Current Opportunities at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct an analysis to determine necessary technical adjustments of weCollaborate/JIRA
• Design and develop in collaboration with DevOps interactive features of weCollaborate, including assistance with integration with the various homegrown systems and review of applicable polices/standards.
• Intranet Key Performance Indicators developed.     
• Design and develop applications to support process automation initiatives using Jira and other tools available within UNEP. 
• Various dashboards included in weCollaborate.
• Plan for confluence-based communities’ platform and services established.

Qualifications/special skills

• High School Diploma with training in Informatics/Computer Science/Information Technology or a similar related field is required.
• A minimum 2 years or more proven professional experience with at the national and/or international level with a focus on technical and ICT support, including experience with Atlassian (i.e., Confluence and Jira) is required.
• Software and applications development and analysis is required.
• Knowledge of Operations of programme/project management online tools and databases and other related application systems modules and functionalities is desirable.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work independently is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in oral and written English is required.

Deadline : Jan 31, 2024

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SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the direct supervision of the Programme Management Officer and Regional Coordinator of GO4SDGs, Tomas Declercq (based in UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean), and the overall supervision of the Head of GO4SDGs, Adriana Zacarias, at the UNEP Industry and Economy Division, the consultant will: 

• Conduct an in-depth mapping of initiatives as part of the Pact delivery framework, and provide technical inputs to national assessments, roadmaps and technical briefs that inform the creation of green jobs and the development of skills for youth, particularly in high-impact sectors critical for a just transition to a low-carbon and circular economy.
• Provide technical support to national implementation of the Pact, working closely with ministerial counterparts and implementing partners on the development and refinement of policy frameworks that enable a gender-sensitive and just economic transition, alongside education and green skills programs, and youth employment strategies.  
• Prepare background materials, presentations and meeting reports for regional and national dialogues on Green Jobs for Youth. These should be geared to  an inter-ministerial, inter-generational and multi-stakeholder audience, with a particular focus on high impact sectors and thematics, such as  plastics, bioeconomy and circularity. These should be geared to an inter-ministerial, inter-generational and multi-stakeholder audience, including regional and global bodies, fora and networks (eg. G20, Mercosur, UN regional Issue-based Coalitions, the LAC Environmental Training Network, and the LAC Circular Economy Coalition).
• Collaborate with regional partners such as youth networks, educational networks (eg. ARIUSA) as well as UN and bilateral cooperation initiatives contributing to the Pact objectives and delivery framework (eg. 10YFP, GO4SDGs, 10YFP, Generation Unlimited, the Green Rising Initiative, etc.).
• Actively target key industries and businesses for commitments under the Pact, and establish a direct link and potential integration with ongoing efforts by UNICEF, the UN Global Compact and the WBCSD.
• Provide inputs to the communication officers at ILO, UNEP and UNICEF to support effective outreach and communications for the Pact.

Qualifications/special skills
Education

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s or equivalent) in economics, social sciences, political science, sustainable development and/or environmental studies with a clear social and economic development focus or other relevant field is required.  A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in combination with at least 2 (two) years of qualifying and relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in providing technical assistance, policy advice and international good practices in matters related to the fields of green jobs, economic just transitions, education and green skills, and sustainable development, including at the international level is required
• Working experience in Latin America and the Caribbean region is required
• Knowledge of the United Nations System, including interagency collaboration, is desirable.
• Practical experience working at the national and regional level on policies or initiatives related to sustainable development and in key economic sectors (energy, agriculture, construction, waste, etc) is desirable

Languages

• English and French are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written Spanish and English is required. Knowledge of Portuguese and other official languages in the United Nations System is desirable

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DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the direct supervision coordinator of the Nairobi Convention secretariat, the consultant will undertake the following tasks and responsibilities in consultation with appropriate stakeholders and ocean acidification expert groups in the Western Indian Ocean:

• Conduct a wide literature review of the latest scientific findings on ocean acidification (OA) and its potential links to environmental impacts on food security in the Western Indian Ocean.
• Provide a review on the state of ocean acidification (OA) in the Western Indian Ocean based on scientifically credible information, vulnerability assessment for a full range of OA risk and impacts. 
• Screen for data and indicators available from experts and relevant scientific bodies in the Western Indian Ocean to identify trends, threats and opportunities to the marine ecosystem with respect to food security and the marine environment. 
• Provide a brief version of OA action plan and provide possible adaptation and mitigation measures for food security, and policy options for decision makers and other stakeholders.

Draft and submit a regional Ocean Acidification Action Plan for the Western Indian Ocean region: 
The Action plan strategic priorities for the Western Indian Ocean region may include:

• Mitigating ocean acidification such as through restoration of critical marine and coastal habitats and aquaculture approaches
• Building resilience measures of affected communities, including resilience of resilience of shellfish aquaculture and fisheries value chain
• Measures to reduce local water-borne and airborne pollution that exacerbates OA.
• Mainstreaming resilience and adaptation measures to OA into policies, planning, and operations
• Collaboration, OA Observing Network for monitoring and research including sharing of lessons to improve OA efforts.

Develop 10-year implementation plan for the regional ocean acidification action aligned to countries strategic priorities on climate change and ocean acidification with goals and related actions that address: 

• the risks that OA poses to the Western Indian Ocean assets and interests are well understood among policymakers, resource managers, affected socio-economic activities of coastal communities, and the public. 
• relevant monitoring information about OA that is widely accessible for decision making, and delivered in a usable form, and routinely applied to climate change decisions across the public and private sectors. 
• scientific understanding of OA, interactions of OA with other environmental drivers, and how OA affects coastal and marine ecosystems for ocean and coastal management decisions.
• countries integration of OA into decisions and policies, and to mainstream elements of the OA action plan into operations that contribute to minimise impacts of OA on marine biodiversity and communities likely to be affected by OA.
• strategic and effectively financed conservation and restoration efforts of mangroves, seagrass meadows, kelp forests, and salt marshes to secure carbon storage benefits and co-location of aquaculture with successful mangrove and seagrass conservation.
• venhanced communication and systematic awareness of OA on efforts for reduction of GHG emissions, options for reducing local sources of acidifying pollutants, tools for assessing water quality indicators for management or regulatory actions, innovative and effective strategies addressing ecosystems and resilience of coastal communities, adaptation through improved technologies and management flexibility, and improving attention to oceans in international climate negotiations.
• a robust regional collaboration on OA-related policy, science, and communications with coordinated responses across the Western Indian Ocean region and strategic partnerships and networks to leverage opportunities for investments necessary to implement the OA action plan.
• Prepare a summary brief of the OA action plan, the OA implementation plan and related measures for assessing progress 
• Participate in the validation of the regional Ocean Acidification Action Plan for the WIO region by policymakers, managers, and experts, and incorporate inputs, and additional comments into the action plan. 
• Provide the final regional ocean acidification action plan for the Western Indian Ocean to include measures for assessing progress in implementing the Ocean Acidification Action Plan, communication, and outreach.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree, PhD) in the field of ecology, marine biochemistry, environmental science, coastal ecosystems management, or related discipline is required.
• A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in developing and/or implementing programmes on coastal ecosystems conservation, natural resources management (ecosystem management, implementation of marine resource management activities with Governments etc.); Demonstrated knowledge and experience for obtaining ecological, social and economic data, good understanding of mitigation and adaptation science from a socioecological perspective, and working experience with research and academic institutions  in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is required.
• Knowledge in Ocean Chemistry and Climate Change is desirable

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required.

Deadline : Feb 3, 2024