State of Finance for Nature Internship

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP works to encourage decision makers in government, local communities and industry to adopt policies that promote efficient use of natural resources, climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, and sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

UNEP’s Climate Change Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

This internship offer is within in UNEP/ Climate Change Division / Adaptation & Resilience Branch / Climate Finance Unit, Geneva (Switzerland) and Nairobi (Kenya).

The Terms of reference are listed below. Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual’s background, the intern’s assigned office as well as the internship period.

Under each workstream’s lead, and the overall supervision of the Head of the Climate Finance Unit, below are the roles and responsibility for the interns. State of Finance for Nature (Geneva or home-based).

The intern duties will include but are not limited to:

State of Finance for Nature (Geneva), 100% – 2 interns:   

• Support UNEP’s work on the State of Finance for Nature work stream including applied research, drafting, preparation of slide decks, collaboration with partners, organising meetings and note taking and general support to the smooth operation of the programme.
• Undertake research including literature reviews, data collection, analysis (quantitative and qualitative) and draft papers on elements of nature finance including finance flows to NbS from public and private sources, finance flows that harm nature (including public provision of environmentally harmful subsidies and private finance), assessing investment needs for NbS to support achievement of global targets on climate, biodiversity and restoration and identification of key levers and catalysts to scale nature finance.
• Support programme development and outreach including tailored research and report preparation for national/regional level SFN studies and other derivative reports.
• Provide support to the publication process of the SFN reports including working with UNEP publications committee, editors and designers and contribute to development of infographics and other products to translate complex material to simple and compelling visuals and key messages.
• Draft minutes and briefings, as well as the preparation of presentations.
• Carry out other duties on a needs basis

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

(a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
(b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).

A degree/background in the following fields: International Relations, Geography, Environmental Science, Energy Policy, or a related discipline focusing on climate change, sustainable development, and/or international environmental governance is desirable.

Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work. experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required.

Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PH.D. Programme.

Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage.

Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.