From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 9 09:27:42 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:27:42 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] GEAR - UN May Postpone Creation of New Single, Strong Women's Entity In-Reply-To: Message-ID: from GAIN source: WUNRN http://www.wunrn.com GEAR - UN Gender Equality Architecture Reform http://gear.groupsite.com/link/go/56139742?lpx=1 UN May Postpone Creation of New Women's Body By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Sep 5 (IPS) - A coalition of over 300 international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is "outraged" that an impending decision to create a new women's entity at the United Nations is being postponed once again. "If the General Assembly fails to act, it will send a very negative signal to women around the world who are now beginning to engage in national and regional reviews of the 1995 Bejing Platform for Action for Women," says Charlotte Bunch, executive director of the Centre for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University. The proposal to set up a new gender entity, to be headed by an under-secretary-general, was expected to be approved by the 192-member General Assembly before it concludes its current sessions on Sep. 14. But the longstanding proposal is now expected to be passed onto the next session of the General Assembly beginning Sep.15 through September 2010. "NGOs are outraged that this would continue to be postponed," Bunch told IPS. "No further delay is justified when no government has said they are opposed to taking this step." The international coalition is pursuing a global campaign for Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) in the U.N. system. The coalition includes Women's Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO), Center for Women's Global Leadership, International Planned Parenthood Association, Asia Pacific Women's Watch, African Women's Development and Communication Network and Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era, among others. As part of its campaign, the coalition has been calling for the consolidation of four existing women's U.N. entities into a single body: the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues; the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women; and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW). As a result, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon admits the "U.N. gender architecture lacks a recognised driver"- and is probably in danger of heading in different directions. "It is fragmented. It is inadequately funded, and insufficiently focused on country-driven demands," he complained last year. Stephen Lewis, a co-director of AIDS-Free World and one of the strongest advocates of the gender proposal, told IPS: "I have been following this story with much intensity over the last 48 hours, and I myself have spoken to several ambassadors (both from the South and the North), to impress upon them the fact that under no circumstances can this resolution be postponed". He said that it would be "a terrible slap in the face to the women of the world, a dreadful rejection of the views of the secretary-general, and a deep blow to the credibility of the United Nations." As things now stand, the consensus that had emerged is being sabotaged by a consortium of countries, belligerently disruptive and destructive, led by Cuba, Sudan, Iran and Egypt, he said. The nation states of the U.N. overwhelmingly want to approve the creation of the women's agency by resolution on Sep. 14, and begin the process of a global search for an under-secretary-general, "but this little group of malcontents is holding the world to ransom". "They're using women as a bargaining chip in the effort to exact concessions on governance and finance, the other prongs of the System-Wide Coherence process. They care not one whit for the rights and needs of the women of the world," Lewis charged. The co-chairs of the 'UN System-Wide Coherence' process overseeing wider changes in the world body - Ambassadors Juan Antonio Yez-Barnuevo of Spain and Kaire M. Mbuende of Namibia - have already recommended "that the General Assembly take action during the current session and decide on the establishment of a composite [women's] entity." But its recommendation has apparently been ignored by some member states which are pushing for the postponement. In an appeal to member states Friday, the London-based Amnesty International, which is part of the coalition, said it strongly supports "the creation of the new U.N. women's organisation which we believe could better protect women's human rights". "But we have just heard that some U.N. member states are 'holding hostage' the creation of this new women's organisation in exchange for other, unrelated, U.N. reforms that also need to be agreed by the General Assembly". And some other states which are in favour are keeping silent, AI said. "AI and other women's human rights defenders are outraged that the creation of this important U.N. women's organization is part of political horse-trading," the group said. "We appeal to your government to instruct your diplomatic missions at the U.N. in New York to champion the establishment next week of a new strong U.N. organisation for women". Bunch told IPS that this decision has been pending since consultations in June "when we were assured that virtually all governments were ready to move on it - and that the resolution would as usual come at the very end of the current General Assembly session on Sep. 14." Asked where Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stands on this issue, she said: "The secretary-general has repeatedly said that he supports this move." But she said that Ban "needs to put some pressure on governments". "The only government that we know for sure has said it should be delayed is Egypt," she said, but pointed out that none of the others will openly say they oppose it. "But it's gotten bogged down as part of the System-Wide Coherence Process (which is part of a wider reform of the U.N. system)", she added. Lewis told IPS, "What we have here is a direct challenge to the authority and influence of the secretary-general and the deputy secretary-general (Asha-Rose Migiro)." Their reputations are directly on the line. A defeat for the resolution would mean a defeat for the leadership of the United Nations, he pointed out. "It can't be allowed to happen. We know that the secretary general and his deputy are working round the clock to rally the majority of the General Assembly against this dismal little group of pariah states." "They must not fail. If worse comes to worst, the resolution should be put to a vote, and passed by an overwhelming margin," said Lewis, a former deputy executive director of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF. =============================================================== To contact the list administrator, or to leave the list, send an email to: mailto:wunrn_listserve-request at lists.wunrn.com. Thank you. _______________________________________________ Gain mailing list Gain at lists.apcwomen.org http://lists.apcwomen.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gain From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 9 09:23:32 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:23:32 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Just Published, NISTADS Report "India: Science and Technology 2008" Message-ID: <181AFF5B-77AF-4A90-8F13-F090E34BD8F4@wigsat.org> From [web2fordev] Just Published, NISTADS Report "India: Science and Technology 2008" India: Science and Technology 2008. Publisher: National Institute of Science, Technology & Development Studies (NISTADS), New Delhi, 2009. The country is entering the age of knowledge when increasing returns would be ubiquitous. The democratic governance structures of this country have evolved, over the course of six decades, sets of complex institutions systems and practices that bind or otherwise relate S&T to the other spheres. With about four thousand research and development organizations, large organized systems of knowledge production, millions of knowledge-workers and an even larger number of citizens trying to engage in knowledge-based activities ranging from agriculture through semi-skilled workers to industrial workers, coupled with the fact of the country being especially gifted with immense diversity in natural resources - the opportunity set of potential outcomes are immense and invigorating. The long twentieth century in Indian S&T based developmental experiments, in particular at grass roots, has thrown up immense volumes of data, facts and artifacts. A crucial issue emerges. The country very badly needs a strong mechanism to capture data related to S&T and innovation right from the regulatory or executive levels to source-points where S&T output or innovations get generated. This Report presents several facets of Indian S&T. In lieu of attempting the development of a set of traditionally known indicators of S&T, the attempt here has been to capture multiple facets of Indian economy and society where S&T makes contributions. With unstated theoretical bases, contributors presented research conclusions in the form of several portrayals. Given the fact that S&T interfacing the economy and society has very large dimensions this Report could take up only a handful. Such a collage offers albeit a picture of where Indian S&T is located. The report is the first of its kind from this country. It is targeted at a wide readership ranging from policy makers and advisors to academic readers as well as the common person. The contents of the report are: * S&T Human Resources * S&T Financing * S&T Structure, Infrastructure and Public Space * S&T and Industry * S&T Output and Patents * S&T for Rural India and Inclusive Growth Further Details: http://cssp-jnu.blogspot.com/2009/09/india-science-and-technology-2008.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anup Kumar Das New Delhi, India http://anupkumardas.blogspot.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Sep 8 15:34:26 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 15:34:26 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Call for Nominations on the Graca Machel Initiative:Multiplying Amplifying Voices In-Reply-To: <4A9E3DB1.8080608@apcwomen.org> Message-ID: <48E14279-F2FC-45CD-8ED2-4E830FD7152F@wigsat.org> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Jennifer Radloff" To: "For information sharing with Genardis community" Sent: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 5:41:05 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [Genardis-community] Call for Nominations on the Graca Machel Initiative:Multiplying Amplifying Voices Dear All, If you know of inspiring African women in the fields of Agriculture, Business, Media and Science and Technology, please submit using the attached call. Best, Jenny -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [Gwsafrica] Fwd: Call for NOminations on the Graca Macheal Initiative:Multiplying Amplifying Voices Date: Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:29:17 +0200 From: Selina Mudavanhu To: >>> Gender Links 2009/09/02 10:17 AM >>> Dear Colleagues and Friends I hope this email finds you well. Attached please find a call for nominations for the *Gra?a Machel initiative that OSISA is supporting called Multiplying Faces Amplifying Voices*. The initiative seeks to start a continental network of African women whose faces and voices are not so well known but are excelling in the fields of Agriculture, Business, Media and Science& Technology. Please see the attached Call. We would be grateful if you can forward to your networks and partners. For more information, please contact Juliet Mureriwa on tel: +27 (0) 10 590 2600 or email multiplyingfaces at osisa.org -- Jennifer Radloff Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme - Africa Location: cape town, south africa skype: jenny_apc jenny at apcwomen.org www.apcwomen.org www.takebackthetech.net www.genderit.org www.apc.org _______________________________________________ Gwsafrica mailing list Gwsafrica at lists.sn.apc.org http://lists.sn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/gwsafrica _______________________________________________ Genardis-community mailing list Genardis-community at lists.apcwomen.org http://lists.apcwomen.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/genardis-community -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Graca_Machel_Initiative_Call.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 176883 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Graca_Machel_Initiative_Entry_Form.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 157554 bytes Desc: not available URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Sep 8 10:09:16 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 10:09:16 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Environmental Positions with the UN Message-ID: <077743B2-E78A-49DB-934F-2493DC1721B0@wigsat.org> HR Home Vacancies How to apply Frequently Asked Questions Privacy Policy User Name: Password: Register as a User Forgot your Password? Print Environmental Affairs Officer, P-4 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 03 Oct 2009 DATE OF ISSUANCE: 04 Aug 2009 ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Economic Commission for Africa DUTY STATION: Addis Ababa VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-ECO-ECA-422136-R-ADDIS ABABA (G) Candidates will be expected to move periodically to new functions throughout their careers and are subject to the assignment by the Secretary-General to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with established rules and procedures. Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. More Info United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity Responsibilities This post is located in the Food Security and Sustainable Development Division (FSSD). Under the overall supervision of the Director FSSD and immediate supervision of the Chief, Environment and Sustainable Development Section (ESD), the Environmental Affairs Officer is responsible for the following duties: promoting among African Member States the ECA policies and programmes that will ensure better stewardship of the environment and natural resources; analyzing and monitoring the implementation of he outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD); advising and assisting governments in raising awareness and formulating projects addressing sustainable development in Africa; assisting with the development, implementation and supervision of regional and sub-regional environmental programmes and projects; strengthening regional network of institutions, experts and general information on environment; collecting, analyzing, synthesizing and disseminating relevant information on the environment and sustainable development as it pertains to the region; advising and assisting ECA?s expert advisory body, the Committee on Food Security and Sustainable Development (CFSSD); undertaking analytical studies on environmental and natural resources issues; representing ECA in intergovernmental or expert group meetings and seminars; advocating for information on national and regional environment activities; advising on environmental issues within ECA; liaising with other UN bodies, specialized agencies, relevant national agencies, Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs); conducting internal and external training activities; and undertaking other work as requested. Competencies Professionalism: Solid understanding of environmental sciences, their principles and applications as they relate to sustainable development policies; excellent grasp of the key policy issues in sustainable development -- including sustainable development strategies -- and sustainable development indicators; strong analytical and policy development skills in sustainable development; solid understanding of the political environment and the programmes and activities of the UN system in implementing Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. Knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to the African environment. Planning and Organizing: ability to apply good judgment in the context of work assignments; proven ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work; deliver outputs in a timely manner, and integrate work into the Organization?s work programme. Client orientation: Ability to identify clients? needs and propose appropriate solutions as well as use good interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective partnerships within ECA and with outside collaborators and other contacts. Teamwork: Ability to apply good interpersonal skills in order to establish and maintain effective working relations internally as a team member or leader, as well as with clients and partners; work effectively in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with respect for diversity. VISION: Identify strategic issues and challenges- managing performance, delegates the appropriate responsibility, monitors progress, regularly discusses performance and provides feedback. QUALIFICATIONS Education Advanced University Degree in environmental or natural sciences is required and post-graduate training in environmental management is an advantage. A first-level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree. Work Experience A minimum of seven years relevant professional experience in the field of the environment and development is required. Highly desirable if that experience includes relevant programme management, research, or policy development in the area of the environment in Africa. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English or French is required; working knowledge of the other is desirable. Other Skills Knowledge of institutional mandates; policies, guidelines pertaining to the African environment; well developed computer skills including word processing is required. The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to ?My UN? page and check the status of your application by clicking on ?View Application History?, and resubmit the application, if necessary. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: eca-galaxy at un.org, Fax: 251-11-552-1634 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying. HR Home Vacancies How to apply Frequently Asked Questions Privacy Policy User Name: Password: Register as a User Forgot your Password? Print Sustainable Development Officer, P-4 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 18 Sep 2009 DATE OF ISSUANCE: 20 Jul 2009 ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Department of Economic and Social Affairs DUTY STATION: New York VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-ECO-DESA-421424-R-NEW YORK (G) Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. More Info United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity Responsibilities Under the guidance of the Global Policy Branch of the Division for Sustainable Development and in close consultation and cooperation with Division staff, the incumbent will be responsible for the following: (1) Contributes to the preparation of substantive inputs for intergovernmental bodies, including the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly, and other policy-making bodies by: (a) providing the Division?s document forecasts for these bodies; (b) drafting annotated agenda, programme of work, outlines of Secretary-General?s reports and background papers, including analytical papers on specific sustainable development topics, as appropriate; (c) providing assistance in preparing and servicing CSD annual sessions and its Bureau meetings; and (d) working as part of a team, in close collaboration with other professional staff of the Division, to consolidate various inputs into cohesive, analytically solid and user-friendly reports. (2) Liaises with regional groups and Permanent Missions for the purposes of: (a) arranging briefings by the CSD Chair or the Division Director on forthcoming CSD sessions or on specific sustainable development topics, as appropriate; (b) networking with Permanent Missions to seek their views and cooperation in the further development of the Division?s work as well as sounding out their views or positions with regards to specific sustainable development issues being considered by the CSD; (c) undertaking consultations with key players in relevant governmental offices in the capitals and other intergovernmental organizations to facilitate information exchange and to explore opportunities for cooperation. (3) Serves as the focal point for an inter-Branch working group or join others as a member, as decided by the Director, which would involve: (a) participation in working group meetings; (b) updating concerned web pages of the topics, as relevant; (c) responding to or coordinating responses to any queries, requests for talking points, inputs to statements, reports, meetings in the areas of coverage, as needed; (d) keeping track of new developments in the given thematic areas, in the domains of policy research, national actions and case studies, indicators and monitoring trends and views of delegations; (e) organizing in collaboration with relevant staff members, briefings, lectures, or brown bag discussions, as appropriate. (4) Undertakes background research and prepares briefing materials, talking points and speech notes, as requested by the Chief of Branch. (5) Provides substantive servicing to the Commission on Sustainable Development and other intergovernmental fora and expert group meetings as required. Competencies Professionalism: ? Ability to identify emerging political issues and analyse their significance on sustainable development; ? Solid understanding of sustainable development and climate change issues including expertise in cleaner energy technologies; ? Strong analytical and policy formulation skills, proven ability to analyse complex issues and data relating sustainable development and issues and to produce high-quality reports, including a proven ability to formulate and explain workable policy options; ? Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; ? is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; ? Ability to think strategically, to identify and analyse key emerging sustainable development issues and their policy implications; ? Excellent understanding of the programmes and activities of the UN system in implementing Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI); Ability to draft user-friendly reports on complex issues, including for non-technical audiences and senior policy makers; ? Ability to make clear, concise and compelling presentations of research findings to high level senior officials. 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. Communications: ? Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; ? Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; ? Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Teamwork: ? Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; ? Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; ? Is willing to learn from others; ? Places team agenda before personal agenda; ? Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi -cultural, multi-ethnic environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity. Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ?clients? and seeks to see things from clients? point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients? needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients? environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. N/A QUALIFICATIONS Education Advanced university degree (Master?s degree or equivalent) in economics, political science, law, or a related field. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience in sustainable development may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Work Experience A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in sustainable development, of which at least 4 years should be at the international level. Experience in policy research and formulation or policy analysis is required. Experience in substantive servicing of intergovernmental bodies, including involvement in negotiations and drafting background papers or resolutions in the context of the United Nations system, is desirable. Experience at the national or field level is desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written)is required. Knowledge of another official UN languages is an advantage. Other Skills The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to ?My UN? page and check the status of your application by clicking on ?View Application History?, and resubmit the application, if necessary. