America. Work with regional partners to gain access to this data and incorporate it into the World WISE database.
• Assist the World WISE database manager with any necessary data cleaning, quality checking, and management tasks.
• Support the research team in the analysis of the AITR and World WISE data and any additional data collected in the region as needed.
• Draft analysis products and produce data visualizations to support the production of the World Wildlife Crime Report.
• Create a capacity-building plan to improve illegal wildlife trade data collection in the region. Work with partners such as CITES and UNEP-WCMC to implement this plan and improve the ability of countries to report AITR data. As part of this implementation, assist in the establishment of technical working groups or meetings involving all relevant stakeholders at the national and possibly international level to improve illegal wildlife trade data collection for Latin America, as required.
• Complete other activities connected to the contract, as necessary.

• INTEGRITY - commitment to the values and principles of the United Nations and personal integrity
• COMMITMENT - with the vision, mission and strategic goals of the organization
• SENSITIVITY - adaptability without personal prejudice regarding intercultural issues, gender, religion, race, nationality and age
• RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY - work effectively with people of any race, gender, beliefs, etc.
• RESULTS FOCUS - customer oriented and respond effectively to feedback
• TEAMWORK - proactive attitude and affinity for a participative work style, demonstrating openness to change and ability to handle complex issues.

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a subject related to statistics, data science, criminology, social science, ecology, biology, or a conservation-related discipline is required.
• A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with 4 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree, beyond the required years of experience below.

Work experience

• 7 years of professional work experience in data analysis and project management, including work on ecological, biological, and/or conservation-related data is required.

Idiomas

• Proficiency in English and Spanish.

Desirable/Potential qualifications

• Professional or academic experience in quantitative data collection, data manipulation, and data analysis, preferably on illegal wildlife trade or environmental crime-related topics.
• Familiarity with CITES data and its management.
• A network of contacts in local and regional agencies such as CITES Management Authorities, and relevant Government Agencies or Ministries, to help get access to data.
• Portuguese language proficiency desirable.

Other requirements

• Excellent writing and text analysis skills
• Ability to write technical reports
• To be a Mexican citizen in full exercise of his/her rights, or a foreigner, whose immigration status allows the function to be performed
• Travel availability

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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