Internship with the Biodiversity Finance Initiative - BIOFIN

There are currently 30 countries globally participating in BIOFIN. The project, which began in 2012 and continues through 2018, is coordinated by the UNDP through a global team supporting country implementation and the continuous improvement of the BIOFIN methodology. 
The global team works with interdisciplinary national teams, customising the methodology to the national context in each country. At the national level, BIOFIN works under the leadership of ministries of finance (treasury), economy, planning and environment to bring together a core group of national stakeholders, including the private sector, to rethink the most suitable fi-nance modalities for biodiversity. Activities are implemented through in-depth consultation with a strong focus on capacity development. 

Partnerships are another important feature of the BIOFIN methodology in each country, in particular with related initiatives such as WAVES, TEEB, PEI, UN-REDD, GIZ ValuES and relevant conservation fi¬nance projects including those under the UNDP-GEF portfolio. At the regional and global level, BIOFIN enables participating countries to exchange experiences through a variety of South-South cooperation mechanisms such as regional and global workshops, the BIOFIN website (www.biodiversityfinance.net), dedicated webinars and other platforms.

The intern would be an integrated member of the global BIOFIN team. The main responsibility of the Intern will be to support the global team in their technical, management and communication activities, through the following tasks:

• Support all aspects of the organization and attend the Global BIOFIN Workshop on 6th to 8th of March 2017 in India, Chennai;
• Provide support on the implementation of the Communication and Knowledge Management strategies, before, during and after the Global BIOFIN Workshop.
• Develop guidance materials and training materials on financing solutions for biodiversity conservation for BIOFIN teams in different countries; 
• Review international best practises to identify case studies that can serve as examples for BIOFIN work;
• Familiarize with the revised BIOFIN methodology and analyse different country outputs;
• Write stories and news articles on BIOFIN activities;
• Support the BIOFIN Communication team by promoting and maintaining BIOFIN’s social media updated (e.g. Website / Twitter / Facebook page);
• Support the organization of webinars and regional calls;
• Research, collect, analyse and present the work BIOFIN has been doing in its 30 core countries and the same for other similar projects working in different regions of the world
• Monitor, analyse and synthesize the developments, press clippings and reports of BIOFIN, and maintain a database of BIOFIN news coverage and update regularly;

• Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational and analytic skills;
• A well-organized individual with the ability to multi-task;
• A team player with ability to work productively and effectively with others;
• Excellent IT literacy and a good understanding of web development;
• Desire to work with and gain the confidence and respect of people with different language, national and cultural backgrounds;
• Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the UNDP Statement of Purpose.

Education:

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

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);
• Have graduated with a university degree in in fields such as Biology, Geography, Economics, Environmental Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Communication, ICT or other related fields, and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

• Previous related work experience in a national or an international entity would be an asset, but is not required.
• Experience in developing websites/programming or using social media channels is an asset.

Language skills:

• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Spanish, Russian, Portuguese or French language knowledge is an asset.

Learning: 

• The intern will develop a good overview of global biodiversity financing practises and a basic understanding of UNDP project management concepts. 

Financial Issues:

Internships within the UN system are unpaid and subject to conditions the applicant must get familiar with prior to signing his/her internship agreement.

The costs associated with the internship must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her own arrangements for travel, accommodation etc.

Selected candidate must submit the following documents:

• Official letter from the University confirming enrolment in a 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.

UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.
UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.
Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
It is important to note that interns are responsible to arrange for their own visa and residence documents, and need to plan for these well in advance.

Subsequent Employment:
The purpose of the Internship Programme 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.
More information available at: http://www.undp.org/internships/.