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: staffing at un.org, Fax: 1-917-367-0524 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying. HR Home Vacancies How to apply Frequently Asked Questions Privacy Policy User Name: Password: Register as a User Forgot your Password? Print Environmental Affairs Officer, P-4 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 12 Sep 2009 DATE OF ISSUANCE: 14 Jul 2009 ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Economic Commission for Europe DUTY STATION: Geneva VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-ECO-ECE-421492-R-GENEVA (G) "Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures". Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. More Info United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity Responsibilities The post is located in the Environment, Housing and Land Management Division (EHLM), Economic Commission for Europe. Under the supervision of the Chief, Environment for Europe and Sustainable Development Team, the incumbent will be responsible for the planning, implementation and monitoring of the programmes on environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA), including a wide variety of fields covered and duties to be performed: (a) as Secretary to the Meetings of the Parties to the Convention on EIA in a Transboundary Context (?Espoo Convention?) and its Protocol on SEA, and their subsidiary bodies, prepare for, service and follow-up meetings both in administrative and substantive terms including: - drafting of pre- session documentation and of meeting reports; - assistance to elected officers and the Convention?s Bureau in the pre-session preparations and conduct of the meeting; - elaboration of draft decisions, recommendations for action and proposals for new activities to be undertaken by above intergovernmental bodies; - reviews of national policies and strategies; - analytical studies in the fields of EIA and SEA; - compliance and implementation monitoring; - preparation of publications, press releases, public relations bulletins and other media work; and maintaining the necessary contacts and correspondence. (b) to prepare for, service and follow-up seminars, workshops, task forces and expert meetings and consultations including: - organizational support to host authorities; - coordination of consultants, rapporteurs and government-designated experts; (c) to manage relevant trust funds for the two multilateral agreements, to monitor expenditures, to provide regular detailed financial reporting to the Parties to the two multilateral agreements, and to mobilize resource contributions. (d) to maintain Internet tools, including e- mail and a website, for the two multilateral agreements. (e) to coordinate activities for which the incumbent is responsible with related activities carried out under other ECE programmes, other UN bodies, other international organizations and institutions, and to represent the ECE secretariat at intergovernmental and non- governmental meetings in the incumbent?s field of competence. Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: in-depth understanding of environmental issues, with a particular knowledge on environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment. Proven ability to organize and service intergovernmental bodies and technical meetings. COMMUNICATION: strong interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to write in a concise and effective manner. TEAMWORK: Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries. Ability to work in a multicultural environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender as demonstrated by the ability to gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavour. LEADERSHIP: Creativity, vision and judgement; ability to manage the work of others effectively and to take responsibility for line management. PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Proven ability to plan and organize work requiring an in-depth understanding of its strategic direction and ability to integrate his/ her work into the Division?s work programme. QUALIFICATIONS Education Advanced university degree (Master?s degree or equivalent) in natural sciences, economics or international law. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted instead of the advanced university degree. Work Experience A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in government and/or international organizations concerned with environmental policy, law or practice. Proven experience in drafting of policy documents is required. Languages Fluency in English, with drafting and editing ability, is required. Knowledge of French and Russian is desirable. Other Skills Familiarity with UN policies, procedures and operations, particularly of activities on implementing legal instruments, recommendations and capacity building support. The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to ?My UN? page and check the status of your application by clicking on ?View Application History?, and resubmit the application, if necessary. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: hrms at unog.ch, Fax: 41-22-917- 0074 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying. HR Home Vacancies How to apply Frequently Asked Questions Privacy Policy User Name: Password: Register as a User Forgot your Password? Print Senior Sustainable Development Affairs Officer, P-5 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 21 Sep 2009 DATE OF ISSUANCE: 23 Jul 2009 ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Department of Economic and Social Affairs DUTY STATION: New York VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-ECO-DESA-421580-R-NEW YORK (G) Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. More Info United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity Responsibilities Under the guidance of the Chief of the Emerging Issues Branch of the Division for Sustainable Development, the incumbent: 1. Makes substantive and analytical contributions towards accelerating the implementation sustainable development goals as detailed in Agenda 21, Barbados Plan of Implementation (BPOI), Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), the Mauritius Strategy of Implementation and decisions of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), by: (a) drafting and contributing to development of "think pieces" and "best practice" papers on emerging issues; (b) analyzing the social, economic and environmental impacts of emerging issues relevant to sustainable development using modelling, scenario or forecasting tools when relevant; (c) leading analytical work in the Division to identify and disseminate the best practices with respect to emerging issues; and (d) promoting a holistic and integrated approach to analysis of emerging issues relevant to sustainable development. 2. Leads Branch contributions for the substantive servicing of intergovernmental fora including CSD, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the General Assembly (GA) including preparation of reports on policy options and analysis pertaining to emerging sustainable development issues, by: (a) preparing and/or providing input to draft reports of the Secretary-General on emerging issues as they relate to CSD themes and cross-cutting themes, reviewing sustainable development trends and progress in implementation of Agenda 21 and subsequent intergovernmental commitments, notably in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation; (b) overseeing the preparation of background materials for the reports, including analytical papers and data sets; and (c) coordinating the team responsible for drafting various sections of the reports, and consolidating various inputs into cohesive and analytically sound reports for presentation to the Commission on Sustainable Development. 3. Provides interface for cooperation with other institutions and agencies in the areas of emerging issues such as climate change, natural resource degradation and disaster mitigation, by: (a) developing and maintaining substantive cooperation with a network of academic and other development institutions, particularly global networks and think-tanks in developing countries, and relevant international organizations; (b) analyzing priorities and policies of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and collaborating with relevant partners and stakeholders to formulate joint projects and consistent communications strategies for activities in these areas; (c) providing substantive support to international conferences of priority interest to the department; and (d) preparing policy statements, papers for interagency meetings and other substantive reports to the CSD and ECOSOC, as required. 4. Assists the Chief of Branch in undertaking daily operations of the Branch and assumes, in the absence of the Chief, the responsibilities of officer- in-charge of the Branch. Competencies Professionalism: Knowledge of economic, environment and social sciences, their inter-linkages, and applications within the context of sustainable development policies; Excellent grasp of the key policy issues in sustainable development including energy, water, climate change; Strong analytical and policy development skills relevant to sustainable development: proven ability to analyze complex data and information using advanced quantitative methods, modeling, scenario development or forecasting techniques and produce reports leading to sound policy recommendations for achieving sustainable development; Solid understanding of the political environment and the programmes and activities of the UN system in implementing Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI); Ability to think strategically, to identify key emerging sustainable development issues and related policy implications; and demonstrate gender sensitivity and commitment to incorporate gender perspectives into substantive work; Ability to draft policy oriented reports and research papers on various sustainable development issues; Ability to make presentations clearly, concisely and articulately to senior officials and intergovernmental and expert bodies and to argue convincingly one's position. 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. Proven ability to plan and organize own work, manage conflicting priorities and work under pressure; Ability to coordinate inputs from a wide variety of sources and synthesize those inputs into a well constructed brief; Ability to plan, organize and service meetings, workshops, seminars. Communication: Excellent communication skills (written and oral); Ability to draft policy oriented reports and research papers on various sustainable development issues; Ability to make presentations clearly, concisely and articulately to senior officials and intergovernmental and expert bodies and to argue convincingly one's position. Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; 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 information and keeping people informed. Teamwork: Excellent interpersonal skills; Works collaboratively and effectively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; able to establish good working relathionships with outside partners; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Proven ability to work in collaboration with other colleagues to achieve common goals and to lead and gain cooperation of others in a team endeavour; Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity. Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. Judgment/decision-making: Ability to plan and organize the smooth functioning of an organizational unit and to integrate the work of the unit into the division's work programme; Good judgment, tact and negotiating skills; Proven ability to supervise and provide effective leadership to achieve desired goals; Ability to develop consensus among people with varying points of view. Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary. QUALIFICATIONS Education Advanced university degree(Master?s degree or equivalent) in economics, engineering, environmental science or related field is required. Having a Ph.D will be considered desirable, but not a requirement. A first level university degree with qualifying experience in sustainable development, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Work Experience A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in sustainable development or related area, out of which at least 7 years at the international level is required. Experience in policy analysis and/or policy formulation is required, including the use and application of quantitative methods, scenario development or forecasting techniques. Experience in leading a research /policy team in the preparation of analytical and research reports is required. Experience in policy-related publications on sustainable development issues, such as energy, natural resources management and climate change, is highly desiable. Experience in modelling, scenario development or forecasting techniques is required. Experience in substantive servicing of intergovernmental bodies is highly desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages is an advantage. Other Skills The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to ?My UN? page and check the status of your application by clicking on ?View Application History?, and resubmit the application, if necessary. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: staffing at un.org, Fax: 1-917-367-0524 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying. HR Home Vacancies How to apply Frequently Asked Questions Privacy Policy User Name: Password: Register as a User Forgot your Password? Print Head, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch, D-1 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 04 Sep 2009 DATE OF ISSUANCE: 06 Jul 2009 ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development DUTY STATION: Geneva VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-ECO-UNCTAD-421278-R-GENEVA (G) Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. More Info United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity Responsibilities Under the supervision of the Director, Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities, the incumbent will: 1. Provide an overall strategic policy, technical and managerial direction to the Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch as well as oversee the management of activities ensuring that programmed activities are carried out in a timely and effective fashion by: a. Planning and develop work programmes; b. Providing direction and guidance in implementing capacity-building and technical cooperation activities; c. Identifying key issues and priority areas for analytical studies, capacity-building and technical cooperation; d. Designing and coordinating implementation in a timely and effective manner of the expanded work on issues arising from globalization at the intersection of trade growth, sustainable use of biodiversity, sustainable development and poverty reduction; e. Implementing recommendations from UNCTAD Conferences, Trade Commissions, intergovernmental expert meetings on issues related to trade, environment, climate change and sustainable development; specifically on the trade and investment opportunities and challenges of climate policies and mechanisms , in particular, the Clean Development Mechanism as well as implement climate change-related activities to assist developing countries with trade- and investment-related issues in development strategies under the Accra Accord; f. Leading, supervising and implementing activities and analytical studies, including economic analysis and the formulation of possible economic strategies, policies and actions for consideration and adoption by the international community on issues related to trade, environment, climate change and sustainable development; g. Coordinating Branch's work within the Division and UNCTAD as well as with other organizations of the UN system, including secretariats of climate change and biodiversity-related Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs); h. Enhancing UNCTAD's supportive role in the on-going multilateral negotiating processes. 2. Plan and coordinate UNCTAD's contribution to the overall UN strategy in addressing climate change and its response measures by: a. Identifying and proposing ways to address emerging issues, opportunities and risks; b. Advising and providing substantive and technical inputs to position papers and ensure that trade and development aspects within UNCTAD's mandate are duly reflected in the UN system-wide coordination mechanisms; c. Participating in sessions of the High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), Chief Executives Board (CEB) and the Environmental Management Group (EMG) as well as senior level inter-agency discussions; d. Liaising and coordinating with different UN bodies and agencies as well as relevant international initiatives; 3. Manage the programmatic/ administrative tasks of the Branch, including effective management of human and financial resources by: a. Supervising Branch's contribution to the divisional programmatic, financial, substantive, human resource and technical cooperation issues as well as the divisional programme budget preparation, reporting and assessment; b. Selecting candidates for appointment and promotion, preparation of job descriptions, assignment of responsibilities, supervision of ePAS process; clearing consultancy contracts; c. Managing regular budget allocation; supervising preparation of budgets for technical cooperation projects; clearing payments of consultants as well as travel and other expenditures charged against the regular budget and/or extrabudgetary resources; 4. Support the servicing of intergovernmental meetings by preparing substantive policy reports on issues related to trade, climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development; 5. Represent UNCTAD and participate in regional and international conferences on trade, climate change and biodiversity, including biofuels in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Competencies - Professionalism: Expert knowledge of trade, environment and development especially climate change, biodiversity and trade, and development and environmental aspects of sustainable development issues and policies. Demonstrated ability to implement development- related activities on trade, environment and development as well as deliver related development assistance; Proven ability in fund-raising and in forging partnerships with partner UN and non-UN organizations. Knowledge and ability to apply UN administrative and financial rules. - Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills. The incumbent tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience, particularly in delivering information on highly technical issues to Member States. - Empowering Others: Encourages other to set challenging goals; Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. Incorporates gender perspectives in the areas of work. - Leadership: Provides intellectual and managerial leadership to motivate and lead staff. The incumbent is proactive in developing strategies to deliver on the mandates and work programme of the Branch and capable to effectively collaborate with other units and divisions within UNCTAD. Proven track record of excellent management and technical leadership skills, ability to identify key strategic issues, challenges and opportunities and risks, ability to anticipate and resolve conflicts, ability to inspire and empower others to pursue compelling organizational direction; proven ability to provide strategic direction; proven record of building and managing teams and creating an enabling work environment, including the ability to effectively lead, supervise, mentor, develop and evaluate staff. - Judgment/Decision-Making: Mature judgment and initiative, imagination and resourcefulness. Proven ability to identify the key issues in complex situations related to the work of the Branch and to consider positive and negative impact of decisions prior to making them. QUALIFICATIONS Education Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Economics. Specialization in environmental economics is an advantage. Emphasis on economic and legal policy issues related to sustainable development is desirable. Work Experience At least 15 years progressively responsible professional experience in the application of economic principles and concepts to environmental issues in general and climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development in particular. Experience with economic and environmental policy-making at the national or preferably international level. Languages Fluency in oral and written English and French is required. Knowledge of other UN official languages, particularly Spanish, is an advantage. Other Skills Familiarity with relevant IT applications (such as Word, Spreadsheet, Lotus Notes) The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to ?My UN? page and check the status of your application by clicking on ?View Application History?, and resubmit the application, if necessary. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: hrms at unog.ch, Fax: 41-22-917- 0074 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying. HR Home Vacancies How to apply Frequently Asked Questions Privacy Policy User Name: Password: Register as a User Forgot your Password? Print Chief, Environment and Development Division, D-1 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 28 Sep 2009 DATE OF ISSUANCE: 30 Jul 2009 ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific DUTY STATION: Bangkok VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-ECO-ESCAP-421427-R-BANGKOK (G) Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. More Info United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity Responsibilities The incumbent will serve as the senior-most adviser to the Executive Secretary on environmental matters and Chief of the Environment and Development Division at ESCAP. The Chief of Division provides leadership in the formulation and implementation of the substantive work programme of the three sections under his/her supervision, namely, the Energy Security Section, the Environment and Policy Section and the Water Security Section. The objective of the Division's work programme is to strengthen the national capacity of ESCAP members and associate members to design and implement environmentally sustainable development policies and strategies, particularly on Low Carbon ?Green Growth?, that would enable them to maximise the benefits of globalization while minimising its adverse impacts. The Division also takes a leadership role in bringing the Asian and Pacific regions towards sustainable development through the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the Phnom Penh Regional Platform and through its assistance in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with a view to achieving a Low Carbon ?Green Growth? development path. Within delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for overseeing the management of activities undertaken by Chiefs of Section, ensuring that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion in collaboration and cooperation within the Division, with other divisions in ESCAP, other departments/offices of the Secretariat and entities of the United Nations system, as well as intergovernmental, interregional, regional and national organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academic communities; co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Subcommittee on Environment and Sustainable Development, the Committee on Managing Globalization and the Commission, as well as preparation of inputs for the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, the Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate; reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget and programme performance or on programmatic/substantive issues, as appropriate; ensures that the outputs produced by the Division maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data; reviews all outputs produced by the sections under his/her supervision before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates, assists the Executive Secretary in preparing the work programme of the division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery; undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the division, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, managing human and financial resources and preparing inputs for results-based budgeting; provides guidance and training for staff under his/her supervision; fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Division; leads and supervises the organization of meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive issues; manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars; participates in international, regional or national meetings and provide substantive expertise on an issue, or hold substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions; represents the Division at international, regional or national meetings. Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Expert knowledge and understanding in the technical field of work in general and in the specific areas with regard to Low Carbon ?Green Growth? policies and strategies; proven ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues; ability to review and edit the work of others; effective presentation and collaborative negotiation skills. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; 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 information and keeping people informed. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands; provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. VISION: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the Organization?s strategy and the work unit?s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities. JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary. MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. QUALIFICATIONS Education Advanced university degree (Master?s degree or equivalent) in economics, science, engineering or related fields. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Work Experience At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of environment or natural resources management in large, multicultural institutions as well as programme and project planning and analyses, and budgetary control experience is required. Work experience in senior-level assignments required. Experience in designing and implementing policies on Low Carbon ?Green Growth? highly desirable. Experience in the above fields in the Asia-Pacific region is desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is an advantage. Other Skills Familiarity with standard office computer software applications such as MS Office is required. The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to ?My UN? page and check the status of your application by clicking on ?View Application History?, and resubmit the application, if necessary. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: staffing at un.org, Fax: 1-917-367-0524 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying. CONSULTANT: ENVIRONMENT EXPERT ? TRADE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT Location : Home based, with field mission to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, SLOVAK REPUBLIC Application Deadline : 07-Sep-09 Additional Category Environment and Energy Type of Contract : SSA Languages Required : English Expected Duration of Assignment : September - October 2009 (estimated 26 days) Refer a Friend Apply Now Background Better integration into international trade plays an important role in global efforts to reduce poverty. Increasing exports provides new opportunities for enterprises to expand their production and to create more and better jobs. Exports are also a vital source of income to finance the import of goods and services that a country does not produce itself. Trade is an essential source of economic growth, has important impact on job creation, peoples? income and poverty reduction. The Aid for Trade (AfT) agenda is one of key global initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacity of developing countries to participate in and benefit from international trade. A large part of AfT is focused on strengthening domestic production, such as creating an enabling business environment for enterprises or building economic infrastructure. The Wider Europe Initiative is a framework programme to be prepared for Finland?s development cooperation with former Soviet republics (except Russia) in order to promote stability and well-being. Taking into account common sectoral and geographical priorities of Finland?s development cooperation and the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS (UNDP/RBEC), UNDP and The Government of Finland have started a long term partnership in trade related development assistance to countries of Western CIS, South Caucasus and Central Asia. The project ?WIDER EUROPE: AID FOR TRADE FOR CENTRAL ASIA, CAUCASUS AND WESTERN CIS? (later a project) is expected to provide a background for broader AfT support in the region and for scaling up programmatic interventions implemented within the project in the next period. The overall objective (development goal) is to foster inclusive economic growth through the promotion of trade and the enhancement of country?s competitiveness. The purpose is to improve implementation of pro-poor trade reforms and trade capacity development measures through the identification of trade policy responses to the global economic crisis, trade related needs and capacity gaps, as well as an execution of piloting technical assistance interventions. This assignment is related to the implementation of Component II of the project. The objective of Component II is to enhance private sector capacity in order to increase exports and to gain from transport infrastructures projects in selected regions (oblasts) of Central Asia i.e. South Kazakhstan Region-KAZ, Batken Region-KYG and Soughd Region-TAJ. The project targets Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), farmers and farmers? cooperatives. The project is implemented by UNDP Europe and the CIS Bratislava Regional Centre (UNDP/BRC) in close cooperation with UNDP country offices of Central Asia. Component II activities will be coordinated with UNDP area based development projects that are currently being implemented in Central Asia. Duties and Responsibilities Objective of the assignment The objective is to produce a trade capacity assessment in each of the three pilot regions of (i.e. South Kazakhstan Region-KAZ, Batken Region-KYG and Soughd Region-TAJ). The assessment should produce/ result in concrete suggestions for the realization of planned project?s activities. The assessment should adopt a human development and gender sensitive approach and should primarily: Produce a trade flow analysis in order to identify priority products/ services having the biggest trade and human development potential, with a focus on green commodity products; Identify principal obstacles (and costs) to trade for private sector, including individual producers and small and medium-sized enterprises producing and trading in green commodities; Identify main capacity gaps that prevent SMEs to export (including green products) (within and outside the country borders); Produce a review of available financial products with specific attention to the needs of exporting (or potential exporting) SMEs, including those specialized in green commodities; Identify environmentally friendly solutions for promoting the adoption environmentally sound technologies; Identify green commodity production opportunities and customized solutions (e.g. supply chain strategies) for producing and exporting key green commodities. For further information, please see the concept note for the trade capacity assessment Management arrangements A team of consultants is expected to carry out this assignment under the supervision of the Project Unit in Bratislava. The team will be composed by leading experts with the following competencies: Export promotion and market research (team leader) Financial services/microfinance Environmental friendly technologies and green production The team is expected to conduct a field mission in all the three regions to collect relevant information on the ground. Appointed area managers will assure logistics and will facilitate the collection of information prior and after the field mission. Deliverables and timeline The environment expert is expected to write part of the assessment, which should answer the following questions: Are currently environmentally friendly and climate resilient production methods in place in the agriculture sector? What is the potential for implementing environmentally friendly solutions and conservation friendly, climate resilient and low carbon technologies? What is the prospect for green commodity production? Is energy available and produced from sustainable sources? What are the prospects for sustainable energy use and production for enterprises? What are the available low cost technologies that could help the use of environmentally friendly , low carbon technologies in identified sectors? How SMEs can access these technologies? at what costs? How the project can facilitate the process? What green commodity production solutions (e.g. supply chain strategies) for producing and exporting key green commodities could be implemented? How the project can facilitate the process? The environment expert is then expected to Produce a review of existing environmentally friendly production methods in place in the three regions and of the potential for implementing environmentally friendly, low carbon solutions / technologies, including the prospect for green commodity production. Propose options for SMEs to access these technologies with the indication of obstacles and estimable costs. Develop a business case for green commodities explaining how environmental sustainability increases production and/or profit. Identify green commodity production solutions (e.g. supply chain strategies) for producing and exporting key green commodities that could be implemented in the beneficiary regions. Suggest concrete follow up strategies for the implementation of the project's environmental component, including concrete measures for the project to facilitate above mentioned processes. Work effectively with other members of the team and support the team leader in the preparation of the baseline assessment guaranteeing that environment considerations (and opportunities) are mainstreamed in the assessments. The findings should be used to design concrete measures that the project is expected to implement in the years 2009/2010. It is expected that the report will contain an action plan to ensure proper implementation of recommended solutions. Below is a summary of main activities and deliverables. Preparation phase: 30/09/2009 Desk survey and literature review: 23 September Assessment outline: 30 September Production phase: 31/10/2009 Field mission 01-20 October (tentative) data collection interviews, focus groups Assessment compilation: Mission report: 20 October First draft: 25 October Final draft: 31 October Payment schedule The payment will be made in three installments (lump sum): 20% upon the completion of the baseline assessment?s outline and methodology 40% upon the submission of the mission report 40% upon the submission of the final draft of the assessment (3 regions) The assignment will require a 15-20 days mission in Central Asia. Competencies Familiarity with UNDP?s mandate and the human development concept; Ability to interpret results and provide practical recommendations; Proven research and writing skills; Fluency in English, knowledge of Russian is an asset. Required Skills and Experience Master?s degree or an advanced degree in environmental economics, business, or environmental sciences; At least 6 years of work experience in identifying environmental friendly solutions for the private sector. or trade promotion; experiences in export promotion agencies is an asset; Experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative economic research in the area of environment and poverty reduction; experience in designing and conducting research in developing or transition economies; experience with SEAs is welcomed. Extensive experience with issues related to environment and poverty reduction in transition economies; knowledge of contemporary social and development issues in low-income and lower-middle income countries; Experience in designing related technical assistance projects is an asset as well as competencies in the agriculture sector; Previous work experience in Central Asia is a definitive asset; Application Procedure: Applicants are requested to apply on-line via this site. The application should contain: current, complete C.V. / P11 form - the form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_SC_SSA.doc brief cover letter stating interest in and qualifications for the position; Shortlisted candidates will be requested to submit price offer indicating the lump sum/total cost for the work envisaged in the TOR. Should you experience any technical problems with the online application, please send the requested documents to hru.sk at undp.org (please quote title of the position) Women are encouraged to apply. UNDP is non-smoking work environment. Due to the large number of applicants for UNDP positions, UNDP regrets that it is unable to inform unsuccessful candidates about the outcome or status of the recruitment process. UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVISOR - CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION Location : New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Application Deadline : 15-Sep-09 Type of Contract : FTA International Post Level : P-5 (Fixed Term Appointment) Languages Required : English Starting Date : (date when the selected canditate is expected to start) 01-Dec-2009 Duration of Initial Contract : 1 year Refer a Friend Apply Now Background UNDP Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is based in UNDP?s Bureau of Development Policy and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP?s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development at national and local, but also global and regional, levels. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local governance of resources, including energy. With its technical focus, the Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is organized into substantive technical teams with a Principal or Senior Technical Advisor (PTA/STA) being the team leader within each area. Each team leader supports and guides a team of Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs). As well as being a member of a technical team, each RTA is also a member of a regional team, which consists of RTAs from all technical teams working together under the leadership of a Regional Practice or Team Leader. The regional teams are based in regional service centres from where they support UNDP?s country offices and partners in their region. The role of a Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) is to provide high quality technical guidance and support to policy and project development and implementation partners, primarily UNDP country offices but also other UN agencies, governments and inter-governmental organizations, NGO?s, donors, etc. The PTAs and RTAs are also responsible for providing detailed knowledge related to sources of funds for environment work, and assisting partners to obtain, use, and report on, such funding. Currently the main sources of funds include: the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and its Adaptation Funds (LDCF, SCCF); the CDM carbon market; and various bilateral, multilateral, and sub-national donors and partners including country governments, NGOs, and the private sector. EEG is in the process of expanding its capacities to assist countries access the voluntary carbon markets, the private sector, the UNFCCC Adaptation fund, and, if they become available, mechanisms associated with REDD. This position is global in nature and therefore can be based at either HQ or one of UNDP?s Regional Centres Duties and Responsibilities The role of the Senior Technical Advisor (STA) for Climate Change Adaptation is, within this technical area, to: provide technical guidance and team management; develop and advocate innovative policy and financial mechanisms; identify and develop cutting edge strategic programmes, projects and activities, and mobilize resources and partnerships in support of these; produce development impacts and results for country partners; and facilitate effective learning and management of knowledge The key results expected from the Senior Technical Advisor are: 1. Leadership, Management and Coordination (20%) Providing technical guidance to the UNDP adaptation programme and managing a global team of regional Technical Advisors. The STA also represents UNDP in international and national fora, liaises with external clients and a broad range of constituencies and UNDP counterparts in Government, local and international media, other international organizations, and in civil society. The STA promotes good cooperation and coordination among all technical programme and operations staff and between the various technical divisions of EEG and BDP, as well as broader UNDP and external parties. 2. Policy Development, Dialogue and Advocacy (20%) The development and advancement of policy initiatives, advice, support and advocacy on climate change adaptation both within UNDP, with UNDP?s direct partners, and as a contribution to the global debate on climate change adaptation. This includes contributing to the development of complex policy positions at the interface of scientific knowledge and social, political and economic feasibility; wide ranging consultation with key players; the development of partnerships around positions and initiatives; and dialogue and advocacy to effect change. 3. Programme Development and Resource Mobilization (30%) Development of programmes, projects and other initiatives. Identification of funding opportunities, sources and partners. Negotiation of funding and partnerships. Identification, development and roll-out of new business opportunities, business lines, and self- funding climate change adaptation service facilities. 4. Delivery of Results and Impacts (20%) Effective delivery of results and impacts through high quality strategic guidance and implementation support including technical support, monitoring, troubleshooting, evaluation, reporting, and dissemination of results and impacts. 5. Knowledge, Lessons and Tools Development (10%) Analysis and synthesis of data, information, results and knowledge into papers, lessons, guidelines, methodologies, programming kits, training, and other new tools and codified knowledge products. Competencies Given the highly complex technical and political nature of climate change adaptation, the position of STA requires a complex combination of advanced technical, scientific, economic, policy, advocacy, communication and networking skills combined with a full understanding of the complexity of climate change issues, policies and negotiations at both local and global levels. The STA must also have strong managerial skills, and a good understanding of programming and projects in developing countries. Technical: Is a recognized expert in climate change adaptation and associated policy negotiation processes. demonstrated ability to advise on the integration of climate risk management, including vulnerability and adaptation impact analysis, climate risk assessment, and long term and medium term responses to these, into national, sub-national and local institutional structures, and systems of governance, including public financial management; Demonstrated intellectual leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives; Leadership & Management: Strong managerial and decision-making skills; Proven ability to provide direction and ensure an effective work structure to maximize productivity and achieve goals in a complex multi-cultural team and institutional environment; Proven ability to plan and organize work and make timely decisions; Excellent negotiation skills and ability to persuade and influence others to reach agreement on complex issues; Independent judgment and discretion in arriving at complex and delicate decisions; Integrity: Demonstrated integrity, ability to stand by the decisions that are in the Organization?s interest and resist undue pressure in decision- making; Reputation for dealing honestly and openly with issues; Recognized and highly respected by peers, clients and staff. Development and Operational Effectiveness: Ability to guide the formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of multi-sectoral development programmes and projects; Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations Communication: Excellent drafting ability and communication skills, both oral and written; Ability to defend and explain difficult and complex issues with respect to key decisions and positions to staff, senior officials and members of legislative and oversight bodies. Excellent presentation skills. Client Orientation: Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback Ability to identify needs and propose appropriate solutions as well as establish and maintain effective relationships with outside collaborators and other contacts, including representatives of Member States and the public. Ability to work with multiple stakeholders across a wide range of disciplines Human Resources Management: Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor the work of others; Ability to create an enabling work environment and consider work/life issues. Knowledge Management and Learning: Willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the relevant technical field and to develop own skills. Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example Required Skills and Experience Education: Masters degree or higher in climate change, geography, natural resource policy, management, sociology, economics, political science, development studies. Competencies: Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strategic partnerships; Demonstrated leadership, facilitation and coordination skills; Demonstrated entrepreneurial abilities and demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner; Demonstrated ability to work in a team; Experience: 10 years or more of progressively more responsible relevant leadership and management in the field of climate change adaptation and development Extensive experience with project development, implementation and management (direct project management experience is preferable); Experience in the policy development processes associated with environment and sustainable development issues; Full computer literacy; Working experience in an international organization is an advantage as is knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures and practices. Language Requirements: Excellent command of written and spoken English is essential; working level proficiency in other UN languages is highly desirable. Click here for important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders). UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. REGIONAL POLICY ADVISOR Location : DAKAR, SENEGAL Application Deadline : 14-Sep-09 Type of Contract : FTA International Post Level : P-4 (Fixed Term Appointment) Languages Required : English French Duration of Initial Contract : One year Refer a Friend Apply Now Background Note that this is a UNOPS vacancy. Please do not submit applications via the UNDP website. Qualified candidates may submit their application including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) available on our website, via email at afosnoc.vacancies at unops.org. Kindly indicate the vacancy number and post title in the subject line when applying by email. UNDP?s Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is based in the Bureau for Development Policy and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP?s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development at national and local, but also global and regional, levels. