Background
Corporate Background
UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.
UNDP is working to strengthen new frameworks for development, disaster risk reduction and climate change. We support countries’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, which will guide global development priorities through 2030. The key 2030 Agenda principle of leaving no one behind and stamping out inequality is at the core of everything we do.
UNDP focuses on helping countries build and share solutions in three main areas:
- Sustainable development
- Democratic governance and peacebuilding
- Climate and disaster resilience
In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women, minorities, and the poorest and most vulnerable.
Overview of UNDP Viet Nam’s Climate Change & Environment Unit
The UNDP Viet Nam Climate Change & Environment (CCE) unit covers the following areas of work:
- low-carbon development and green growth, including sustainable production and consumption patterns;
- renewable energy and energy efficiency, especially in the (sub-)sectors of transportation, construction, chemical fertilizers, pulp and paper, and low-carbon bus public transportation;
- reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD);
- adaptation and resilience to the impacts of climate change and disasters;
- natural resources and biodiversity conservation;
- health digitalization focusing on the telehealth, one health nexus climate change, environment in the health sector; and
- environmental protection.
UNDP support focuses on advocacy, policy research and formation, capacity and partnership building and coordination, technology testing and transfer, piloting models, and promoting the participation of businesses and local communities.
Project Background
Marine Spatial Planning & Integrated Coastal Management
The UNDP-supported project Planning of National Marine Space for Ocean Sustainability and Climate Change Response in Viet Nam is to help the Government of Viet Nam to improve the quality of, and support the implementation of, the Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) that is currently under development by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and expected to be approved in 2023. The project will help to:
(i) Create and establish a more rational organization of the use of marine space and the interactions between its uses;
(ii) Balance demands for development with the need to protect marine ecosystems; and
(iii) Achieve social and economic objectives in an open and planned way.
More specifically, this effort is aimed at promoting a cross-sectoral approach to manage the integration of economic, environmental, and social concerns in strategic planning and long-term investments. The MSP does not replace single-sector planning. Instead, it aims to provide guidance for a range of decision-makers responsible for particular sectors, activities, or concerns so that they will have the means to make decisions confidently in a more comprehensive, integrated, and complementary way.
The project will take place at the national level with MONRE, with a focus on capacity building and policy development in three sites. The sites were selected based on the following criteria: small eco-regions with potential for practical solutions; political and administrative support; availability of a reasonable amount of spatial biophysical data and information of key resources; and an appropriate and willing authority to develop and implement the marine spatial plans.
Offshore Wind
Offshore wind power development and just energy transition have recently been garnering considerable attention, and they are both strongly connected to marine spatial planning. Viet Nam is fortunate to have some of the best natural conditions for wind energy in Asia. This is particularly the case for offshore wind energy, where Viet Nam has some of the best conditions in the world.
The MSP will help to identify and define the sites where renewable energy projects can be developed without adversely affecting other marine activities, such as transport, fishing, and ecosystem and biodiversity conservation. It involves engaging with stakeholders, conducting environmental impact assessments, and considering various scenarios to optimize the spatial distribution of activities.
For this reason, UNDP has provided its support to MONRE, and especially to the Viet Nam Meteorology and Hydrology Administration (VNMHA), who have been tasked by the leaders of MONRE to prepare an initial report on offshore wind potential in Viet Nam as an input to the MSP document.
Circular Economy
Recently, the concept of circular economy (CE) has gained prominence in Viet Nam and in ASEAN member states. The Vietnamese government has increasingly highlighted the importance of CE as a trend for sustainable development and national development orientations for 2021 – 2030. In Viet Nam’s 2020 revised Law on Environmental Protection (LEP), CE is defined as “an economic model in which design, production, consumption and service activities aim to reduce raw material extraction, extending the product life cycle, reducing generated waste and minimizing negative impacts on the environment.”
UNDP Viet Nam has been working with MONRE to launch and operate the Vietnam Circular Economy Hub, aiming to raise awareness and build the capacity of all stakeholders, including public authorities, businesses, civil society, academia, in adopting CE principles, creating synergies, and integrating financial and technical resources to support the transition towards a low-carbon and circular Viet Nam.
UNDP is currently implementing several projects and offering technical assistance around this portfolio to support the Government of Viet Nam, including:
(i) Addressing and improvement of waste and plastic management;
(ii) Innovation to tackle marine plastic pollution;
(iii) Local interventions to support local waste management and support informal waste workers;
(iv) Accelerating the transition to circular economy; and
(v) Supporting the sustainable development of the ocean economy.
