Internship (Climate change and Education in Emergencies ), New York, USA, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Hosted Fund, 6 months, REQ#570955

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Education.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth. ECW is a UNICEF hosted fund, administered under UNICEF’s financial, human resources and administrative rules and regulations; operations are run by the Fund’s own independent governance structure.

In its current Strategic Plan 2023-2026, ECW has made bold commitments in response to the climate crisis. These commitments cut across all of ECW’s work, spanning our programming, advocacy, funding, and operations. ECW has committed, for example, to: advocating for the endorsement of the revised Comprehensive School Safety Framework 2022–2030 (to which it has now become a signatory); ensuring country level education investments are more climate-responsive and climate-smart; exploring accessing and distributing climate finance and; setting organizational emission reduction targets in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

How can you make a difference? 

ECW is recruiting a new Climate Intern to help us deliver on our climate commitments. The intern will work under the overall supervision of the Chief of Strategy, Planning and Accountability but work very closely on individual tasks with ECW’s climate consultant. The climate consultant works part-time hours, so the intern must be comfortable working independently on other days. The intern will support various aspects of ECW’s climate change work, with a special focus on policy, advocacy, event planning and communications ahead of the Conference of Parties (COP) 29 in Azerbaijan in November 2024. Please note that the role will not include attendance at COP29 itself. The intern will also work closely with the climate consultant on climate finance, youth engagement and climate policy.

The learning agenda of this internship is an increase in knowledge of how the global climate change and Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises (EIEPC) sectors operate, strategic planning, policy, advocacy, as well as ensuring the voices and priorities of young people are incorporated into ECW’s approach to climate change.

KEY FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• COP preparation: Work with ECW teams – including advocacy and communications, partnerships and resource mobilization, education, SPA, amongst others to prepare for ECW’s engagement in COP29 and the policy windows leading up to COP. This will include contributing to the development of a COP29 communications and advocacy strategy, supporting the development of key messages and logistics for panel events, minute taking, preparation of talking points, preparing social media content, publicizing ECW case studies, and COP logistics.
• COP engagement: Identify further entry points for ECW to advocate on EiEPC in the run up to and at COP29 – including, but not limited to – the global goal on adaptation and loss and damage discussions, and strengthen and contribute to ECW’s coordination with other platforms, including youth networks, the Greening Education Partnership (GEP) and the Global Alliance on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES).
• Global Climate Youth Champion: Work with the communications and advocacy team to onboard, find opportunities for and engage with the new Global Climate Youth Champion(s). This will include identifying communications and advocacy opportunities, taking notes of key quotes, sharing content with communications team, and supporting the development of briefing documents.
• Partnerships and finance: Support the climate consultant and the strategic planning consultant to ensure the smooth running of Climate Acceleration Facility grants. The Acceleration Facility is one of ECW’s three flagship investment windows and funds the production of global public goods for the EiEPC sector. This will involve collating documents, minute taking, drafting of emails and processes, and potentially supporting the reviewing of proposals. Support the climate consultant in advancing ECW’s approach to climate finance, including analysis of the global climate funds, collating case studies, finding compelling statistics, utilizing ECW’s database and preparing talking points and presentations.
• Cross-cutting support: As required, undertake a range of logistical and operational activities to support the functioning of the team, especially relating to climate tasks. This includes taking meeting minutes, data collation and analysis, maintaining information management systems, preparing tools and templates, drafting and designing presentations and talking points and booking flights/accommodation as needed.

To be considered for this internship, applicants must meet the following requirements.

Essential:

• Be enrolled in a Master’s or Ph.D. degree program on climate change/environment/education with a very strong climate component or have graduated within the past two years.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
• Be fluent in English (speaking, writing and reading) up to the highest standard.
• Experience engaging in events.
• Excellent coordination skills, including event planning and delivery.
• Have excellent academic performance as demonstrated by recent university or institution records.
• Have no immediate relatives (e.g. father, mother, brother, sister) working in any UNICEF office; and have no other relatives in the line of authority that the intern will report to.
• Demonstrable experience of coordinating and working with others, especially in climate change and youth engagement.
• A strong interest in climate change and education in emergency and protracted crisis contexts.
• Strong written communication skills – the ability to write and synthesize complex information into plain English reports and meeting minutes.
• Previous internship, work experience or research in climate, including education, conflict or humanitarian issues.

Desirable:

• Have additional academic background or experience in any of the following fields:
  o Education, psychology, law
  o International development/human rights/humanitarian affairs
  o Liberal arts or sociology, particularly with a focus on women and gender studies.
• Experience in representing and engaging young people at global level events on climate issues.
• Excellent presentation and negotiation skills.
• Be proficient in at least one of UNICEF’s additional working languages: French or Spanish.
• Additional consideration will be given for past experience.

Visa and Working Conditions:

Office space is available in New York on the discussion. Applicants who are in the USA at the time of application (for the US with a valid OPT/CPT if international student) are personally responsible for arranging any visa or immigration requirements, covering the entire period of their internship.

Monthly stipend:

Interns will receive a stipend based on their location. USD 1,700 per month in the following offices: New York, Geneva, and Copenhagen; or 70% of the monthly salary of the GS level 3 step 1 in all other the duty stations.

Insurance:

UNICEF will not be responsible for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the intern’s service. Therefore, the selected candidate must provide proof of enrolment in a health/accident plan prior to starting his/her work.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to selected candidates who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.