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local governance of resources, including energy. There is increasing concern that climate change, including variability, could undermine the achievement of a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most notably in poverty reduction. Consequently, developing countries are increasingly turning their attention to the formulation of comprehensive approaches to address climate change, in particular the human development and economic implications, and the investment decisions that need to be made to implement these. UNDP country offices are, in consequence, receiving an increasing number of national requests for assistance with understanding the implications of climate change on national development and preparing integrated strategies and plans to manage anticipated challenges and opportunities. UNDP has played an important role assisting countries to access and deliver climate change financing, as implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), joint manager of the National Communications Support Programme and by delivering initiatives like MDG Carbon, Capacity Development for Policy Makers, the MDG Achievement Fund, Africa Adaptation Programme, CC-DARE, UN REDD, Carbon Neutral and Climate Resilient Territories, and the 2007 Human Development Report on climate change. Acknowledging the need to incorporate climate change concerns into the design and implementation of its core development assistance at the national, regional and global levels, EEG has developed a Global Project ?Integrating climate change risks into development planning and programming (ICCPP)?. This project is directly aligned with the UNDP 2008-2011 Strategic Plan ? the Environment and Sustainable Development Focus and will contribute to operationalising pillar 4 in UNDP?s recently approved Climate Change Strategy (Integrate climate change into UN and UNDP development assistance at the global, regional and national levels). Thus, the project?s aim is to strengthen technical capacities of developing countries to integrate climate change risks and opportunities into human development based planning and programming. This will be achieved through the following two outputs: Output 1: Support available for designing national climate change strategies, investment plans, programmes and/or related products. Output 2: Capacities strengthened for integrating climate change risks and opportunities into national development assistance. To achieve these outputs, the project will place Regional Policy Advisors in UNDP?s Regional Service Centers, which will in turn identify the needs and demands of national governments and the capacity development needs of UNDP country offices in order to guarantee that offices are able to address national and local needs. Duties and Responsibilities Summary of Key Functions Provide Climate Change Policy Advisory services. Strengthen the analytical and evidence base that supports climate- related work in Africa. Effectively communicate the ICCPP to key stakeholders. Strengthen partner/ donor relations and networks Planning, implementing and reporting of project activities. Duties and Responsibilities The climate change Regional Policy Advisor will be fully integrated with the other members of the environment and energy team at the Dakar regional service center. Under the joint supervision of the Environment and Energy Regional Practice Leader* and the ICCPP Project Manager, the climate change Regional Policy Advisor will: 1. Provide Policy Advisory services Contribute to the timely provision of guidance and support to COs in their engagement in the climate change policy dialogue at national and regional level with key partners such as governments, donors, civil society. Provide substantive technical and intellectual inputs to national low carbon development strategies and plans in close cooperation with COs. Build capacity of the government in programming climate change related resources and provide advice on the effective use and management of different climate financing mechanisms. Develop technical and strategic position papers, presentations, advisory and briefing notes, as needed. Prepare regional inputs to policy briefs/position papers in collaboration with other practices that address links between climate change and other development concerns such as governance, private sector development, economic growth, poverty alleviation, natural resources management, gender equality, crisis prevention and recovery and capacity development. Provide climate change advisory services to colleagues from all practice teams of the regional centre and develop CC policy advisory capacities of management and officers in UNDP country officers. Support lesson-learning between countries and identify and develop linkages between the various countries of the region, as appropriate. 2. Strengthen the analytical and evidence base supporting climate- related work in Africa Provide regular briefings to country offices, Regional bureaus and regional service centers? environmental team and senior management and governments on the status of international climate change negotiations, forthcoming events in the region, major regional initiatives under way and climate change projects being implemented by UNDP and other UN organizations in the region. These inputs should contribute to the development and strengthening of common UN positions regarding climate change issues in the region. Support the Country Offices in the development of strategic and thematic partnerships with governmental agencies, UN agencies and other important actors in climate change. Keep the Regional Service Centers and Country Offices informed about the developments of international climate change negotiations, in close coordination with other information and knowledge management networks, both within and outside UNDP, the UN system and the donor and development community, providing policy advice as needed. Ensure an optimal flow of information about initiatives, projects, international climate negotiations, and related issues between the stakeholders of the project in the African region. Promote the use and improvement of knowledge management mechanisms put in place by BDP/EEG to share information about climate change related initiatives. 3. Ensure the ICCPP is effectively communicated to key stakeholders Lead public relations activities, identifying opportunities and promoting results to ensure ICCPP project activities remain relevant and linked to UNDP processes. Organize joint planning meetings involving the regional bureaus both in headquarters and regional centers, the EEG/BDP and country offices to develop a workplan and a corresponding budget plan with clearly stated indicators of progress for the region. Support RBA?s communications specialist in developing communications products for UNDP key constituencies, including journalists and members of the public. Secure an adequate flow of information between the Regional Service Center, BDP/EEG, and the Country Offices. This includes putting in place mechanisms to ensure that both the Senior Management and Practice Team Leader at the Regional Center, and COs, know about climate change related activities undertaken by BDP/EEG as well as by other UN bodies and major global and regional actors; and delivering information on national needs for policy support to BDP, EEG, RBA, Head of the Regional Centers, and the ICCPP Project Manager. Keep abreast of developments in global climate change negotiations and timely inform the regional constituents of the ICCPP project, suggesting ways in which regional centers and country offices could support countries in the negotiation process. 4. Strengthen partner/ donor relations and networks Liaise and coordinate with development partners (i.e. government, NGOs) and donors, building strategic alliances. Build effective working relations with key development and climate change practitioners, professionals, business and community leaders, and policy-makers in the region. 5. Planning, implementing and reporting of the project?s activities Lead strategic planning for the regional activities outlined in the project document and taking into account the priorities reflected in the regional business plan; Supervise the work of the consultants hired for the project. Develop quarterly work plans and expenditure plans based on the agreed annual work plan. Monitor project progress against annual and quarterly workplan and budget plans. Propose value-added project activities based upon internal discussions and identification of in-house best practices and capacities. Consolidate and synchronize ICCPP activities with nationally implemented activities. Support the ICCPP project manager in the coordination of activities and initiatives *Until this position is filled, supervision will be exercised by the EEG/GEF Regional Team Leader Competencies Corporate Competencies Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN?s values and ethical standards. Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP. Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. Treats all people fairly without favoritism. Functional Competencies Demonstrated solid knowledge and relevant experience in climate change policy. Demonstrated managerial skills and operational effectiveness. Strong strategic and visioning capacity, enabling her/him to understand the needs of developing countries regarding climate change mainstreaming. Has excellent oral and written communication skills. Has good conflict resolution skills to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors. Strong analytical skills. Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high ranking members of agencies and national institutions, government and non- government. Leadership and Self-Management Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude. Good team player, self starter, has ability to work under minimum supervision and maintain good relationships. Required Skills and Experience Experience and Education Masters degree in environment, economics, international policy or a closely related field. At least 7 years of experience in areas related to climate change (i.e. environmental/ climate economics, adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, investments and financing, land use, forestry), with a good understanding of the developing country context. Excellent organizational and communication skills. Work experience in the Africa region is an advantage. Experience in the field of international climate negotiations, particularly from the developing country and region?s perspective is an advantage Work experience in an international organization is an advantage. Excellent knowledge of French and English, both spoken and written. Fluency in other languages spoken in the region is an asset. Submission of Applications Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via email to dgvas at unops.org . Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email. Additional Considerations - Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. - Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified. - Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. - UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post. For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org . UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. REGIONAL POLICY ADVISOR Location : Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA Application Deadline : 14-Sep-09 Type of Contract : FTA International Post Level : P-4 (Fixed Term Appointment) Languages Required : English French Duration of Initial Contract : One year initially Refer a Friend Apply Now Background Note that this is a UNOPS vacancy. Please do not submit applications the UNDP website. Qualified candidates may submit their application including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) available on our website, via email at afosnoc.vacancies at unops.org. Kindly indicate the vacancy number and post title in the subject when applying by email. UNDP?s Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is based in the Bureau for Development Policy and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP?s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development at national and local, but also global and regional, levels. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local governance of resources, including energy. There is increasing concern that climate change, including variability, could undermine the achievement of a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most notably in poverty reduction. Consequently, developing countries are increasingly turning their attention to the formulation of comprehensive approaches to address climate change, in particular the human development and economic implications, and the investment decisions that need to be made to implement these. UNDP country offices are, in consequence, receiving an increasing number of national requests for assistance with understanding the implications of climate change on national development and preparing integrated strategies and plans to manage anticipated challenges and opportunities. UNDP has played an important role assisting countries to access and deliver climate change financing, as implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), joint manager of the National Communications Support Programme and by delivering initiatives like MDG Carbon, Capacity Development for Policy Makers, the MDG Achievement Fund, Africa Adaptation Programme, CC-DARE, UN REDD, Carbon Neutral and Climate Resilient Territories, and the 2007 Human Development Report on climate change. Acknowledging the need to incorporate climate change concerns into the design and implementation of its core development assistance at the national, regional and global levels, EEG has developed a Global Project ?Integrating climate change risks into development planning and programming (ICCPP)?. This project is directly aligned with the UNDP 2008-2011 Strategic Plan ? the Environment and Sustainable Development Focus and will contribute to operationalising pillar 4 in UNDP?s recently approved Climate Change Strategy (Integrate climate change into UN and UNDP development assistance at the global, regional and national levels). Thus, the project?s aim is to strengthen technical capacities of developing countries to integrate climate change risks and opportunities into human development based planning and programming. This will be achieved through the following two outputs: Output 1: Support available for designing national climate change strategies, investment plans, programmes and/or related products. Output 2: Capacities strengthened for integrating climate change risks and opportunities into national development assistance. To achieve these outputs, the project will place Regional Policy Advisors in UNDP?s Regional Service Centers, which will in turn identify the needs and demands of national governments and the capacity development needs of UNDP country offices in order to guarantee that offices are able to address national and local needs. Duties and Responsibilities Summary of Key Functions Provide Climate Change Policy Advisory services. Strengthen the analytical and evidence base that supports climate- related work in Africa. Effectively communicate the ICCPP to key stakeholders. Strengthen partner/ donor relations and networks. Planning, implementing and reporting of project activities. Duties and Responsibilities The climate change Regional Policy Advisor will be fully integrated with the other members of the environment and energy team at the Johannesburg/Pretoria regional service center. Under the joint supervision of the Environment and Energy Regional Practice Leader* and the ICCPP Project Manager, the climate change Regional Policy Advisor will: 1. Provide Policy Advisory services Contribute to the timely provision of guidance and support to COs in their engagement in the climate change policy dialogue at national and regional level with key partners such as governments, donors, civil society. Provide substantive technical and intellectual inputs to national low carbon development strategies and plans in close cooperation with COs. Build capacity of the government in programming climate change related resources and provide advice on the effective use and management of different climate financing mechanisms. Develop technical and strategic position papers, presentations, advisory and briefing notes, as needed. Prepare regional inputs to policy briefs/position papers in collaboration with other practices that address links between climate change and other development concerns such as governance, private sector development, economic growth, poverty alleviation, natural resources management, gender equality, crisis prevention and recovery and capacity development. Provide climate change advisory services to colleagues from all practice teams of the regional centre and develop CC policy advisory capacities of management and officers in UNDP country officers. Support lesson-learning between countries and identify and develop linkages between the various countries of the region, as appropriate. 2. Strengthen the analytical and evidence base supporting climate- related work in Africa Provide regular briefings to country offices, Regional bureaus and regional service centers? environmental team and senior management and governments on the status of international climate change negotiations, forthcoming events in the region, major regional initiatives under way and climate change projects being implemented by UNDP and other UN organizations in the region. These inputs should contribute to the development and strengthening of common UN positions regarding climate change issues in the region. Support the Country Offices in the development of strategic and thematic partnerships with governmental agencies, UN agencies and other important actors in climate change. Keep the Regional Service Centers and Country Offices informed about the developments of international climate change negotiations, in close coordination with other information and knowledge management networks, both within and outside UNDP, the UN system and the donor and development community, providing policy advice as needed. Ensure an optimal flow of information about initiatives, projects, international climate negotiations, and related issues between the stakeholders of the project in the African region. Promote the use and improvement of knowledge management mechanisms put in place by BDP/EEG to share information about climate change related initiatives. 3. Ensure the ICCPP is effectively communicated to key stakeholders Lead public relations activities, identifying opportunities and promoting results to ensure ICCPP project activities remain relevant and linked to UNDP processes. Organize joint planning meetings involving the regional bureaus both in headquarters and regional centers, the EEG/BDP and country offices to develop a workplan and a corresponding budget plan with clearly stated indicators of progress for the region. Support RBA?s communications specialist in developing communications products for UNDP key constituencies, including journalists and members of the public. Secure an adequate flow of information between the Regional Service Center, BDP/EEG, and the Country Offices. This includes putting in place mechanisms to ensure that both the Senior Management and Practice Team Leader at the Regional Center, and COs, know about climate change related activities undertaken by BDP/EEG as well as by other UN bodies and major global and regional actors; and delivering information on national needs for policy support to BDP, EEG, RBA, Head of the Regional Centers, and the ICCPP Project Manager. Keep abreast of developments in global climate change negotiations and timely inform the regional constituents of the ICCPP project, suggesting ways in which regional centers and country offices could support countries in the negotiation process. 4. Strengthen partner/ donor relations and networks Liaise and coordinate with development partners (i.e. government, NGOs) and donors, building strategic alliances. Build effective working relations with key development and climate change practitioners, professionals, business and community leaders, and policy-makers in the region. 5. Planning, implementing and reporting of the project?s activities Lead strategic planning for the regional activities outlined in the project document and taking into account the priorities reflected in the regional business plan; Supervise the work of the consultants hired for the project. Develop quarterly work plans and expenditure plans based on the agreed annual work plan. Monitor project progress against annual and quarterly workplan and budget plans. Propose value-added project activities based upon internal discussions and identification of in-house best practices and capacities. Consolidate and synchronize ICCPP activities with nationally implemented activities. Support the ICCPP project manager in the coordination of activities and initiatives. *Until this position is filled, supervision will be exercised by the EEG/GEF Regional Team Leader Competencies Corporate Competencies Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN?s values and ethical standards. Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP. Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. Treats all people fairly without favoritism. Functional Competencies Demonstrated solid knowledge and relevant experience in climate change policy. Demonstrated managerial skills and operational effectiveness. Strong strategic and visioning capacity, enabling her/him to understand the needs of developing countries regarding climate change mainstreaming. Has excellent oral and written communication skills. Has good conflict resolution skills to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors. Strong analytical skills. Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high ranking members of agencies and national institutions, government and non- government. Leadership and Self-Management Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude. Good team player, self starter, has ability to work under minimum supervision and maintain good relationships. Required Skills and Experience Experience and Education Masters degree in environment, economics, international policy or a closely related field. At least 7 years of experience in areas related to climate change (i.e. environmental/ climate economics, adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, investments and financing, land use, forestry), with a good understanding of the developing country context. Excellent organizational and communication skills. Work experience in the Africa region is an advantage. Experience in the field of international climate negotiations, particularly from the developing country and region?s perspective is an advantage. Work experience in an international organization is an advantage. Excellent knowledge of English and French, both spoken and written. Fluency in other languages spoken in the region is an asset. Submission of Applications Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via email to dgvas at unops.org . Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email. Additional Considerations - Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. - Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified. - Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. - UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post. For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org . UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. REGIONAL POLICY ADVISOR, LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Location : Panama City, PANAMA Application Deadline : 14-Sep-09 Type of Contract : FTA International Post Level : P-4 (Fixed Term Appointment) Languages Required : English Spanish Duration of Initial Contract : One year initially Refer a Friend Apply Now Background Note that this is a UNOPS vacancy. Please do not submit applications via the UNDP website. Qualified candidates may submit their application including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) available on our website, via email at afosnoc.vacancies at unops.org. Kindly indicate the vacancy number and post title in the subject line when applying by email. UNDP?s Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is based in the Bureau for Development Policy and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP?s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development at national and local, but also global and regional, levels. