Youth and Education Specialist – UN Jobs

• Description of assignment title: Youth and Education Specialist
• Assignment country: Kenya
• Expected start date: 01/08/2023
• Sustainable Development Goal: 12. Responsible consumption and production
• Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist
• DoA reserved for persons with disabilities: No
• Host entity: UNEP
• Type: Onsite
• Duration: 12 months
• Number of assignments: 1
• Duty stations: Nairobi

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Mission and objectives

Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the 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. UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP works through its divisions as well as regional, liaison and out-posted offices and a growing network of collaborating centres of excellence.

Context

The Education, Youth and Advocacy Unit is housed inside the Ecosystems Division. This team leads on UNEP’s engagement with higher education, integrating climate education into curricula as well as its work with youth movements with Scouts and Girl Guides, as well as its engagement with mass-reach platforms such as video gaming and sport to extend its message to a broader audience. This is a cross-organisational role that has been nominated to take forward the responsibility of delivering on a new Youth Strategy across the organization. This role will build on the recommendations of the cross-divisional/regional Youth Working Group and the recommended UNEP Youth Strategy, be informed by the UN Youth Strategy and the recent Our Common Agenda report from the UNSG with the focus on working across the organisation to ensure that the momentum and recommendations of the UNEP Youth Strategy are put into action.

Task description

Under the supervision of the Chief, Youth, Education & Advocacy Unit (YEAU), The Volunteer will provide the following duties: To work across the UNEP and where needed, with other agencies in the UN, to put into practice the Youth Strategy recommendations and to harness this work under the new Project Document for UNEP. You will be skilled at generating consensus, taking forward plans and turning them into action, and able to focus on the bigger picture. Your responsibilities: As the UNEP Youth Programme Officer, you will:

•  Listen: Listen to the needs of young people so that UNEP is considering their in-terests and needs in the design of its programmes so that meaningful youth engagement is at the heart of the programmes;
•  Coordinate: With other divisions and regional offices, lead consultation process with stakeholders, UNEP colleagues, UN agencies, and when required, external partners to put the UNEP Youth Strategy into action;
•  Assess: Critically assess the progress UNEP is making vis-a-vis other UN agencies on youth policy implementation and recommend areas for improvement;
•  Implement Support on at least one of the programmes inside the Youth Strategy to develop one exemplar programme that can be a role-model for others to learn from;
•  Support: Work with others across the organization to support the implementation of youth-aligned programmes and projects inside UNEP.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 27 – 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

3 years of experience in relevant fields; leading on youth programme design inside an organization; Experience in Programme design and implementation, Stakeholder engagement, Communication/Advocacy – Execution: you are reliable and efficient; you know how to organize yourself and coordinate your work. – Mindset: You are creative, enthusiastic, and willing to learn more, with a problem-solving mindset – Strong interpersonal and communication skills: you are able to communicate and convince many diverse audiences, and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of various actors. – Autonomy: you know how to handle complexity and evolve in a fast-paced environment by yourself, and take impactful initiatives

Area(s) of expertise: Development programmes, Communication

Languages: English, Level: Fluent, Required

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Required education level

Bachelor degree or equivalent in preferably in Political Science, communications, Geography, Management, and Business and Science degrees.

Competencies and values

•  Professionalism: Ability to identify issues, formulate opinions, make conclusions and rec-ommendations; shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
•  Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
•  Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly in-terprets messages from others and responds appropriately; proven interpersonal skills; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing in-formation and keeping people informed; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, ar-ticulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military person-nel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse back-grounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups.
•  Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity, and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.
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Other information

Living conditions and remarks

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO). Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services, and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN-HABITAT and UNEP. The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is a highland cool and warm tropical climate. Inclusivity statement: United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

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