United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The overall objective of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division is to support countries in conserving, restoring and sustainably managing their terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, the biodiversity they contain and the products and services they provide for human well-being and prosperity. The Division’s mandate is to address the environmental causes and effects from an ecosystems’ approach, including consequences of disasters and conflicts. It helps countries develop policies and programmes to respond to ecosystems challenges, and reduce pollution from land-based activities, increase resilience to climate change and reflect linkages between poverty and environment in their development planning. The Individual Contractor will support the implementation of the water-related ProDocs “Sustainable Management Conservation and Restoration of Freshwater, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Resources” and “Preventing and addressing the degradation of freshwater and marine ecosystems from source to sea”. Policy advocacy and outreach on holistic landscape-waterscape-seascape management including by articulating the importance of retaining and restoring the water continuum are key components for the success of these projects, This individual contractor will work under the supervision of the Public Information Officer and in coordination with the Head of Freshwater Unit, Head of the Marine and Coastal Unit and the Head of the Source to Sea Pollution Unit and in close consultation with other relevant programmatic and communications colleagues in the units, branches, divisions and regional offices.

Duties and Responsibilities of Policy and Advocacy Analyst

• Develop technical and policy outreach products to generate funding interest and promote the uptake of the water continuum and linked approaches including integrated water resources management, source to sea approaches, Nature based Solutions and Ecosystem Based approaches that link ecosystems from the ridge to the reef and the ridge to the river.
• Develop technical, policy outreach and communications products on Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) approaches for holistic management of connected land-sea ecosystems and NbS.
• Create multi-media content including updating the freshwater, coastal, marine and source to sea pollution websites to align, where possible, with the water continuum narrative.

Qualifications of Policy and Advocacy Analyst

• Master’s degree in environmental conservation, ecology, biology or a closely related field is required.
• Minimum of 2 years of professional work experience at the national and/or international level in the field of in communications and outreach, and the environment related to water, ecosystems and/or nature-based solutions is required;
• Experience in technical science writing including outreach materials such as presentations, website design, research papers, newsletters and other information products is required;
• Excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills is desirable;
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel is desirable; Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Word, Power Point, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision;
• ability to work with tight deadlines is desirable;

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