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local governance of resources, including energy. There is increasing concern that climate change, including variability, could undermine the achievement of a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most notably in poverty reduction. Consequently, developing countries are increasingly turning their attention to the formulation of comprehensive approaches to address climate change, in particular the human development and economic implications, and the investment decisions that need to be made to implement these. UNDP country offices are, in consequence, receiving an increasing number of national requests for assistance with understanding the implications of climate change on national development and preparing integrated strategies and plans to manage anticipated challenges and opportunities. UNDP has played an important role assisting countries to access and deliver climate change financing, as implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), joint manager of the National Communications Support Programme and by delivering initiatives like MDG Carbon, Capacity Development for Policy Makers, the MDG Achievement Fund, Africa Adaptation Programme, CC-DARE, UN REDD, Carbon Neutral and Climate Resilient Territories, and the 2007 Human Development Report on climate change. Acknowledging the need to incorporate climate change concerns into the design and implementation of its core development assistance at the national, regional and global levels, EEG has developed a Global Project ?Integrating climate change risks into development planning and programming (ICCPP)?. This project is directly aligned with the UNDP 2008-2011 Strategic Plan ? the Environment and Sustainable Development Focus and will contribute to operationalising pillar 4 in UNDP?s recently approved Climate Change Strategy (Integrate climate change into UN and UNDP development assistance at the global, regional and national levels). Thus, the project?s aim is to strengthen technical capacities of developing countries to integrate climate change risks and opportunities into human development based planning and programming. This will be achieved through the following two outputs: Output 1: Support available for designing national climate change strategies, investment plans, programmes and/or related products. Output 2: Capacities strengthened for integrating climate change risks and opportunities into national development assistance. To achieve these outputs, the project will place Regional Policy Advisors in UNDP?s Regional Service Centers, which will in turn identify the needs and demands of national governments and the capacity development needs of UNDP country offices in order to guarantee that offices are able to address national and local needs. Duties and Responsibilities Summary of Key Functions Provide Climate Change Policy Advisory services. Strengthen the analytical and evidence base that supports climate- related work in Africa. Effectively communicate the ICCPP to key stakeholders. Strengthen partner/ donor relations and networks Planning, implementing and reporting of project activities. Duties and Responsibilities The climate change Regional Policy Advisor will be fully integrated with the other members of the environment and energy team at the Panama regional service center. Under the joint supervision of the Environment Team Leader and the ICCPP Project Manager, and with technical guidance from the EEG Climate Change Policy Advisor, the climate change Regional Policy Advisor will: 1. Provide Policy Advisory services Contribute to the timely provision of guidance and support to COs and support COs in their engagement in the climate change policy dialogue at national and regional level with key partners such as governments, donors, civil society. This will include providing, in close coordination with the COs, policy advice to the processes of the National Communications to the UNFCCC. Provide substantive technical and intellectual inputs to national low carbon development strategies and plans in close cooperation with COs. Build capacity of the government in programming climate change related resources and provide advice on the effective use and management of different climate financing mechanisms. Develop technical and strategic position papers, presentations, advisory and briefing notes, as needed. Prepare regional inputs to policy briefs/position papers in collaboration with other practices that address links between climate change and other development concerns such as governance, private sector, poverty alleviation, gender, crisis prevention and recovery and capacity development. Provide climate change advisory services to colleagues from all practice teams of the regional centre and develop CC policy advisory capacities of management and officers in UNDP country officers. 2. Information, Knowledge, Partnerships services Provide regular briefings to country offices, Regional bureaus and regional service centers? senior management and governments on the status of international climate change negotiations, forthcoming events in the region, major regional initiatives under way and climate change projects being implemented by UNDP and other UN organizations in the region, including National Communications. These inputs should contribute to the development and strengthening of common UN positions regarding climate change issues in the region. Support the Country Offices in the development of strategic and thematic partnerships with governmental agencies, UN agencies and other important actors in climate change. Lead public relations activities, identifying opportunities and promoting results to ensure ICCPP project activities remain relevant and linked to UNDP processes. Secure an adequate flow of information between the Regional Service Center, BDP/EEG, and the Country Offices. This includes putting in place mechanisms to ensure that both the Senior Management and Practice Team Leader at the Regional Center, and COs, know about climate change related activities undertaken by BDP/EEG as well as by other UN bodies and major global and regional actors; and delivering information on national needs for policy support to BDP, EEG, RBLAC, Head of the Regional Centers, and the ICCPP Project Manager. Keep abreast of developments in global climate change negotiations and timely inform the regional constituents of the ICCPP project, suggesting ways in which regional centers and country offices could support countries in the negotiation process. Keep the Regional Service Center and Country Offices informed about the developments of international climate change negotiations, in close coordination with other information and knowledge management networks, both within and outside UNDP, the UN system and the donor and development community, providing policy advice as needed. Ensure an optimal flow of information about initiatives, projects, international climate negotiations, and related issues between the stakeholders of the project in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Promote the use and improvement of knowledge management mechanisms put in place by BDP/EEG to share information about climate change related initiatives. Liaise and coordinate with development partners (i.e. government, NGOs) and donors, building strategic alliances. 3. Planning, implementing and reporting of the project?s activities Lead strategic planning for the regional activities outlined in the project document and taking into account the priorities reflected in the regional business plan; Supervise the work of the consultants hired for the project. Organize joint planning meetings involving the regional bureaus both in headquarters and regional centers, the EEG/BDP and country offices to develop a workplan and a corresponding budget plan with clearly stated indicators of progress for the region. Develop quarterly workplans and expenditure plans based on the agreed annual work plan. Monitor project progress against annual and quarterly workplan and budget plans. Propose value-added project activities based upon internal discussions and identification of in-house best practices and capacities. Consolidate and synchronize ICCPP activities with nationally implemented activities. Support the ICCPP project manager in the coordination of activities and initiatives. Competencies Corporate Competencies Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN?s values and ethical standards. Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP. Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. Treats all people fairly without favoritism. Functional Competencies Demonstrated solid knowledge and relevant experience in climate change policy. Demonstrated managerial skills and operational effectiveness. Strong strategic and visioning capacity, enabling her/him to understand the needs of developing countries regarding climate change mainstreaming. Good oral communication skills and conflict resolution competency to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors. Good written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize complex documents. Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high ranking members of agencies and national institutions, government and non- government. Leadership and Self-Management Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude. Good team player, self starter, has ability to work under minimum supervision and maintain good relationships. Required Skills and Experience Experience and Education Masters degree in environment, economics, international policy or a closely related field. At least 7 years of experience in areas related to climate change (i.e. environmental/ climate economics, adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, investments and financing, land use, forestry), with a good understanding of the developing country context. Excellent organizational and communication skills. Work experience in the Latin America and Caribbean region is an advantage. Experience in the field of international climate negotiations, particularly from the developing country and region?s perspective is an advantage. Work experience in an international organization is an advantage. Excellent knowledge of English and Spanish, both spoken and written. Submission of Applications Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via email to dgvas at unops.org . Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email. Additional Considerations - Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. - Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified. - Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. - UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post. For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org . UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. CONSULTANT: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT Location : New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Application Deadline : 07-Sep-09 Type of Contract : Other Languages Required : English Starting Date : (date when the selected canditate is expected to start) 14-Sep-2009 Duration of Initial Contract : 70 days over 7 months Refer a Friend Apply Now Background Climate change could negate decades of progress and undermine efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Recognizing the need to lower the risks that climate change poses to hard won development gains made by developing countries, UNDP has been an active player on the climate-change scene since the early 1990s. Notably, UNDP, together with the World Bank and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), is one of the three founding members of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). As the United Nations? global development network, UNDP?s goal is to align human development and climate change responses with a particular focus on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable communities and countries. Win-win activities such as energy efficiency and decentralized renewable energy technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote socio-economic progress. Climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives are intimately linked at the country level. The ongoing UNDP climate change portfolio supports both mitigation and adaptation policy responses. This integrated approach is grounded in the fact that mitigation is essential to avoid the unmanageable, while adaptation is no less essential to manage the unavoidable. For example, greater energy access through improved energy efficiency and decentralized renewable energy technologies enables communities to diversify sources of livelihood and income, and better adapt to adverse impacts of climate change. Reduced emissions through sustainable land management practices increase the resilience of ecosystems to climate change, in turn improving the resilience and adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities. Responding to demand, UNDP has been increasingly active in identifying and supporting innovative adaptation projects across a range of sectors and countries. As one of the three GEF Implementing Agencies, UNDP has been providing assistance to over 100 countries in preparing national climate change vulnerability assessments and national communications to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Based on their National Adaptation Plans of Action, UNDP expects to be in a position to help over 30 least developed countries access resources from the UNFCCC Least Developed Countries Fund, managed by GEF, to implement priority adaptation initiatives. The key focus has been on building capacities of developing countries, at all levels, to embed and integrate resilience building and adaptive capacity into domestic policies, and investment decision-making processes and practices. The overall objective is to promote adoption of ?no regrets? short- and long-term coping strategies to reduce adverse impacts on vulnerable communities and countries. UNDP has been developing analytical resources (such as the Adaptation Policy Framework, country climate risks profiles, portfolio screening methodologies) to support planning for adaptation measures in range of developing countries. UNDP also has experience working with poor communities to increase their resilience to weather-related shocks, particularly through the work on drought risk reduction, led jointly by the Drylands Development Centre and the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR). BCPR?s work, under its Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program, aims to support national counterparts with developing both a disaster risk perspective and the human, financial, technical and legislative capacity, civil society preparedness, and coordination systems required to effectively manage and reduce risk. Its growing network of Disaster Risk Reduction Specialists provides an excellent foundation for broadening the scope of climate risk reduction efforts. UNDP has been pursuing mitigation and adaptation activities in close partnership with the World Bank, Regional Development Banks, other UN agencies, donor governments, and a range of other civil society partners. One of the unheralded achievements of the GEF, as a network organization, has been to provide a common platform to the World Bank, UNDP and UNEP to harmonize their strategic approaches for global environment management. The UNDP GEF portfolio co-implemented with either the World Bank or UNEP amounts to about $500 million. Another important partnership is the UNDP-Spanish MDG Achievement Fund that was launched in 2007 to promote a coordinated response of the UN system to key MDG challenges, including adaptation to climate change. Close to $94 million has already been allocated under this Fund to inter-agency initiatives to strengthen the adaptation capacity of developing countries as part of the first batch of approved projects. Another notable partnership is ?Supporting Integrated and Comprehensive Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation in Africa? with $92 million from Japan which assists 21 African countries incorporate climate change risks and opportunities into national development processes to secure development gains under a changing climate. This programme helps countries establish an enabling environment and develop the capacity required at local and national levels to enable them to design, finance, implement, monitor and adjust long-term, integrated and cost-effective adaptation policies and plans that are robust within a wide range of possible changes in climate conditions. UNDP, FAO and UNEP have also established UN-REDD ? options to pilot Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation at the country level. It contributes to development of capacity for implementing REDD in several pilot countries and to support the international dialogue for the inclusion of a REDD mechanism in a post-2012 regime. Funding comes from Norway and other sources. Although important in their own right, these partnerships will need to be strengthened and expanded to enable developing countries to meet the climate change challenge. The impacts of climate change and of a lower-GHG emission economy fall across a variety of sectors, such as energy, agriculture, health, water resources and infrastructure. Effective solutions to tackle climate change will require integrated national policy responses. Partnerships across a wide range of national, bilateral and multilateral development agencies will be required to mainstream climate change into all development decision- making processes. Duties and Responsibilities Based on the above, UNDP?s Environment and Energy Group (EEG) within the Bureau for Development Policy is currently seeking the services of an International Expert on Climate Change Adaptation and Development to further strengthen its positioning and collaboration with the World Bank and other development partners in promoting adaptation to climate change at the country level, especially in relation to the World Bank?s new international climate change funds provided by donor governments. The specific tasks to be undertaken include the following: Review and comment in detail and provide inputs to UNDP policy papers on climate change and development, with special reference to adaptation to climate change in developing countries. Review, as requested, documents from other UN agencies and bodies including the UNFCCC Secretariat. Prepare briefing notes for the EEG Director as requested. Review and comment in detail and provide inputs to UNDP comments on World Bank documents dealing with the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and in particular the PPCR (Pilot Program on Climate Resilience) and the CTF (Clean Technology Fund), including on the roles and responsibilities of the different partners. Prepare briefing notes for the EEG Director as requested. Advise the EEG Director on the multi-dimensional aspects of the climate change issue and the positioning of UNDP as a key partner in helping countries access the new international climate change funds being channeled through the World Bank and other bodies. Review and comment on documents and reports from various sources and prepare briefing notes as requested. Assist in the development of UNDP cross- practice programmes to promote climate change adaptation. Develop a roster of qualified climate change adaptation experts/ consultants for use by UNDP headquarters and UNDP Country Offices. This should be a web-based system accessible to all UNDP managers. Also advise on methods, lessons learned and case studies in the climate change adaptation area and developmental implications. Advisory visits to four pilot developing countries (from a list that would include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Zambia and other countries in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America/ Caribbean). Discuss with the respective UN Resident Coordinators, UNDP Country Directors and UNDP staff the climate change implications on development processes with special emphasis on adaptation to climate change, brief them on the new international climate change funds being channeled through the World Bank and other bodies, and help them assist the respective governments make informed decisions concerning these new funds and ways to align them with ongoing national level development priorities including sustainability and poverty reduction. Each country visit would last one week. Liaise with all concerned UNDP Bureaux (including Regional Bureaux and BCPR) as well as with donor governments and other bodies. Prepare brief reports on the results of each mission for the EEG Director, specifying what follow-up activities would be required in each respective country, and highlighting the implications for the World Bank-UNDP partnership. The expert will work under the direction of the EEG Director at UNDP headquarters in New York City and will undertake missions to four countries as requested. Of the total 70 workdays, 46 would be HQ- based and 24 would be on advisory visits to the selected four pilot countries. Within the contract budget and duration, the EEG Director can, based on evolving needs, either reduce one country mission and redeploy those resources to additional work days at HQ or to add a mission to a fifth country and decrease the work days at HQ accordingly. A detailed work plan will be developed by the expert in consultation with the EEG Director following the start of the assignment. Candidates are requested to include their expected remuneration when applying for this consultancy. DELIVERABLES During the contract period, the International Expert on Climate Change Adaptation and Development will produce the following deliverables: Briefing notes on the results of the PPCR Steering Committee meetings covering the adaptation part of the new international climate change funds. Comments, advice and briefing notes on positioning UNDP as a key partner in helping countries access new climate change funds targeted for adaptation to climate change. Back to office reports on advisory visits to 4 pilot PPCR countries, specifying what follow-up activities are required in each country and highlighting the implications for the World Bank-UNDP partnership. Web-based roster of qualified climate change experts/consultants developed for use by UNDP HQ and UNDP Country Offices. Advisory notes as requested on methods, lessons learned and case studies in the climate change adaptation area and developmental implications. Contributions to UNDP reports, papers and publications on adaptation to climate change and developmental implications as requested. Competencies Corporate Competencies: Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN?s values and ethical standards Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability Treats all people fairly without favoritism Functional Competencies: Coordination Effectiveness Ability to lead the design and implementation of climate change activities, strengthening of strategic partnerships for UNDP implementation. Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships with UN Agencies and main constituents, advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies. Development and Operational Effectiveness Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation Ability to negotiate with donors and internal units; ability to identify and analyse trends, opportunities and threats to fund-raising Excellent drafting and presentation skills Ability to plan and organize work programme Ability to work with minimum supervision Ability to apply RM and partnerships building theory to the specific country context Strong IT skills Required Skills and Experience To accomplish the above tasks, the International Expert on Climate Change and Development will need to posses the following qualifications: Master's Degree in Economics, International Development, Public Administration or a relevant technical field (for example, Chemistry) A minimum of 20 years of relevant work experience in the fields of environment and development, especially related to climate change. A minimum of 10 years work experience within UNDP or a comparable development organization, with in-depth knowledge of UNDP?s environment programmes, personnel and financing structures. Detailed knowledge of the new World Bank climate change funds and a general knowledge of World Bank operations. Complete familiarity with UNDP operations and programmes at the country level. Proven ability to consult, advise and build consensus among senior managers in relevant development organizations in the area of environment and development. Fluency in written and spoken English; proficiency in Spanish or French would be an advantage. Proficiency in the use of computers and office software packages (word processing, e-mail, presentations, spreadsheets, etc). Click here for important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders). UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. REGIONAL POLICY ADVISOR - INTEGRATING CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS INTO DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING (ICCPP) Location : Bangkok, THAILAND Application Deadline : 04-Sep-09 Type of Contract : FTA International Post Level : P-4 (Fixed Term Appointment) Languages Required : English Duration of Initial Contract : One year initially Refer a Friend Apply Now Background Note that this is a UNOPS vacancy. Please do not submit applications via the UNDP website. Qualified candidates may submit their application including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) available on our website, via email at afosnoc.vacancies at unops.org. Kindly indicate the vacancy number and post title in the subject line when applying by email. UNDP?s Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is based in the Bureau for Development Policy and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP?s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development at national and local, but also global and regional, levels. