UNFCCC: Internship Assignment – Sustainable Development Mechanisms (SDM) Programme Global Climate Action – Stakeholder Engagement

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the focus of the political process to address Climate Change. The Convention secretariat supports the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol through a range of activities, including substantive and organizational support to meetings of the Parties.

The Sustainable Development Mechanisms (SDM) programme is leading in the development and effective implementation of innovative approaches to broaden the engagement in and effectiveness of action to mitigate climate change and drive sustainable development. SDM supports the operationalization of the cooperative approaches established by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and broader efforts to engage non-Party stakeholders in climate action.

SDM manages the NAZCA (Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action) platform, supports the COP Presidencies’ Climate Action Champions and the Marrakech Partnership, and supports the implementation of the three Kyoto mechanisms – the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Joint Implementation (JI), and International Emissions Trading (IET).

SDM also manages and promotes Global Climate Action (GCA) with the aim to catalyze the expansion and success of actors and initiatives to take action on climate change.

Objectives of the internship assignment

Under a wide programme of work to spur and recognize private sector action toward climate action and neutrality, the Paris Agreement calls for ambition and climate neutrality in the second half of the century. Achieving this goal requires broad-based action. The UNFCCC has several areas of work aimed at spurring and recognizing that action: the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action framework for mobilizing transformational action, Climate Neutral Now, including an online UN offsetting shop; reporting and tracking climate action such as through the NAZCA (Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action) portal and via the Momentum for Change campaign, which spotlights and awards human touch success stories. Come and help us to be part of the Paris outcome, learn the latest on these important areas of work to ensure its success and lend your views.

This internship assignment is within Stakeholder Engagement team of the GCA team, supporting activities related to the engagement, visibility and recognition of climate action by all actors (national policy makers, businesses, investors, local governments, civil society organizations etc.). This work comprises relationship management, data management, research and analysis .

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Officer in the Stakeholder Engagement team, the intern will work to on a variety of activities for Global Climate Action.

The specific functions are:

  • Support the organization of the stakeholders-data intelligence by consolidating large datasets from multiple sources, performing quality control checks, seeking clarifications and adjusting the data to the required standards when necessary;
  • Conduct research to obtain relevant background information and updates on climate action of non-Party stakeholders, especially in relation to their public commitments;
  • Support the organization of communication events;
  • Develop succinct summaries of key data points for promotion and outreach;
  • Provide support to the engagement activities with various stakeholders, such as video conferences and meetings.

Learning Areas

During the period of the internship, the intern will develop a deep understanding of:

  • The Paris Agreement and its aims;
  • Climate action opportunities and activities by non-Party stakeholders;
  • The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their linkage with climate change;
  • Development of communication materials;
  • Data management.

Timeframe

The internship is for a period of two to maximum six months. The exact period will be determined based on the availability of the intern, the needs of the programme, and the intern’s on-going university enrolment and performance.

Minimum requirements

  • Education: Completed first level university degree, and currently enrolled in a postgraduate degree in environmental science, international development, political science, economics, International law, engineering, public relations or a related field at a recognized university at the time of application and for the duration of the internship;
  • Language skills: Fluency in both written and verbal English is essential.
  • General requirements: Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required; experience in reading technical documentation; use of databases, strong analysis and research skills and attention to detail.

Internship conditions

UNFCCC secretariat internships are not remunerated and the selected intern will be responsible for all costs before, during and after the internship assignment. Interns of the UNFCCC secretariat are not considered to be staff members. The selected intern will work on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) at the UNFCCC premises in Bonn, Germany. For more detailed information about UNFCCC Internship programme please visit the internship section on our recruitment webpage.

Application procedure

Candidates who are interested in this assignment and meet the minimum requirements must use the online application system and include a cover letter. Due to the high number of applications, only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted for a telephone interview. Application deadline: 18 March 2019

Source: Notification The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 18.03.2019