Job Description

UNDP has been working in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development. Together with the Government of India and development partners, we have worked towards eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening local governance, enhancing community resilience, protecting the environment supporting policy initiatives and institutional reforms, and accelerating sustainable development for all.

With projects and programmes in every state and union territory in India, UNDP works with national and subnational government, and diverse development actors to deliver people-centric results, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the integrator for collective action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the UN system, we are committed to supporting the Government of India\'s national development vision and priorities and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs for the people and the planet.

UNDP India\'s new Country Programme (2023-2027) builds on our prior work and aims to provide an integrated approach to development solutions in three strategic portfolios:

• Strong, accountable and evidence-led institutions for accelerated achievement of the SDGs.
• Enhanced economic opportunities and social protection to reduce inequality, with a focus on the marginalized.
• Climate-smart solutions, sustainable ecosystems and resilient development for reduced vulnerability.

South-South cooperation, gender equality and social inclusion are promoted across the pillars. The programme is supported by a framework of renewed partnerships and blended finance solutions, strategic innovation andand accelerator labs, and data and digital architecture.

You are invited to join a team of future-smart development professionals to support India in achieving the national and globally agreed goals. As part of the UNDP team, your focus will be to work with diverse stakeholders to find country-specific solutions that lead to sustainable development and reach those furthest behind first.

Project Background:

Under the Government of India-UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) programme, UNDP has supported the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in identification of innovative and blended finance solutions to reduce the finance gap for implementing the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP). The project has supported the development of the Biodiversity Finance Plan which includes 12 innovative solutions for financing biodiversity conservation.

Currently, BIOFIN in India is supporting the Ministry in demonstration of five potential biodiversity finance solutions, namely, Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Public Finance (Agriculture Sector), the Corporate Social Responsibility, Access and Benefit Sharing, Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Financial Services and Financial Technologies (FinTech), which holds a great potential for enhancing positive biodiversity outcomes through digital innovation as well as the recently added Nature-related Risk Assessments and Disclosures in India.

BIOFIN is also supporting The Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). TNFD was established in 2021 in response to the growing appreciation of the need to factor nature in financial and business decisions. The TNFD is a global, market-led initiative with the mission to develop and deliver a risk management and disclosure framework for organizations to report and act on evolving nature-related risks and opportunities, with the ultimate aim of supporting a shift in global financial flows away from nature-negative outcomes and toward nature-positive outcomes.

UNDP seeks to engage an Intern to provide support towards implementation of the BIOFIN project through in-depth literature review and research, collection and collation of data and analysis of trends and patterns in data. The Intern will report to the Senior Programme Officer- Biodiversity Finance and Sustainable Land Management, UNDP India, and shall be closely working with the other BIOFIN team members.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of Senior Programme Officer- Biodiversity Finance and Sustainable Land Management, UNDP India, the intern is expected to undertake the following tasks:

• Support UNDP\'s work on Sustainable Finance and specifically work on gathering data related to various existing and innovative financial instruments in India and other developing countries.

• Support the development and testing of innovative financial instruments such as Tiger Bonds, green credits etc.

• Support identification and mapping of best practices related to sustainable finance/blended finance for conservation and climate adaptation.

• Collate and analyze all relevant information, document, and data contributing to India\'s position on nature and climate-relate reporting and finance in the national and international fora.

• Synthesize India\'s progress on its nature and climate financing commitments as well as document trends across other geographies and learnings for India.

• Produce research, knowledge products and facilitate knowledge building and management.

• Provide necessary technical support for the preparation of position papers and knowledge products on important issues being discussed in the context of emerging thematic areas on sustainable finance and reporting.

• Maintain an established network of contacts for information sharing and remain up-to-date on economic and development issues and ensure adequate information flow, regular contact and feedback among various stakeholders

• Support in generating visual slides for senior UN leadership; help develop and maintain standard data and visual templates.

• Any other tasks and responsibilities related to the projects as assigned by UNDP.

Competencies

• Strong sense of collaborative work, excellent communication and interpersonal skills;

• Keen attention to detail;

• Excellent designing skills;

• Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others\' ideas and expertise;

• Is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda;

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree/diploma programme in environment science, natural resources management, ecosystem restoration, wetlands management, sustainable development, or a related field;

• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a relevant first university degree programme (such as bachelor\'s degree or equivalent);

• Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Skills

• Strong research and writing skills as well as ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

• Ability to collect, organize, interpret and present data with quality and accuracy.

• Has an aptitude for innovation and technology. Experience with data visualization software a plus

• Ability to produce quality documents with quick turnaround time.

• Good team player and ability to adapt to change in work environment

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and understanding of Hindi is desirable.

Application procedure:

The application should contain:

• The completed \xe2\x80\x9cApplication Form\xe2\x80\x9d including names of 3 referees.
• Current and completed CV in English;

Candidates who are selected must submit the following documents, upon selection:

• Official letter from the University confirming enrolment in their undergraduate or graduate-level degree programme.
• Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out. Selected intern must have medical and life insurance.

Kindly note, UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.

Working arrangements:

Interns may be given a stipend according to UNDP Internship Policy, if it is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government foundation or scholarship programme. A stipend intended to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station. The stipend will be paid monthly and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.

• Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of the internship. UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship. Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan.
• Interns are expected to work full time, but flexibility is allowed for education programmes.
• The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed.
• Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship.
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
• The purpose of the internship is not to lead to further employment with UNDP, but to complement an intern\'s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
• The intern will be evaluated at the end of the internship.

IMPORTANT: Family relationships are required to be disclosed in order to avoid real or perceived family influence or conflict of interest, within UNDP. If the candidate/ hiring manager has not disclosedthat he/she was related to an individual employed by UNDP in whatever contractual modality and irrespective of the nature of the family relationship, this may constitute a basis for withdrawing the offer of internship or, if the internship has started, to terminate it without notice or indemnity.

United Nations Development Programme