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local governance of resources, including energy. There is increasing concern that climate change, including variability, could undermine the achievement of a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most notably in poverty reduction. Consequently, developing countries are increasingly turning their attention to the formulation of comprehensive approaches to address climate change, in particular the human development and economic implications, and the investment decisions that need to be made to implement these. UNDP country offices are, in consequence, receiving an increasing number of national requests for assistance with understanding the implications of climate change on national development and preparing integrated strategies and plans to manage anticipated challenges and opportunities. UNDP has played an important role assisting countries to access and deliver climate change financing, as implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), joint manager of the National Communications Support Programme and by delivering initiatives like MDG Carbon, Capacity Development for Policy Makers, the MDG Achievement Fund, Africa Adaptation Programme, CC-DARE, UN REDD, Carbon Neutral and Climate Resilient Territories, and the 2007 Human Development Report on climate change (activities totaling more than 220 million USD in catalytic funding). Yet at the same time, UNDP must further build its internal capacity and adopt a more strategic, holistic, adaptive and long-term role in the future financing landscape. Acknowledging the need to incorporate climate change concerns into the design and implementation of its core development assistance at the national, regional and global levels, EEG has developed a Global Project ?Integrating climate change risks into development planning and programming (ICCPP)?. This project is directly aligned with the UNDP 2008-2011 Strategic Plan ? the Environment and Sustainable Development Focus and will contribute to operationalising pillar 4 in UNDP?s recently approved Climate Change Strategy. Thus, the project?s aim is to strengthen technical capacities of developing countries to integrate climate change risks and opportunities into human development based planning and programming. This will be achieved through the following two outputs: Output 1: Support available for designing national climate change strategies, investment plans, programmes and/or related products. Output 2: Capacities strengthened for integrating climate change risks and opportunities into national development assistance. To achieve these outputs, the project will place Regional Policy Advisors in UNDP?s Regional Service Centers, which will in turn identify the needs and demands of national governments and the capacity development needs of UNDP country offices in order to guarantee that offices are able to address national and local needs. Duties and Responsibilities Summary of Key Functions Provide Climate Change Policy Advisory services. Provide Information, Knowledge, and Partnerships services Strengthen partner/ donor relations and networks. Planning, implementing and reporting of project activities. Under the joint supervision of the Environment and Energy Regional Practice Leader and the ICCPP Project Manager, and technical guidance from the EEG Climate Change Policy Advisor, the climate change policy advisor will 1. Provide Policy Advisory services Guide and support COs in their engagement in the climate change policy dialogue at national and regional level with key partners such as governments, donors, civil society. Provide substantive technical and intellectual inputs to national low carbon development strategies and plans in close cooperation with COs. Build capacity of the government in programming climate change related resources and provide advice on the effective use and management of different climate financing mechanisms. Develop technical and strategic position papers, presentations, advisory and briefing notes, as needed. Prepare regional inputs to policy briefs/position papers in collaboration with other practices that address links between climate change and other development concerns such as governance, private sector, poverty alleviation, gender, crisis prevention and recovery and capacity development. Provide climate change advisory services to colleagues from all practice teams of the regional centre and develop CC policy advisory capacities of management and officers in UNDP country officers. 2. Information, Knowledge, Partnerships services Provide regular briefings to country offices, Regional bureaus and regional service centers? senior management and governments on the status of international climate change negotiations, forthcoming events in the region, major regional initiatives under way and climate change projects being implemented by UNDP and other UN organizations in the region. These inputs should contribute to the development and strengthening of common UN positions regarding climate change issues in the region. Support the Country Offices in the development of strategic and thematic partnerships with governmental agencies, UN agencies and other important actors in climate change. Lead public relations activities, identifying opportunities and promoting results to ensure ICCPP project activities remain relevant and linked to UNDP processes. Secure an adequate flow of information between the Regional Service Center, BDP/EEG, and the Country Offices. This includes putting in place mechanisms to ensure that both the Senior Management and Practice Team Leader at the Regional Center, and COs, know about climate change related activities undertaken by BDP/EEG as well as by other UN bodies and major global and regional actors; and delivering information on national needs for policy support to BDP, EEG, RBAP, Head of the Regional Centers, and the ICCPP Project Manager. Keep abreast of developments in global climate change negotiations and timely inform the regional constituents of the ICCPP project, suggesting ways in which regional centers and country offices could support countries in the negotiation process. Keep the Regional Service Center and Country Offices informed about the developments of international climate change negotiations, in close coordination with other information and knowledge management networks, both within and outside UNDP, the UN system and the donor and development community, providing policy advice as needed. Ensure an optimal flow of information about initiatives, projects, international climate negotiations, and related issues between the stakeholders of the project in the Asia/ Pacific region. Promote the use and improvement of knowledge management mechanisms put in place by BDP/EEG to share information about climate change related initiatives. Liaise and coordinate with development partners (i.e. government, NGOs) and donors, building strategic alliances. 4. Planning, implementing and reporting of the project?s activities Lead strategic planning for the regional activities outlined in the project document and taking into account the priorities reflected in the regional business plan. Supervise the work of the consultants hired for the project. Organize joint planning meetings involving the regional bureaus both in headquarters and regional centers, the EEG/BDP and country offices to develop a workplan and a corresponding budget plan with clearly stated indicators of progress for the region. Develop quarterly workplans and expenditure plans based on the agreed annual work plan. Monitor project progress against annual and quarterly workplan and budget plans. Propose value-added project activities based upon internal discussions and identification of in-house best practices and capacities. Consolidate and synchronize ICCPP activities with nationally implemented activities. Support the ICCPP project manager in the coordination of activities and initiatives. Competencies Corporate Competencies Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN?s values and ethical standards. Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP. Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. Treats all people fairly without favoritism. Functional Competencies Demonstrated solid knowledge and relevant experience in climate change policy. Demonstrated managerial skills and operational effectiveness. Strong strategic and visioning capacity, enabling her/him to understand the needs of developing countries regarding climate change mainstreaming. Has good oral communication skills and conflict resolution competency to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors. Has good written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize complex documents. Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high ranking members of agencies and national institutions, government and non-government. Leadership and Self-Management Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude. Good team player, self starter, has ability to work under minimum supervision and maintain good relationships. Required Skills and Experience Experience and Education Recruitment Qualifications Masters degree in environment, economics, international policy or a closely related field. At least 7 years of experience in areas related to climate change (i.e. environmental/ climate economics, adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, investments and financing, land use, forestry), with a good understanding of the developing country context. Excellent organizational and communication skills. Work experience in the Asia/ Pacific region is an advantage. Experience in the field of international climate negotiations, particularly from the developing country and region?s perspective is an advantage Work experience in an international organization is an advantage. Excellent knowledge of English, both spoken and written. Fluency in other languages spoken in the region is an asset. Submission of Applications Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via email to dgvas at unops.org . Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email. Additional Considerations - Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. - Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified. - Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. - UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post. For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org . UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. _______________________________________________ caidc-rccdi mailing list caidc-rccdi at list.web.net http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/caidc-rccdi This message is from the CAIDC ListSERVE, a member managed list for Canadian Development Consultants. 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A noter, que les abonnes a cette liste ne sont pas membres du RCCDI. Pour devenir membre du RCCDI, il faut payer des frais de cotisation. La liste est un forum de discussion au sujet du developpement international. Si vous repondez a ce message, votre reponse sera envoyee a tous les abonnes de la liste. Pour enlever votre nom de la liste, suivez ce lien: http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/caidc-rccdi Suivez le lien en bas de page. Ajoutez votre addresse email et suivez les instructions qui paraitront: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Fri Sep 11 12:24:14 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:24:14 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] ITF: Important Step Forward in Mainstreaming Gender in ICTs for Development Message-ID: INTERNATIONAL TASKFORCE ON WOMEN AND ICTS ITF FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 3, 2009 Contact: Gloria Bonder, ITF Chair catunesco1 at flacso.org.ar, glorbond at gmail.com IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD IN MAINSTREAMING GENDER IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT The International Taskforce on Women and ICTs (ITF) congratulates the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) for operationalizing its commitment to gender as one of its key areas in its 2009-2010 Action Plan adopted today at the Global Forum on ICT and Innovation for Education being held in Monterrey, Mexico. Based in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), GAID reiterated its commitment to mainstream gender issues across all its activities in adopting the Action Plan. The Global Alliance underlined the importance in its mission for the forthcoming year of mainstreaming gender as a key global challenge in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The third MDG calls for promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women by elimination of gender disparity in all levels of education. ITF Chair Dr. Gloria Bonder, a member of the GAID?s highest body ? the Steering Committee ? said ?we are very pleased with the inclusive agenda UNDESA-GAID has adopted. This is a significant step forward for women. The International Taskforce for Women and ICT is proud to support UNDESA-GAID and looks forward to working across our global partnerships and regional nodes to advance, engage and mainstream girls and women in the knowledge society. When women are empowered and have the opportunity to develop to their full potential in the knowledge society, communities across the globe benefit?. ITF is proud of its consultative role as a GAID Community of Expertise working closely with GAID to secure the inclusion of gender and ICT issues in the Action Plan. The Gender Community of Expertise, comprised of ITF and IT for Change, has been among the most active of the Communities collaborating with GAID on the development of the plan. Among the specific gender-related activities in the plan is mainstreaming ICT into high-level United Nations policy debates on gender. This is particularly important in order to bring the ICT and the gender policy communities together since in the past both have suffered from lack of awareness of the other. In 2010 GAID, assisted by the Community of Expertise of Gender, will organize a panel on ICT and gender at the Economic and Social Council Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), which has chosen gender as its focus, to be held in Geneva in July 2010. ITF expects to work with GAID in the preparatory activities for the meeting and in the preparation of a paper on Gender and ICT for presentation to the AMR. GAID has also outlined its support to the Communities of Expertise in the Action Plan, including involving the Communities as resources for the preparation of white papers on ICTs and the MDGs and helping the Communities to establish partnerships among each other. This is particularly relevant for the Gender Community, as gender cuts across the other communities. ITF wishes to express its appreciation to UNDESA-GAID for ensuring the strong participation of the Community of Expertise on Gender in the Monterrey Forum and meeting of the Strategy Council where the Action Plan was adopted. ITF Steering Committee member Dorothy Gordon, a member of the GAID Champions Network and Director-General, of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT moderated the opening discussion at the Forum on 2 September on the State of ICT Development ? A Global Perspective. Dr. Bonder, Chair Holder of the Regional UNESCO Chair on Women, Science and Technology in Latin America, opened the plenary session on ICT and intercultural innovations in education. GAID also supported the participation of ITF and IT for Change members from developing countries to the meetings of the Steering Committee and Strategy Council and the Forum and awarded ITF a site in the iMarketPlace, one of the Forum?s parallel events. The International Taskforce on Women and Information and Communication Technologies is a community of expertise of organizations, institutions, academia, businesses and individuals working to increase economic, social, and educational opportunities for women and girls in the knowledge society in a measurable way. Its vision is an information society for sustainable global development that fosters the potential for success of all its members. Its overarching goal is to ensure women?s full participation in an inclusive information and knowledge-based society as leaders and creators as well as users of ICT. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Fri Sep 11 15:56:24 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:56:24 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] African Union awards women scientists, welcomes new EU funding opportunities Message-ID: African Union awards women scientists, welcomes new EU funding opportunities http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.document&N_LANG=EN&N_RCN=31229 Date2009-09-10 illustration of this article On 9 September, the African Union Women Scientist Regional Awards were presented in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. EU Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik participated in the ceremony, commending the four laureates for their role in building the 'new African Society' and addressing the problems still facing women scientists in Europe. The African Union Scientific Awards programme celebrates the achievements of women scientists through its 'Regional Women Scientific Award', and fosters career development for young scientists in the African Union (AU) Member States. In addition to rewarding outstanding scientists throughout the continent, the programme promotes efforts to transform research into entrepreneurship and attract investments to Africa. Awards valued at USD 20,000 (approximately EUR 13,700) apiece were given to four women scientists chosen from five African regions (central, eastern, northern, southern and western Africa) for their outstanding work in basic science, technology and innovation, and earth and life sciences. It is hoped that the awards will inspire more girls to pursue an education and career in science. 'Today is a relevant moment for the AU Commission to underline the importance and relevance of science as an engine for Africa's development,' said Commissioner Potocnik. 'Through this ceremony, the AUC wants to acknowledge the importance and role of the women [...] for Africa's development.' Addressing the laureates, the Commissioner emphasised that their competences and capacities extend well beyond scientific endeavour: 'You [...] are the symbol of how future challenges may be met and solutions may be found,' he said. The award acknowledges the heavy responsibility its recipients carry, to serve as role models. 'You demonstrate that all Africans, including those who may have been excluded from certain types of education or office in the past, can become recognised as the engine of development and step up your contribution. You are a standard bearer of hope to succeed despite often difficult situations. You have the capacities to demonstrate that a better society is possible,' said Dr Potocnik. While women scientists in Africa often face overwhelming obstacles to success, in Europe progress has also been hindered. 'In Europe, we are also placing more emphasis on mobilising the talents of women in research. This is borne out of the belief that no society can succeed in the long run with only half its capacities and talents directed to matters of public and socioeconomic importance,' the Commissioner explained, adding: 'If research must be relevant to society and have a real impact, it must involve all elements of that society.' Although more than 34% of European science, engineering and technology graduates are women, only 9% of professors in these fields are women. While the numbers have improved somewhat in the past few years, Dr Potocnik underlined that the figures reflect a gross waste of talent and resources. He explained that the EU has taken measures to 'promote better conditions for women to reconcile their private and professional lives, careers and families' and to ensure that the processes, instruments and criteria of research funding promote gender equality. 'During my visit to Africa, in Kenya and Ethiopia, I [...] met many women scientists and I can say that if their example is representative, Africa cannot afford to [leave] their intelligence and dynamism untapped,' Dr Potocnik remarked. On the same day, Dr Potocnik and AU Commissioner for Human Resource Science and Technology, J.P. Ezin, announced the recent launch of a call for research proposals for Africa in 2010 worth EUR 63 million. The purpose of the call is to help strengthen Africa's research base. Successful proposals to carry out projects in health, environment, food, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology will be financed through the 'Cooperation' Theme of the Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7). In a separate speech, Commissioner Potocnik urged African researchers to team up with EU scientists and to apply to the EUR 63 million call for proposals. Financing will be given to priority topics as identified by the African research community. The call is part of the AU-EU Scientific Partnership agreed upon in December 2007, and follows efforts initiated in autumn 2008 to implement the 'EU-AU Partnership for Science, Information Society and Space' through several flagship projects. Contact person:For more information, please visit: EU Commissioner for Science and Research: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/potocnik/ To learn more about the African Union Scientific Awards, click: http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/conferences/2009/june/hrst/award.html Remarks: Category:General policy Data Source Provider:European Commission; African Union -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Sep 15 10:42:12 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:42:12 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] African Union Day: Celebrating African women scientists Message-ID: <2F333C0A-4039-4328-BE53-B610D04FAF40@wigsat.org> Joint Press release : African Union Day: Celebrating African women scientists Written by Abdul Karim Koroma : Information Attache : Sierra Leone Embassy in Ethiopia Tuesday, 15 September 2009 04:13 Addis Ababa, September 14th 2009 ? The African Union (AU) celebrated on Wednesday, September 9th 2009, the tenth anniversary since its inception in Sirte, Libya on 9 September 1999. On the occasion, the continental organization presented the first edition of the African Union Women Scientists Regional Awards which recognises the best women scientists in the five regions of Africa. On this symbolic day, Prof. Jean-Pierre Ezin, AU Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology and his counterpart from the European Union (EU), Commissioner Janez Poto?nick, Commissioner for Science and Research launched the call for research proposals for Africa for 2010 through the 7th Framework Programme for Research (FP7) on Health, Environment and Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnology. The event took place while Mr Poto?nick was visiting the AU in the framework of the implementation of the eighth AU-EU Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space as defined by the Lisbon Summit in December 2007. For the Eastern region, the recipients for AU Women scientists Regional Awards are Prof. Romeela Mohee for basic science, technology and innovation sector and Prof. