Job Openings at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

This internship is located in the UNEP Environmental Governance Subprogramme Unit within the UNEP Law Division in Nairobi. Under the direct supervision of the Global Environmental Governance Sub-Programme Coordinator within the Environmental Governance Subprogramme Unit or his designated representative(s), the intern is expected to:

• Design and develop interactive dashboards using Microsoft Power BI to visualize environmental governance indicators and Member State reporting metrics.
• Support the management and optimization of the Subprogramme's SharePoint knowledge repository, including organizing documents, creating metadata structures, and improving search functionality.
• Analyze Member State reporting data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for enhanced environmental governance support.
• Create data visualization materials and infographics to support policy briefs, technical reports, and presentations.
• Support the development of automated reporting workflows using Microsoft Teams and Excel to streamline data collection from regional offices and country teams.
• Document knowledge management processes and develop user guides for internal systems and tools.
• Assist in quality assurance and data validation processes for environmental governance indicators and reporting metrics.
• Support the team in preparing materials for high-level meetings, including the UN Environment Assembly and MEA Conference of Parties sessions.
• Undertake additional assignments as may be required by the Subprogramme Coordinator, including tasks that contribute to the intern's learning experience and career development in the field of environmental governance.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (Master's degree or equivalent, or higher) in Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Management, Environmental Science, Environmental Management, International Relations, or related field.
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent) in the above-mentioned fields.
• Have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation. Applicants must at the time of application:
• Be computer literate in standard software applications with advanced proficiency in Microsoft Power BI, SharePoint, Teams, and Excel.
• Have demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter.
• Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

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Specific tasks and responsibilities, to be undertaken in coordination with the programme team, include:

• Map available global data sets for each KMGBF target and prepare an online document for countries to access live links to the global data sets (those not included in the WCMC Target Tracker), including links and instructions to access national-level data, with a focus on headline, component, and complementary indicators as per the KMGBF monitoring framework.
•  Map UNEP-supported countries’ national indicators submitted through the CBD’s Online Reporting Tool, to identify trends, gaps and priorities for capacity building/monitoring support at national and regional levels including alignment with KMGBF headline indicators and binary questions;
• Plan and organize regional/subregional peer-to-peer exchanges and global webinars on national experiences, needs and learning related to KMGBF monitoring and reporting (including integration of the monitoring framework into NBSAPs and national reports) and prepare country and regional case study examples drawing from the exchanges/webinars, to present as an information document for consideration at SBI-7.
• Undertake review of national monitoring action plans or monitoring activities of UNEP-supported countries, to assess the extent of countries’ planning and preparedness for monitoring and reporting in line with KMGBF requirements, such as the use of standardized indicators and synergies with other frameworks (e.g., SDGs and SEEA);
• Identify relevant activities/approaches being undertaken and guidance being produced under related initiatives/organizations (including UNEP-WCMC’s National Monitoring Systems Initiative (NMSI), NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, Technical and Scientific Cooperation Centres (TSCCs), custodian agencies and the Ad Hoc Technical Group on Indicators) and support collaboration/roll-out in UNEP-supported countries and regions, where suitable and possible.
•  Identify needs and activities to inform Terms of Reference for longer-term support for country/regional monitoring and reporting, including through engagement of TSCCs and custodian agencies of key global indicators and KMGBF targets, with emphasis on addressing data gaps, capacity-building for headline indicators, and preparation for the 7th and 8th national reports.
• Prepare a final report summarizing actions undertaken, deliverables achieved, and lessons learnt during the period of consultancy including recommendations for enhancing alignment with the KMGBF monitoring and reporting framework.
• The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Head of the Nature Frameworks Support Unit, in coordination with the Programme Management Officers working on the EAS and NBSAP Update and 7th National Reports projects. The consultancy will build on existing monitoring and reporting activities and relevant ongoing efforts by UNEP, UNDP and CBD.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent degree) in environmental sciences, data science, development studies, or a related social science field is desirable.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in supporting implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at multiple levels (international, regional, and national) is required.
• Experience in review and analysis of national, regional and global biodiversity strategies, plans and implementation, including supporting monitoring and reporting-related activities, is required.
• Knowledge of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its mandates, processes for the development, implementation and review of national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and biodiversity monitoring and reporting is required.
• Knowledge of national biodiversity indicator development is desirable.

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Specific tasks and responsibilities, to be undertaken in coordination with the programme team, include:

• Map existing and planned knowledge activities and materials of key partners (CBD Secretariat, NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, BIOFIN, National Monitoring Support Initiative) and identify opportunities and potential for collaboration under the GEF 8 NBSAP Update and 7th National Report project;
• Prepare a needs assessment identifying country needs related to knowledge management (information and knowledge materials produced from UNEP, and internal knowledge management) drawing on information obtained through recent surveys and assessments carried out by UNEP and partners, and interviews with a sample of UNEP-supported country project leads from different regions;
• Identify and develop interventions to meet key knowledge management needs, to be carried out under the GEF 8 NBSAP Update and 7th National Report project over the next approximately one-year period, based on information obtained through the mapping of partner’s knowledge activities and materials and needs assessment;
• Determine how UNEP should track and assess use of existing and new knowledge materials and approaches produced and undertaken under the EAS and NBSAP/7NR projects and provide recommendations, and revise/develop tracking tools as needed;
• Prepare a final report summarizing actions undertaken, deliverables achieved, and lessons learnt during the period of consultancy. The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Head of the Nature Frameworks Support Unit, in coordination with the Programme Management Officers working on the EAS and NBSAP Update and 7th National Reports projects. The consultancy will build on existing monitoring and reporting activities and relevant ongoing efforts by UNEP, UNDP and CBD.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in knowledge management, social or behavioural sciences, communications, international development or a related social science field with a combination of ten years of qualifying experience in the field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in developing knowledge management strategies, approaches, interventions and mechanisms is required.
• Experience in review and analysis of national, regional and global knowledge management strategies, plans and implementation, including supporting monitoring and reporting-related activities, is required.