ACTS Research Internship for the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) Internship

Vacancy Announcement – Research Interns

Title:                                      Interns

Nature of Assignment:          Climate change negotiations and IPCC

Country and Duty Station:    Nairobi, Kenya

Duration:                               6 months starting April 1, 2019, with potential for extension.

Remuneration:                      Negotiable

Background

The African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) a continental think tank incorporated in the Republic of Ghana – Registration Number CG058642018. The AGNES provides technical support to the AGN that advances a common African position on climate change issues under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. The AGNES has played critical in the achievements that have been in climate change negotiations especially on issues related to agriculture and gender and climate change that resulted in the adoption of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) and the Gender Action Plan at the twenty-third Conference of the Parties (COP23) held in November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, respectively.

For the AGNES to effectively undertake its activities, strengthening of its secretariat is investable. As part of strengthening its secretariat, AGNES has received a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to support an Internship Programme on Climate Change Negotiations and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

AGNES is, therefore, through the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) looking to recruit two Interns – Climate Change Negotiations and IPCC to bolster AGNES’s technical team.

Objectives

The objective of the assignment is to strengthen AGNES’s technical capacity and provide all the necessary support to AGNES activities through provision of high quality services.

Duties

Under the overall guidance of the Team Leader, AGNES, the Intern is expected to:

1. Provide technical and administrative support in organizing and implementation of AGNES activities, in particular: i) support to AGN in the climate change negotiations; ii) support to African countries to develop mid century long term low carbon climate resilient development strategies; iii) development and updating of nationally determined contributions (NDCs); iv) IPCC work; and v) Readiness to access climate finance among others;
2. Carry out desk research and expert consultations on identified themes (including agriculture, food and water security, gender and climate change etc) in support of AGNES’s technical support in forging a common African position in the climate change negotiations;
3. Support coordination of the Research Platform on Assessing Global Adaptation Progress (GAP);
4. Review and synthesize documents for use by various target groups including AGNES, the AGN and policy makers;
5. Support the development and dissemination of knowledge products;
6. Work with African scientists to increase their participation in IPCC related activities;
7. Put in place online workspace with relevant documents for AGNES team, including organization of meetings, workshops, seminars, webinars and other similar activities;
8. Prepare meeting reports, meeting minutes, circulate summaries and follow up on action points;
9. Develop and maintain a database of African experts based on the area of expertise, region and institutional affiliation;
10. Assist with coordinating and establishing communication with francophone networks;
11. Assist in resource mobilization to support AGNES activities and strengthen partnerships with governments, AU/NEPAD, AMCEN, UNECA-ACPC, AfDB, FAO, UNFCCC, the World Bank, IDRC, GIZ, regional economic communities (RECs) and other development partners;
12. Be available to participate in or otherwise support national, regional and international meetings as needed including AGNES preparatory and Strategy meetings, SBs sessions, COP, IPCC and others; and
13. Carry out any other relevant tasks as assigned by and agreed with the Team Leader and to support the AGN.

Requirements and Qualifications

Education

1. Currently enrolled in or a recent graduate of a Master’s/Ph.D Programme in environment and natural resources, agriculture, economics, law, business administration and social sciences or a related discipline.

Skills

1. Knowledge of international climate change negotiations;
2. Proficiency in using standard software programmes: MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and Access;
3. Strong research and analytical skills;
4. Excellent writing and presentation skills;
5. Well-developed verbal communication and interpersonal skills, including demonstrated ability to communicate with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds;
6. Ability to work effectively in a team environment and to take initiative;
7. Experience in updating and maintaining websites is an advantage;
8. Good understanding and experience in operations of international organizations is an advantage;
9. Experience in interacting with different stakeholders, including governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations and private sector is an advantage; and
10. Fluency in English is essential; knowledge of another United Nations language, in particular French and Portuguese is an advantage.

How to apply

Please submit the following with your application:

• An updated CV;
• A detailed cover letter explaining your interests, experience and what you hope to gain through the internship; and
• A list of peer reviewed publications, if any.

Submit your electronic application through the email hr@acts-net.org before the 1^st of March 2019. Please put the caption “AGNES Internship Application” in the subject line of mail.

ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.