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim for the earth and life sciences sector. Both winners are from Mauritius. Prof. Mohee specializes in the sustainable treatment of solid and hazardous waste through composting and Prof. Gurib-Fakim established the first database on medicinal and aromatic plants for Mauritius and for the South West Indian Ocean. For the Northern region, the winner is Prof. Sanaa Botros from the earth and life sciences sector. For Southern region, the winners are Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell for science, technology and innovation sector and Prof. Brenda Diana Wingfield for earth and life sciences sector. Dr McKinnell is the manager of the space physics group at the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory of South Africa and Prof. Wingfield developed a research programme with a focus on the molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of tree pathogenic fungi. All the winners received 20000 USD. Representing the Chairperson of the African Union, Muammar Khaddafi, Leader of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Ambassador Ali Awidan acknowledged the importance of the scientific prize as a major achievement for the continent. He underscored the weight of science for a greater and brighter future in Africa. In the same vein, Commissioner Janez Poto?nick said that ?through this Award, the AUC is indicating to the whole Continent that there are new pathways to follow that bring the combined talent of the entire population to the fore of laying the foundation for more secure and prosperous futures?. Prof. Jean-Pierre Ezin recalled that the prize is a concrete result of the AU-EU Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space. Talking about the importance of the partnership and the high priority actions, Prof Ezin emphasized on the criticality of scientific knowledge, stating that increased investment on science and technology is a must to foster social and economic development. To achieve this objective, he called on AU Member States to allocate part of their national income to science and technology. Commissioner Poto?nick added that cooperation with EU will ?help to strengthen research excellence; create the conditions to enhance adaptive research through the involvement of excellent local scientists and combine the latest scientific knowledge with the local knowledge that can unlock its potential and maximise its impact?. All speeches are available on the AU website at www.africa-union.org http://www.cocorioko.net/national/1638-joint-press-release-african-union-day-celebrating-african-women-scientists -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: emailButton.png Type: image/png Size: 611 bytes Desc: not available URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 16 09:55:21 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:55:21 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] UN TO ESTABLISH SINGLE NEW AGENCY TO DEAL WITH RIGHTS OF WOMEN Message-ID: <8E589C58-17A8-41E1-9724-BD04AE93A837@wigsat.org> UN TO ESTABLISH SINGLE NEW AGENCY TO DEAL WITH RIGHTS OF WOMEN New York, Sep 15 2009 5:05PM Four United Nations agencies and offices will be amalgamated to create a new single entity within the Organization to promote the rights and well-being of women worldwide and to work towards gender equality. The General Assembly <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/ga10854.doc.htm ">adopted a resolution late yesterday on improving system-wide coherence within the UN, and the text spells out the support of Member States for a new consolidated body ? to be headed by an under- secretary-general ? to deal with issues concerning women. The resolution means the UN Development Fund for Women (<"http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=931 ">UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (<"http://www.un-instraw.org/ ">UN-INSTRAW) will be merged. In a statement issued today by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was ?particularly gratified? that the Assembly had accepted his proposal for ?a more robust promotion? of women?s rights under the new entity. ?An important step has been made in strengthening the United Nations? work in the area of gender equality and empowerment of women, as well as in ensuring the effective delivery of its operational activities for development, which constitutes the other key components of the resolution,? the statement noted. Mr. Ban said in the <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp? nid=4066">statement that he had appointed more women to senior posts than at any other time in the history of the UN, including nine women to the rank of under-secretary-general. The number of women in senior posts has increased by 40 per cent under his tenure. The Assembly?s resolution tasks Mr. Ban with providing Member States with a comprehensive proposal outlining the mission statement, structure, funding and oversight of the new entity so that it can be created as soon as possible. The resolution also calls for greater measures to harmonize business practices within the UN development system, ways to improve the funding system for such activities, and other steps to streamline practices within the world body. After the resolution, UNIFEM ? which currently operates in autonomous association with the UN Development Programme (<"http:// www.undp.org/">UNDP) ? issued a statement welcoming ?the unanimous strong support? among Member States, which follow three years of extensive consultations on the structure and operational details of the new body. ?UNIFEM trusts that deliberations can resume soon to ensure an informed and swift establishment of the composite entity,? the statement said. ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/ From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Sep 14 10:14:17 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:14:17 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] ASBC_ African Science to Business Challenge- REMINDER Message-ID: <40DB660E-E709-4751-9BAF-E5B66B72E7E2@wigsat.org> Dear All, Kinldy circulate the following announcement ANNOUNCEMENT- NEW DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS TO THE : The African Science to Business Challenge (ASBC)- 30 October 2009. (CALL - RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WITH COMMERCIALIZATION POTENTIAL IN BIOMEDICAL AND WATER) 1. BACKGROUND The African Science to Business Challenge is a pioneering initiative launched by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and RTI International (RTI) aimed at strengthening links between scientific research and business development. African scientists need to respond to major challenges facing the continent such as poverty, environmental degradation, food and energy security, health care, climate change, and wealth creation. Development of sustainable solutions to these complex issues requires the participation of African scientists as well as links to business. Therefore the need for building the capacity for indigenous scientific, technological and business expertise has become paramount if Africa is to develop sustainable solutions to its current development challenges. This initiative recognizes the tremendous scientific efforts underway in all African countries through universities and research-based institutes despite the major obstacles regarding Science and Technology (S&T) development on the continent. Despite their efforts African scientists have limited international recognition and interest by the private sector in advancing their research findings. The absence of a culture of research commercialization in many African countries prevents research from being translated into productive use for national economies. This condition is further compounded by the fact that national systems are often not in place to promote new technological opportunities offered by researchers, often reflecting poor management structures and lack of basic infrastructure. Furthermore, S&T capacities within countries are weak in terms of human and financial resources and often suffer from poor programming and poor working conditions for researchers, with poor pay conditions, resulting in a serious brain drain problem within the sector to other non-science sectors and abroad to developed countries. Consequently, scientific output has not increased. 2. CHALLENGES TO AFRICAN SCIENTIFIC OUTPUTS Africa is home to more than 15 percent of the world?s population, yet it produces less than 1.5 percent of the world?s scientific knowledge ? as measured by articles published in peer-reviewed international journals. The irony in Africa is this: to help the continent?s most marginalized communities requires investments in the continent?s most successful citizens. The challenge necessitates a balanced strategy that addresses immediate social and economic needs while building Africa?s capacities in STI. Despite the challenges ahead, Africa will not succeed over the long-term unless it finds a way to do both. The continent produces even fewer of the world?s patents, a measure of innovation that is virtually absent of African participation (see table below). Patents for inventions by US Patent Office |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Country | | Percent of world total | | | US Patents | | | | | | | | | | | | (avg 2003-07) | | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |South Africa | 98.0 | 0.06063 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Egypt | 6.6 | 0.00408 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Kenya | 4.8 | 0.00297 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Morocco | 1.4 | 0.00087 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Zimbabwe | 1.0 | 0.00062 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Nigeria | 1.0 | 0.00062 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Tunisia | 0.8 | 0.00049 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Seychelles | 0.4 | 0.00025 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Algeria | 0.4 | 0.00025 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Gabon | 0.2 | 0.00012 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Benin | 0.2 | 0.00012 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |C?te d'Ivoire | 0.2 | 0.00012 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Ghana | 0.2 | 0.00012 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Ethiopia | 0.2 | 0.00012 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Tanzania | 0.2 | 0.00012 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Cameroon | 0.2 | 0.00012 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| |Total (16 countries) | 115.8 | 0.07164 | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| | | | | |-------------------------+------------------ +---------------------------| Some of the factors for low scientific output can be associated with the weak links that exists between industry and universities. Furthermore, the African private sector does not have a culture of investing in R&D nor in placing contracts with public sector research institutions or universities. As a result technology generally comes from abroad in packaged forms excluding even the possibility of adaptive R&D. To some extent local branches of multinational companies place contracts with research institutions and universities but these are tiny drops in the scientific ocean in relation to total R&D budgets and are often one-off investments with limited repeat possibilities. Research that provides commercial avenues hardly exists and furthermore, a lack of relevant skills training for African researchers is often cited as a barrier to research commercialization. These aspects of building scientific capacity into viable marketable products were discussed and recommendations made by African scientists during the ECA and AU-led Science with Africa Conference held from 3-7 March 2008 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Consequently, ECA and RTI believe that a series of measures are possible to create a dynamic innovation system including support for the creation and development of innovative, small and medium sized firms, through strategies that would include use of incubators and technology parks, use of public procurement for innovation, and stimulation of the emergence of a venture capital sector. 3.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE AFRICAN SCIENCE TO BUSINESS CHALLENGE The major aim of the African Science to Business Challenge is to generate productive impact of research through translation into sustainable products, processes and services. In so doing, this initiative also aims to provide awareness amongst African researchers as a means of equipping them with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to bring research- based ideas, inventions and innovations to market. Specific aims are: 1. Provide African scientists and researchers with an understanding of commercialization know-how, as well as the technical aspects (such as financial management, intellectual property, project management and market research); 2. Build strong, ongoing connections between researchers and research institutions with industry and investors who can help to bring ideas, inventions and innovations to market, or otherwise into economically productive use; 3. Bring research and outputs to the market, or into productive usage, in a timely and effective manner to yield tangible benefits from that research and ensure that it contributes to the economy and the broader community. 4.2009 CATEGORIES The following fields will be considered for this inaugural challenge: Biomedical Engineering, which integrates physical, chemical, mathematical, and computational sciences and engineering principles for the study of biology, medicine, behavior and health. It advances fundamental concepts, creates knowledge from the molecular to the organ systems levels, and develops innovative biology, materials, processes, implants, devices, and informatics approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, for patient rehabilitation, and for improving health, Therefore, this category focuses on the development of new devices, algorithms, processes and systems that advance biology and medicine and improve medical practice and health care delivery. For example a marketable system or device that improves health communication or a system for electronic health records. Water Quality is central to the human rights and personal dignity of every human being. Yet there are currently over one billion people in the world lacking safe water and over two billion without adequate sanitation. Nearly 80% of those without safe water are concentrated in just three regions ? East and South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa and coverage rates in Sub Saharan Africa are the lowest with just 56% of people with access to safe water. Dirty water is often the cause of ordinary childhood diarrhoea, a leading killer of African children and lack of clean water and sanitation leads to a wide range of potential diseases. These include cholera, typhoid, malaria, yellow fever, filariasis, river blindness, sleeping sickness, guinea worm, bilharzia, trachoma, scabies and more. Consequently, this category will focus on marketable and innovative approaches to the use of biotechnology and development in nanotechnology for water purification, wastewater treatment and desalinization by African scientists with a focus on adaptation and appropriate applications of new technologies for delivering safe water for Africa, particularly in rural areas. 5. ELIGIBILITY The eligibility criteria are that submissions must be from African researchers and research institutions: 1) An individual researcher sponsored by his/her organization or government, and/or 2) A reputable research institution or university Applications are especially encouraged from female researchers. 5.CONDITIONS FOR ENTRY ECA and RTI have the right to reproduce and transmit in any media, for non-commercial purposes, the work that has been selected for the challenge. ECA and RTI have the right to cancel the Awards at any time, when the selected entities and organizations are found ineligible or do not fulfill the criteria laid down for the award. Click here to submit your entry online. Else send the following details by email to: asbc at uneca.org The name and country of the institution and individual undertaking research; Title and abstract of the research; Full description of the research programme; 1-2 pages outline of why and how the research has commercialization potential; All entries in a language other than French and English must have translation and/or transcription included in the submission. Submissions should not disclose Confidential Information. A FULLY COMPLETED FORM WITH A FULL DESCIPTION OF THE RESEARCH MUST ACCOMPANY EACH SUBMISSION - OTHERWISE THE ENTRY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. Closing date for the first 2009 the African Science to Business Challenge is extended to 30th September 2009 Submission addressed to: ASBC Team ICTs, Science and Technology Division (ISTD) ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA 5th Floor, ECA Building, ECA, PO Box 3001, Menelik II Avenue Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Email: asbc at uneca.org Website: http://www.uneca.org/sciencewithafrica/asbc.html 7. THE SELECTION PROCESS ECA and RTI will form a pre-selection Committee to examine the submitted proposals subject to their formal compliance with the objectives and criteria of the Challenge scheme (e.g. completeness of information, subject matter, etc.) and select the proposals to be sent to the International Jury. 8. JUDGING A Panel of Judges composed of prominent African and US scientists will preside over the review process to select the winner. Judging will be based on the entries screened initially by ECA and RTI, and the winner will be in the opinion of the Judges, a significant research with potential for marketability and commercialization. 9. WINNER OF THE AFRICAN SCIENCE TO BUSINESS CHALLENGE The winner of the African Science to Business Challenge will be sponsored by RTI to travel to its headquarters, situated in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA to learn about developing the award-winning project into a viable business. 10. THE CHALLENGE PARTNERS RTI International - www.rti.org Established in 1958 through a collaboration between leaders in state government, higher education, and business, the Research Triangle Institute (today kown as RTI International) is the founding tenant of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The Triangle is defined by outstanding universities in the Triangle's three cities: North Carolina State University in Raleigh, Duke University in Durham, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina Central University in Durham. Today RTI International is one of the world's leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. An independent, nonprofit research organization, RTI has more than 3,800 professionals providing research and technical services to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy, and the environment. RTI?s activities both mirror and support national priorities and policies as well as diverse commercial, industrial, and academic endeavors. For instance, as public and government interest in environmental protection grew in the 1960s, so did related programs at RTI, building on its expertise in statistical, physical, and life sciences. More recently, RTI has expanded its contributions in global health, working with industry to bring promising new products to market. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) www.uneca.org Established in 1958, ECA is the first pan-African regional institution with the mandate of facilitating socio-economic development and promoting regional integration on the continent. Although it is a United Nations agency, its formation, basis, orientation, focus, and mandate are purely pan-African in nature. ECA?s niche in catalyzing Africa?s development is in the areas of research and knowledge production; policy articulation, analysis and development; programme development, implementation and execution and by extension, technical assistance and advisory services to the regional political institutions of the African Union and the RECs, and member-states. In its fifty years of existence, ECA has made remarkable interventions and contributions to the African development project in several respects. ECA has assisted in establishing key regional institutions-financial, training, policy and research. ECA identified the need for a development financing mechanism that will support infrastructure, trade and private investment in Africa and thus advocated for the establishment of the AfDB. Similarly, the formation of the regional economic communities was the by-product of ECA?s applied research and policy generation, which anchor Africa?s intra-regional trade and regional integration using a decentralized sub-regional approach. Further ECA facilitated the creation of other specialized institutions in the area of cartography, mapping and remote sensing, engineering and industrial technology, economic and social development finance and trade, minerals and transport Thierry H. Amoussougbo Regional Advisor, ICT Initiatives ICT, Science & Technology Division (ISTD) United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Tel: 251 11 5443053 Fax: 251 11 5510512 E-mail : tamoussougbo at uneca.org From shuyer at wigsat.org Thu Sep 17 10:15:00 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:15:00 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy is NOW calling for entries In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <4FE016EF-C16C-4CF6-85B3-0908DF3722DB@wigsat.org> Dear Colleagues The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy - the worlds leading green energy awards scheme ? is now calling for entries for its 2010 awards. Please see below press release in English. The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy are seeking entries from inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy programmes from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Please note that application forms in English, Spanish, French and Mandarin, can be downloaded from the home page of our website: www.ashdenawards.org The deadline for international entries is October 20th 2009. I would be most grateful if you could circulate the news to all your relevant regional networks and to any relevant potential applicants you may know of. I very much look forward to your response. Please do acknowledge receipt. Many thanks Maya Vaughan Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy Tel. 020 7 263 2551 Mob: 07726926 227 Email: maya.vaughan at ashdenawards.org World?s leading green energy awards calls for entries for 2010 International entries needed by 20 October 2009 The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy are seeking entries from inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy programmes from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Entry is free, and up to six winners will receive ?20,000 each in prize money for programme development, with one overall Energy Champion awarded ?40,000. The Awards will be presented at a VIP ceremony in London in July 2010. We are interested in initiatives that have radically improved the lives of individuals and local communities and can demonstrate significant environmental benefits through the use of renewable energy and/or energy saving measures. We reward existing achievements. Award-winning schemes must have been consistently successful for at least one year with plans for further expansion. Schemes must also be highly replicable to ensure maximum impact in the battle against climate change. Benefits of winning an Ashden Award include: Prize money of up to ?40,000 High profile world-wide publicity Enhanced global recognition of Award winning programmes. Tailored support to take the programme further. A broadcast quality documentary film on the award-winning work Opportunities to present your sustainable energy solutions to experts and policy makers both in the UK and internationally A forum for exchanging ideas and solutions with those working in the field of sustainable energy across the globe Past winners have used a variety of technologies that both benefit local communities and achieve carbon savings such as fuel - efficient stoves, micro-hydro plants, biogas plants, solar energy systems and water pumps. Through this many are boosting local peoples? income, providing employment or training, and improving women?s status in their community. Details of the 2009 International winners, including short films about their work, are online at http://www.ashdenawards.org/international For further information and for a downloadable application form visit www.ashdenawards.org or contact: Jane Howarth tel. + 44 20 7410 7023 email: info at ashdenawards.org ENDS ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ End of Forwarded Message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/png Size: 127821 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Int Press Release - Call for Entries_final [fr].doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 