Junior Analyst – Innovative Financing

Work LocationHybrid, both in person and remote Expected duration3 to 6 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). (www.unccd.int ) The Global Mechanism (GM) assists countries in the mobilization of resources from the public and private sector for activities that prevent, control or reverse desertification, land degradation and drought. Viable, adequate and sustained financing for effectively combating desertification, land degradation and drought worldwide can only be achieved through a significant involvement of the private sector (i.e. investors, financial intermediaries, businesses, consumers, and civil society including philanthropic foundations). In this context, public development finance is expected to play a crucial catalytic and supplementary role as part of a whole range of enabling governmental and intergovernmental activities. Investments in and via the UNCCD help to facilitate policy reform, leverage large investments and initiate change at the national level. Closing the USD 1 billion per day financial gap needed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) requires increased funding, particularly from the private sector. To accelerate this, it is essential to integrate UNCCD’s strategic objectives into existing target-setting and disclosure frameworks for environment, nature, and climate. This includes developing investor checklists and designing campaigns based on business cases, and success stories of Champions that highlight the economic benefits of double materiality and investments in transformative solutions—making business operations more resilient to shocks. Currently, only 6% of identified LDN investments come from the private sector. The newly created Business 4 Land Expert Group will play a pivotal role in scaling up corporate investments by leveraging existing methodologies in target setting and disclosure, while the B4L Steering Committee will design strategies to strengthen advocacy for sustainable land and water management. The internship opportunity is located in the GM Unit of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Bonn, Germany. We are seeking a dynamic and proactive team player, with a strong interest in land degradation desertification and drought issues, to complete a six-month internship within UNCCD’s GM team. This internship is a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience within UNCCD and the UN in general. Duties and Responsibilities: The Intern works in close collaboration with the units and staff in the GM to exchange information and ensure smooth service delivery. The internship is UNPAID and full-time. Interns work five days per week Monday to Friday (40hours) and a one-hour lunch break. Start date as soon as possible. Intern will work closely with UNCCD experts, under the supervision of the Associate Programme Officer, Innovative Financing and Partnerships, gaining hands-on experience in global sustainability efforts. As part of the team, intern will: • Support the officer in ongoing innovative financing work, including private sector engagement under the Business 4 Land (B4L) initiative, resource mobilization, and financial mechanism development. • Contribute to research, analysis, and reports on innovative financing instruments. • Assist in the development and implementation of the Drought Resilience Impact Fund (DRIF) initiative, including stakeholder mapping, preparing and filing documentation. • Contribute to the Business 4 Land initiative by identifying opportunities to integrate private sector finance into land restoration efforts. • Prepare reports, briefing notes, and presentations on innovative financing for senior management, partners, and donors. • Help organize high-level events, meetings, and conferences, gaining firsthand experience in international collaboration. • Get creative with outreach and communication efforts—craft engaging articles and social media content that spread awareness on land sustainability. • Gain organizational and logistical skills by supporting administrative tasks essential for program success. This internship is a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of global environmental action while developing skills that will propel your career forward! Qualifications/special skills• 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 and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation. Applicants who are unable to commence the internship within one year of graduation shall not be accepted; • research skills: ability to perform effective and efficient internet searches, and desk research; • writing skills: ability to draft and edit content for publication in the language he/she shall be working in, i.e. English, French or Spanish; Applicants are not required to have professional work experience to be accepted for this internship. Languages• For this internship, fluency in written and oral English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations official language is an advantage. Additional InformationTerms and Conditions: a) The normal duration of an internship is three months, which can be extended for an additional period of three months by mutual consultation and consent. The total duration of internship shall not exceed maximum period of six months. b) Applicants may not be related - i.e. spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son - to a staff member of the UNCCD secretariat. c) There is no promise of employment either during or upon completion of an internship with the UNCCD but with the experience you have acquired during your time as an intern you might be interested in applying for General Service or Consultancy/Individual contractor positions. If you want to apply to positions at the Professional levels, we ask you to let at least six months pass after the end of your internship before you submit your application, and ensure that you fulfill not only the educational but also the work experience requirements that are outlined in each job opening. d) An intern is not a staff member of the UNCCD, therefore the privileges and immunities agreed between the UNCCD and the host Government do not apply to interns. e) An intern undertakes to conduct himself/herself at all times in a manner compatible with his/her responsibilities as an intern of the UNCCD. f) The intern is required to keep confidential all unpublished information made known during the course of the internship, and must not publish any reports or papers on the basis of information obtained, except with the prior written authorization of the UNCCD. These obligations will not lapse upon the expiration of the internship period. Expenses and Medical Coverage: Internship with UNCCD is unpaid. Interns are not financially remunerated by the UNCCD. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses, as well as for health coverage are the responsibility of the intern or his/her sponsoring institution. UNCCD accepts no responsibility for medical insurance for the intern or for any costs arising from accidents and/or illness during the internship period. Applicants are required to provide evidence of adequate medical insurance coverage. Computer Requirements: For a remote internship, candidates will require a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 10 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: • An antivirus application which receives regular updates; • Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; • Regular Windows 10 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App. Intern Specific textInterns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.