Duties and Responsibilities
Based in the Climate Change and Environment Unit, and under the overall direction of the Assistant Resident Representative, the intern will report on a day-to-day basis to the Programme Analyst on Waste, Plastic & Circular Economy. S/he will also work closely with relevant international technical specialists, programme officers, and programme associates in the Unit.
As a member of the UNDP programme team, the intern is responsible for the oversight and implementation of projects assigned to him/her to ensure quality planning, budgeting, procurement of services and consultants, and oversight of implementation, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation for timely delivery of quality results/products.
As a member of the UN family in Viet Nam, the intern is expected to make contribution to the implementation of the UN One Plan, advancing the UN’s delivery as one (DAO) agenda, enhancing synergies and impacts of UN support in the area of marine resource management and circular economy. The intern will work in partnership with UNDP colleagues, government counterparts, project staff, and non-government organizations, as relevant, to ensure successful programme development and implementation to achieve One Plan results.
In addition, the intern may be engaged in ongoing project initiatives on marine resource management and circular economy, conducting knowledge management and research assignments, and providing management oversight and policy advocacy in support of timely and quality delivery.
Through the assignment, the selected intern will benefit from:
(i) Enhancing his/her technical expertise in the subject areas;
(ii) Building and expanding a professional network with development partners and the government of Viet Nam; and
(iii) Enhancing analytic and organizational skills.
Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Programme Analyst on Waste, Plastic & Circular Economy, the Intern – Marine Spatial Planning & Integrated Coastal Management will assume the following tasks:
Task 1: Strategic partnership building and resource mobilization strategy
As a member of the CCE team, the intern is expected to contribute to the formulation of new projects and mobilize resources in the area of marine resource management and circular economy. S/he may be engaged in the following tasks:
• Contribute to the formulation of CO programmes/projects in the area of marine resource management and circular economy to translate UNDP’s priorities into local interventions. This will be done in close consultation and collaboration with government counterparts, stakeholders, and UNDP technical staff/ advisors in Viet Nam and in regional offices and headquarters;
• Maintain and develop partnerships with government institutions, development partners, the private sector, and civil society;
• Support the implementation of UN and CO partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Analyze the political and development context of Viet Nam, identifying new sub-project/program ideas and formulating new projects based on UNDP’s strategic goals, Viet Nam’s needs, and donors’ priorities.
Task 2: Management and implementation of projects
The intern will function as part of the UNDP programme team responsible for project implementation, backstopping UNDP’s overall support and quality assurance work of on-going projects in the area of marine resource management and circular economy by conducting, as relevant and instructed, the following possible tasks:
• Support the UNDP Programme Analyst on Waste, Plastic & Circular Economy to ensure quality planning (annual and quarterly work-plans), reporting, and monitoring and evaluation of projects.
• Engage in supporting specific project implementation activities, through research and analysis, formulation of TORs for subcontractors’ activities, with relevance to innovative approaches and global best practices on mitigation of cause/impact correlations and mainstreaming of marine resource management and circular economy issues.
• Support the UNDP Programme Analyst on Waste, Plastic & Circular Economy in planning periodical evaluation and impact assessments of the programmes/projects, sharing lessons learned, and following up to ensure implementation of recommendations.
• Support preparing aggregate reports on activities, outputs, and outcomes, including reports for donors as needed.
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned, making suggestions to incorporate those lessons in programme/project implementation and monitoring.
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice, including relevant national, regional and/or global networks.
Task 3: UN reform agenda and advocacy
The intern will function as part of the UN family in Viet Nam, which commits to deliver as one (DAO) to enhance synergies and impacts of UN support in the area of marine resource management and circular economy, by conducting the following tasks:
- Participate and contribute to the activities of UN system co-ordination and programming, including the UN Results Group on Climate Change and Environment.
- Support the UN’s and UNDP’s effort on advocacy and policy dialogue, including participation and contribution to policy-driven research and reviews, and the preparation of briefing notes or concept papers in collaboration with UNDP and project technical staff.
Competencies
- Knowledge in any of the following areas is an asset: marine science, natural resource management, sustainability sciences, marine spatial planning, integrated coastal management, hydrodynamics, international public policy, circular economy, renewable energy
- Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to work effectively in an international environment
- Good organizational and analytical skills, initiative, and sound judgment
- Ability to work with minimum supervision
- Good computer skills
Required Skills and Experience
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Job Features