181760 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Sep 21 10:48:03 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:48:03 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] AfricaSAN Awards Nomination Deadline October 9, 2009 Message-ID: <32007DE3-578B-4241-82B4-5A3A42E35793@wigsat.org> AMCOW AfricaSan Awards 2009 Recognizing sanitation and hygiene achievements in Africa The African Ministers? Council on Water (AMCOW) is pleased to invite entries for the maiden AfricaSan Awards competition. AMCOW is the driving force behind the AfricaSan movement, a regional initiative that seeks to place sanitation and hygiene at the top of the development agenda in Africa. The AMCOW AfricaSan Awards are dedicated to recognizing outstanding efforts and achievements in sanitation and hygiene in Africa which result in large-scale, sustainable behavior changes and tangible impacts. The aim is to raise the profile of sanitation and hygiene by drawing attention to successful approaches, promoting excellence in leadership, innovation and sanitation and hygiene improvements in Africa. AMCOW AfricaSan Awards (First Round) This announcement is for the first set of award categories: - Leadership and Ministerial Award: to honor individuals or institutions who provided strong leadership to sanitation and/or hygiene improvement through policy and strategy development, advocacy, institutional arrangements, financing, coordination and capacity development. Nominees may include policy makers, leaders, and other personalities. - Technical Innovation Award: to honor individuals and institutions who contributed to the improvement of technical solutions for sanitation services and products to make them affordable, reliable, and sustainable. Nominees may include individuals, communities and organizations such as training/research institutions, technical enterprises, etc.. - NGO/Civil Society Award: to honor individuals and institutions who supported and mobilized communities for the improvement of their sanitation and hygienic conditions. Nominees may include community/ youth/women associations, NGOs, and non-profit organizations. Nomination guidelines You may nominate yourself or another individual or institution. Entries may be made by individuals or organizations based within or outside Africa. Nominations should include the name and contact details of the nominee, and a short statement (no more than 500 words)about their work and why they deserve the award. The nominees must be involved in sanitation and hygiene- related activities within Africa. Nominations (in English, French or Portuguese) should be sent to nominations at africasanawards.org by October 9, 2009. Selection of Winners Entries will be reviewed by a technical committee of experts and judged by a panel of eminent sector leaders. The judges? decisions will be final. Winners will be announced in mid-October and sponsored to attend the Second African Water Week in South Africa, from November 9 to13, 2009), where they will receive a price, a trophy and a certificate. For more information please write to: nominations at africasanawards.org or call: Thompson Abu (+234(0)803 311 9493) A partnership initiative by AMCOW, in collaboration with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, the Water and Sanitation Program, the African Development Bank, the World Health Organization and UNICEF. From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Sep 28 09:07:03 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:07:03 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Message-ID: IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Since 1982, IDRC has assisted Canadian graduate students to undertake their thesis research in the field of international development. IDRC Doctoral Research Awards are intended to promote the growth of Canadian capacity in research on sustainable and equitable development from an international perspective. In principle, IDRC supports research on all parts of the developing regions of the world. At this time, the Centre Training and Awards Program is not supporting awards which involve research in Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Eastern Europe or Central Asia. Eligible Fields of Study Applications will be accepted for research at the doctoral level in areas corresponding to IDRC's research priorities. IDRC's research activities focus on four program areas: * Social and Economic Policy * Environment and Natural Resource Management * Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Development * Innovation, Policy and Science Eligibility Applicants must meet the following conditions for eligibility: * Hold Canadian citizenship or permanent residency status in Canada, or hold a citizenship of a developing country; * Be enrolled in a doctoral program at a Canadian university; * Research proposal is for a doctoral thesis and has been approved by the thesis supervisor; * Proposed field research will take place in a developing country; * Provide evidence of affiliation with an institution or organization in the region in which the research will take place; * Have completed course work and passed comprehensive examinations by the time of award tenure. Duration Award tenure corresponds to a period of field research, which will be no less than 3 months and, in general, no more than 12 months. Value The award will cover justifiable field research expenses to a maximum of CA $20,000 per year. Number of Awards Variable Deadline November 1, 2009 (awards will be announced in May 2010). April 1, 2010 (awards will be announced in September 2010). Applications Applications will be evaluated according to criteria, such as relevance to sustainable and equitable development and to IDRC priorities, quality of the research proposal and suitability of the candidate. Re-applicants, whose research proposal was reviewed and was unsuccessful, must explain, in a covering letter, what changes have been made since the last application and specify where to find the changes in the proposal. Please note that Centre policy stipulates that an individual cannot apply more than twice, if unsuccessful, for the same IDRC award. However, this policy does not apply for Internship Awards. Candidates may apply for a renewal of funding for a second year of field work if the nature of the research requires a second season of data collection. Renewals are an exception and are provided for those disciplines that may need to deal with the uncertainties of growing seasons and climatic characteristics that affect data collection. If there are ethical questions connected with the research, the applicant may, at IDRC's discretion, be required to submit the appropriate approval from the Ethic's Committee of the University. Please submit all documents listed in the Checklist of documents to be submitted by candidates. Complete applications must be received at the Centre by the deadline. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered for the competition. Applications must be sent to the following address: By regular mail, Canada Post Priority Post or XPRESSPOST: IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Centre Training and Awards Program (CTAP) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) P.O. Box 8500 Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3H9 - Canada By courier services: IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Centre Training and Awards Program (CTAP) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) 150 Kent Street, Mailroom Suite 990 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 0B2 - Canada Fax: (1 613) 236-4026 Telephone: (1 613) 236-6163 ext. 2098 E-mail: cta at idrc.ca We thank all applicants for their interest and will contact those candidates whose academic background, quality of the research proposal and skills best match the criteria of the Award. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Sep 28 11:00:18 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:00:18 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] =?windows-1252?q?WOMEN_MUST_HAVE_GREATER_SAY_IN_TACKLI?= =?windows-1252?q?NG_CLIMATE_CHANGE_=96_SECRETARY-GENERAL?= Message-ID: <4B0108BA-0AA3-4CB0-9841-7742542C192A@wigsat.org> WOMEN MUST HAVE GREATER SAY IN TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE ? SECRETARY- GENERAL New York, Sep 24 2009 8:05PM Women are especially vulnerable to the impact of climate change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, urging that they be given a greater say in addressing the challenge. In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4101">message to an event in New York on peace and security through women?s leadership, Mr Ban noted that with their skills, perspectives and experiences, women are already responding to the impacts of climate change. ?It is time to involve them as equal partners. When we do, our world as a whole will benefit,? he said in the message, delivered by Rachel Mayanja, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. Women are especially vulnerable to the many impacts of climate change, Mr. Ban pointed out, since so many depend directly on the environment for their livelihoods and sustenance. They are also custodians of community knowledge, with keen insights into how to sustainably manage natural resources, he said. However, while the UN has succeeded in amplifying the voices of women on a range of issues, including conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, he said the special perspective of women is often overlooked in global discussions on climate change. ?We must do more to give greater say to women in addressing the climate challenge,? stated the Secretary-General. ?I urge Member States to foster an environment where women are key decision-makers on climate change, and play an equally central role in carrying out these decisions.? Meanwhile, a new <"http://www.unep.org/compendium2009/">report by the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=596&ArticleID=6326&l=en&t=long ">UNEP) has found that the impacts of climate change are approaching faster and sooner, noting losses of mountain glaciers and Arctic ice, as well as the acidification of oceans. UNEP?s Executive Director Achim Steiner said the report underlines the urgency for countries to ?seal the deal? on an ambitious new agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions at the UN climate change conference to be held in December in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Climate Change Science Compendium 2009 also found that it may still be possible to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. However, this will only happen if there is immediate, cohesive and decisive action to both cut emissions and assist vulnerable countries adapt, noted a news release issued by UNEP. ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Sep 28 14:24:30 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:24:30 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Faculty for the Future: Supporting Women in Science Message-ID: Faculty for the Future Spotlight VIDEO Click to view Watch a 4 minute video to learn more about Faculty for the Future. Nineteen academics received Faculty for the Future grants during 2008-2009, bringing the total to 110 women from 35 countries. A few of the fellows Korakot Sombatmankhong(Thailand) Field: Chemical Engineering University of Cambridge Maha Abu Hafeetha (Israel-Palestine) Field: Environmental Design University of Calgary Mercy Afadzi (Ghana) Field: Medical Technology Norwegian University of Science and Technology Maria del Carmen Rodriguez-Vallarte (Mexico) Field: Mathematics Massachusetts Institute of Technology Supporting Women in Science http://www.slb.com/content/about/foundation/facultyfuture.asp#faq Application schedule for new and renewal 2010 awards Applications open on October 5, 2009 and close on November 30, 2009. Awards will be announced on February 28, 2010. Sample versions of this year's application forms are now available at the links below so candidates can start preparing their application. New Grant Application Process Renewal Grant Application Process Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) E-mails requesting information already included in the FAQ section will not receive a response. Role Models for the Next Generation Faculty for the Future fellowships are awarded to women from developing and emerging economies who are preparing for PhD or post- doctoral study in the physical sciences, engineering, or related disciplines to pursue advanced graduate study at top universities in their disciplines abroad. Launched by the Schlumberger Foundation in 2004, Faculty for the Future has grown to become a community of 110 women from 35 countries. The long-term goal of the Faculty for the Future program is to generate conditions that result in more women pursuing scientific disciplines. Grant recipients are therefore selected as much for their leadership capabilities as for their scientific talents, and they are expected to return to their home countries to continue their academic careers and inspire other young women. Faculty for the Future grants are in the range of USD 25,000 to 50,000 per year, and may be renewed through to completion of studies subject to performance, self-evaluation, and recommendations from supervisors. The amount of the grant depends on the actual costs of studying and living in the chosen location. Eligibility criteria and application process instructions can be found at -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: slb_foundation_fftf_logo.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1701 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: dot.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: afadzi_sm.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3662 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: dot.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: rodriguez_vallarte_sm.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3311 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: dot.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Sep 29 10:51:14 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:51:14 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Scientist (Agriculture/Agriculture Engineering) M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) Message-ID: DEADLINE for applications: September 30, 2009 Vacancy: Scientist (Agriculture/Agriculture Engineering) M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) Location - Chennai,India Experience - 5-10 Years Last date of Submission - 30/09/2009 Sector - Agriculture & Allied sector Compensation - 10,000 - 500 - 17,000 with applicable allowances. Skill Set - Research and Analysis Nature of Job - Fixed term Contract Job Description * Responsible for implementing the watershed management action plans in the experimental sites. * Strong ability to mobilize communities and farmers association and for liaisoning with NGOs, Banks and government department. * Ability for process documentation of deliverables and quantitative indicators of development. * Provide appropriate awareness/capacity building training programmes in relation to the site specificities. Qualifications: * Candidate should possess M.Sc. in Agriculture / Agricultural Engineering with 5 years experience in watershed/rural development programmes. Interested Candidates May Send their Resume at hari at mssrf.res.in. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Sep 29 10:53:08 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:53:08 -0400 Subject: [Wigsat-l] Corporations, NGOs, and Foundations Announce 13 New Commitments to Empower Girls and Women at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative Message-ID: <696693E5-AF81-49F1-A8B1-E9D731635D40@wigsat.org> PRESS RELEASE Corporations, NGOs, and Foundations Announce 13 New Commitments to Empower Girls and Women at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative September 23rd, 2009 For Immediate Release Contact: Clinton Foundation Press Office press at clintonglobalinitiative.org 212.348.0360 Session moderated by Diane Sawyer on Investing in Girls and Women Featured Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group; Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International; Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil; Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues at the U.S. Department of State; and Robert B. Zoellick, President of The World Bank Group New York, NY ? Millions of girls and women will have access to improved health care, better education, and increased economic opportunity because of commitments made today at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which brings together leaders from across sectors of society to identify solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems. Women perform 66 percent of the world's work, and produce 50 percent of the food, yet earn only 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property," President Bill Clinton said. "Whether the issue is improving education in the developing world, or fighting global climate change, or addressing nearly any other challenge we face, empowering women is a critical part of the equation." Reports show that when women and girls are empowered, entire regions see measurable results. This is especially true for economic empowerment ? for example, a woman is likely to reinvest about 90 percent of her earnings into her family's well-being, compared with 35 percent for a man. Increases in access to education among girls accounted for a decline of 43 percent in the malnutrition rates between 1970 and 1995. Investing in women's health, especially reproductive health, not only saves the lives of half a million mothers, but also unleashes an estimated $15 billion in productivity each year. Even in the developed world, decreases in inequality can improve overall productivity. Goldman Sachs has reported that different countries and regions of the world could dramatically increase GDP simply by reducing the gap in employment rates between men and women: the Eurozone could increase GDP by 13 percent; Japan by 16 percent; the U.S. by 9 percent. This year, the CGI Annual Meeting will feature a variety of special programming related to girls and women. Today, the plenary session "Investing in Girls and Women," moderated by Diane Sawyer, featured Edna Adan, director and founder of the Edna Adan Maternity and Teaching Hospital; Lloyd C. Blankfein, chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group; Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International; Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil, Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues at the U.S. Department of State; and Robert B. Zoellick, President of The World Bank Group. During the session, corporations, foundations, and NGOs announced more than a dozen new commitments that will improve the lives of girls and women around the world. After meeting at CGI's 2008 Annual Meeting, Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and Hani Masri, founder of Tomorrow's Youth Organization, developed a new partnership. This year, this partnership is committing to increase women's participation in the Palestinian labor force by offering customized training opportunities and services that will increase participants' business, craft, and innovation skills. Listed below are 12 additional commitments announced this morning: o Merck and Qiagen are launching a major new partnership to prevent cervical cancer in the poorest countries of the world. The program will facilitate the development of national comprehensive cervical cancer prevention and control programs that integrate two breakthrough technologies, HPV vaccines and HPV DNA tests. These programs will benefit at least 1.5 million girls and 1.5 million women. o The ING Foundation and Girls Incorporated commit to expanding the ING-Girls Inc. Investment Challenge, an innovative program giving girls hands-on investing experience while allowing them to keep their gains as college scholarships. Increasing the number of cities participating in the program, this commitment will have a direct impact on 100 young women's lives, while increasing financial literacy in the United States. o Sustainable Health Enterprise commits to provide access to affordable, eco-friendly sanitary pads, plus health and hygiene education, through sustainable, locally-led businesses, for one million girls and women in Africa by 2012. This commitment will increase school/work attendance, decrease pelvic infections, and drive economic growth. o Plan USA and its partners commit over the next three years to train 140 adolescent girls from Ghana in media production and journalism skills, empowering the girls to advocate against gender discrimination through diverse media. This commitment will increase awareness of the needs of adolescent girls in West Africa by reaching a radio and television audience of approximately 1 million. o The Freeplay Foundation commits to distribute its award- winning, self-powered Lifeline radios and new clean energy Lifelights to poor women and girls in Rwanda, directly benefiting 20,000 people. The Lifelights will enable women to extend their business hours and the radios will enable the women and girls to access health, literacy, and practical skills, as well as agricultural advice. o The Nike Foundation and its partners commit to utilize the Adolescent Girls' Global Health Agenda to advocate around the report's key recommendations to stimulate global attention and investment in adolescent girls' health. The Grameen Nurse Institute in Bangladesh will serve as a sustainable business model to demonstrate how girl-focused innovation improves outcomes for everyone. o Exxon Mobil commits to identify and deploy innovative technologies to advance economic opportunities for women in developing countries, in partnership with the Ashoka Changemaker and the International Center for Research on Women. The project will improve the quality of life of women in developing countries and enable them to participate more fully in income-generating activities. o Goldman Sachs commits to working with partners including the Inter-American Development Bank to provide women entrepreneurs in Peru with quality business education and enhanced access to capital. Their efforts will offer more than 700 high-potential small business owners with the specialized training, access to capital, networking, and mentoring necessary to significantly expand their businesses. o Hathay Bunano and its partners commit over the next year to develop 22 handicraft production centers in Bangladesh which will provide training and subsequent employment for 2000 destitute women. Hathay Bunano will train the women in hand knitting and hand crochet, enabling them to make high quality, export-orientated children's toys to be sold worldwide. o Pro Mujer commits to provide poor women in Latin America with an integrated package of microfinance, health care, and training that will allow them to take an active role in changing their lives and creating a better future for their families. The organization's goal is to expand its reach to 350,000 women and impact the lives of more than 1.7 million children. o General Mills and CARE will launch "Join My Village" which will tap the power of online communities to connect women in the U.S. with families in Malawi, igniting a new level of consumer education and involvement. Ongoing reports from the field will enable consumers to participate in the lives of some of the poorest women and girls in Africa. o Women for Women International commits to improve the livelihoods of 103,000 female survivors of war over the next three years. This will be accomplished by a comprehensive program of rights education and vocational and business skills training. These will give the women access to the resources that allow them to participate in their countries' political and economic decision-making. The Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative continues until Friday. For more information or to watch the live webcast, please visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org. About the Clinton Global Initiative Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) brings together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 100 current and former heads of state, 10 of the last 16 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 1,400 commitments valued at $46 billion, which have improved the lives of more than 200 million people in more than 170 countries. Bookmark and Share -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: