3. Assignment Title: UN Youth Volunteer in Climate Change & Development

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1 DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT Preamble: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers. In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities. In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive. 1. Type of Assignment: International UN Youth Volunteer 2. Type of Assignment Place: Family Duty Station UN Youth Volunteer assignments are always without family. 3. Assignment Title: UN Youth Volunteer in Climate Change & Development 4. Link to UNV Strategic Framework: Community Resilience for Environment & Disaster Risk Reduction 5. Duty Station, Country: Freetown, Sierra Leone 6. Duration (in months): 12 months 7. Expected Starting Date: March Host Agency/Host Institute: UNDP 9. Organizational Context/Project: Sierra Leone is characterized by increasing vulnerability to disasters resulting from high levels of environmental degradation, weak governance and coordination systems, extreme poverty and the local impacts of global climate change. UNDP works with a range of Government and non-government institutions to integrate climate change adaptation interventions into sustainable development strategies, and build capacity for disaster risk reduction.

2 The Energy, Environment & Natural Resource Management (EENRM) Cluster in Sierra Leone manages a rapidly growing portfolio including projects aimed at improving climate information and early warning systems, building resilience of the water sector to the impacts of climate change, improving the environmental sustainability of renewable energy usage, as well as building the capacity of the national Climate Change Secretariat and the Disaster Management Department. As a team member of the EENRM Cluster supervised by a P4 Team Leader, the UN Youth Volunteer will play a key role in supporting strategic interventions aimed at mainstreaming climate change and disaster risk management related objectives. The UN Youth Volunteer will work closely together with relevant Government Agencies, including the National Climate Change Secretariat, Disaster Management Department, Ministry of Energy, and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, as well as with partners from civil society, universities and the private sector. 10. Description of tasks: Under the direct supervision of the Team Leader Energy, Environment & Natural Resource Management Cluster, the UN Youth Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Contribute to the overall achievement of interventions under the EENRM Cluster that are relevant to climate change and disaster risk management, including analysis of information in order to identify trends and gaps and propose actions, review and development of strategic documents, project design, project proposals, annual work plans, and other documents as requested by the Team Leader. Provide support to designated implementing partners at Government as well as non- Governmental organisations for delivery of climate change and disaster risk management related project activities (e.g. regularly following up with partners, visiting field sites to monitor progress and provide feedback to the team). Encouraging, mobilizing, and advising Disaster Risk Management Community Volunteer groups for initiatives aimed at reducing disaster risks and supporting local responses. Contribute to monitoring and evaluation processes, by collecting and analyzing data and information, and groundtruthing reports from partners through field visits and observations. Networking and building relationships with government, international and national development partners, NGOs and CBOs, as well as supporting relevant platforms. Assisting with the development of communication outputs, including for (social) media, the UNDP website, World Volunteer Web site. Furthermore, UN Youth Volunteers are required to: Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day). Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities.

3 Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.. Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Youth Volunteers; Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. 11. Results/Expected Outputs: Inputs provided to development of strategic documents, project design, project proposals, annual workplans, and other documents, as well as for communication outputs. Support provided to Government and non-government partners to develop capacity for mainstreaming climate change and disaster risk management issues in policies, strategies, and action plans. Active engagement with and mobilization of Disaster Risk Management Community Volunteer groups to support activities aimed at reducing local disaster risks and disaster responses. Relationships built and maintained with partners, and relevant platforms supported. Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspectives systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment. A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed. 12. Qualifications/Requirements (including competencies, values and skills): BA or equivalent in a field relevant to climate change-related sustainable development (e.g. Climate Change; Climate Change and Development; Climate and Society; Sustainable Development and Environmental Management; or similar professional area). Demonstrated experience working on issues relevant to climate-resilient sustainable development. Previous experience in developing countries (i.e. through studies, volunteer work, internship) would be a strong asset. Motivated to contribute towards peace and development and to serve others. Good interpersonal, networking and communication skills. Willingness to contribute and work as part of a team. Flexible and open to learning and new experiences. Respect for diversity and adaptability to other cultures, environments and living conditions. Fluency in spoken and written English. Excellent communication and IT skills. UN Youth Volunteers must be between 18 and 29 years for the whole duration of their assignment. 13. Learning expectations Learning and development are a central part of the UN Youth Volunteer s assignment and take place before, during and after his or her assignment in

4 the field. Ideally, offering diverse opportunities for learning and development aim to strengthen the volunteer s skills and competences, improve the quality of the assignment and keep the volunteer s motivation high. Learning elements for the UN Youth Volunteer include the development of: Professional skills: including specific competencies and reflection on assignment-related abilities; and on-the-job skills such as time management, problem solving, team building; and career preparedness such as interview skills, CV preparation, job searching. Inter-personal skills: including communication and listening skills; multi-cultural awareness and cultural competency; and conflict and stress management. Volunteering-related skills: including leadership; civic responsibility; and engagement and active participation. Beyond the learning opportunities provided by UNV, UNDP will support knowledge and capacity development in the technical areas that are relevant to the UN Youth Volunteer s assignment. UNDP will provide, at its expense, UN Youth Volunteers with equal opportunity to participate in training courses and workshops offered to its personnel. 14. Living Conditions: Infrastructure, such as transportation and social services, is poor in general, and amenities such as food, restaurants, apartments, etc. tend to be relatively expensive. Many UN staff chose to live in shared compounds or apartments. There are several reasonably stocked supermarkets in Freetown, as well as diverse local markets and it is possible to obtain most essential items. Electricity and water supplies remain unreliable and many people rely on a generator and private delivery of water. The climate is intense, with the dry season characterised by dry Harmattan winds and average temperatures of 25-30ºC, while the rainy season characterised by torrential rains and extreme humidity. 15. Conditions of Service for International UN Youth Volunteer The duration of your assignment is 12 months. A volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) per month and is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of 1,257 US$. The VLA base rate is a global rate, while the PAM is countryspecific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website ( For example, if the PAM for the current month in Sierra Leone is 46.0%, then the VLA for that month and for that country will be US$1257X1.460 = 1, US$. The actual VLA for the month of July 2016 is US$ 1,806. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and, under strict conditions, also in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station (duty stations can change in the course of an assignment based on operational necessity; UN Volunteers

5 may be required to work anywhere in the area of operations of the host organization, including in remote locations). Life, health, permanent disability and malicious acts insurances are included, as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements as per the local MORSS), DSA payment for official travel, periodic home visit, final repatriation travel (except in the event of a resignation within the initial contract period), and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service. UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate. 16. Application Procedure: If you have not yet registered in the UNV database, please apply by registering your profile at Important: Once you have created your UNV account by validating your address, please complete all sections of your profile. Go to Special Recruitment section on the left menu, click on the Edit button and select the advertisement code YTH17FFIRLSL1 from the drop down list. Please do not forget to click the Update button. If you are registered in the UNV database, please update your profile at: click on the Special Recruitment option on the left menu, then click on the Edit button and select the advertisement code YTH17FFIRLSL1 Application deadline is 18 December Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.