The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Through the resolution “End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument” (UNEP/EA5/L23/REV.1), the United Nations Environment Assembly requested to convene an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), commencing its work during second half of 2022, with the ambition of completing its work by the end of 2024. The resolution established that the INC should develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, which could include both binding and voluntary approaches, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, taking into account among other things, the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as national circumstances and capabilities, including provisions. The position is based at the Nairobi duty station. The Associate Programme Officer will report to the Programme Management Officer, INC Secretariat and will be responsible for the following duties:
Responsibilities
Supports the planning and organisation of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee sessions, and other related meetings.
Supports in liaison with Member States.
Supports the allocation and coordination of services provided to calendar and non-calendar meetings, and interacts with a wide range of clients, such as the Permanent Missions to the UN.
Assists with logistics of meetings, including interactive presentations, slide presentations, and virtual platforms.
Contributes to the preparation of various documents, such as meeting agendas, talking points, as well as other papers and briefing materials.
Supports resource mobilization and donors engagement process for the INC Secretariat.
Works with key clients to facilitate the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyzes specific aspects of programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and recommends corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions.
Carries out basic research on selected aspects of programmes, operations and other activities, etc., to include collecting, analyzing and presenting statistical data and other information gathered from diverse sources.
Provides substantive support for policy coordination and evaluation functions, including the review and analysis of emerging issues and trends, participation in evaluations or research activities and studies.
Assists in performing consulting assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.
Participates in survey initiatives; assists with design of data collection tools; issues data collection tools, reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares preliminary conclusions.
Contributes to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
Undertakes outreach activities; participates in the development of training workshops, seminars, etc.; participates in and makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
Participates in field missions, including provision of substantive and administrative support, data collection, etc.
Supports the coordination of activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).
Contributes to the collection and analysis of data as well as identification of trends or patterns and provides draft insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
Performs other duties as required.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in business administration, management, economics or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.
Work Experience
A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in project/programme management, administration or related area is required. Experience in implementing environmental programmes or projects is desirable. Experience with UN system, governmental or non-governmental institutions implementing projects/programmes addressing plastic pollution is desirable. Prior experience in intergovernmental environmental processes is desirable. One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable (none if successful YPP or P-1 with a related degree).
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable. Note: "Fluency" equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of "confident" in two of the four areas.
