General
Description of assignment title
WASH Climate Analyst
Assignment country
Bangladesh
Expected start date
10/02/2025
Sustainable Development Goal
6. Clean water and sanitation
Volunteer category
International UN Youth Volunteer
Host entity
UNICEF
Type
Onsite
Duration
12 months
Number of assignments
1
Duty stations
Dhaka
Details
Mission and objectives
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a “first call for children” and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children – victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and those with disabilities. UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children. In coordination with United Nations partners and humanitarian agencies, UNICEF makes its unique facilities for rapid response available to its partners to relieve the suffering of children and those who provide their care. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. UNICEF aims, through its country programmes, to promote the equal rights of women and girls and to support their full participation in the political, social and economic development of their communities. UNICEF works with all its partners towards the attainment of the sustainable human development goals adopted by the world community and the realization of the vision of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
Context
The climate crisis is a child rights crisis. Bangladesh ranks 7th among countries most affected by climate-related extreme weather events like cyclones, floods, droughts, storms, heat-waves. It also ranks 15th out of 163 countries where children are at most risk of climate change. An estimated 20 million children Bangladesh are seriously exposed to climate hazards; over five million of them are under the age of five. An estimated 3.3 million vulnerable children in Bangladesh are on the move, with displacement due to climate disruptions as one of the main causes. The number of marriages of girls aged 11 to 14 increased by 50 per cent in years with heatwaves lasting longer than 30 days. 35.5 million children are poisoned by lead, causing severe learning disabilities and hampering them from developing to full potential. Virtually all children in Bangladesh are exposed to air pollution, causing severe respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases and well-being. Air pollution levels vary significantly within the country, with the western regions (Khulna and Rajshahi) more polluted than eastern ones (Sylhet and Chattogram). Bangladesh’s Children are particularly affected by the impacts of climate change such as direct physical impacts causing injury or death, as well as psychological effects. Preliminary assessment of secondary information shows that Bangladesh faces one of the highest degrees of vulnerability to climate change impacts, with floods, cyclones, diseases (such as dengue) and droughts being the most prominent and common type of hazards. This low vulnerability is paired with relatively low readiness to deal with the impacts and is reflected in the ND-GAIN index where Bangladesh ranks 160 out of 181 countries. Average temperatures are projected to increase by 1.4 °C and 2.4 °C by 2050 and 2100 respectively, resulting in an almost permanent state of heat wave. Also Bangladesh ’s average cyclonic activity (already one of the highest in the world with on average one severe cyclone every three years) is expected to rise with increasing sea-surface warming and sea level rise and significant impact on populations. As the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has pointed out, taking their rights and their views into account would lead to more ambitious and effective policies on environmental protection. Effective responses to climate change and environmental degradation for and with children and young people are thus an essential component of UNICEF’s words and actions and a cross-cutting priority in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025. Climate change is impacting the delivery and sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services across Bangladesh. Drinking contaminated water increases the risk of water-released illnesses, including diarrhoea. Repeated bouts of diarrhoea irreversibly impede the mental and physical development of young children. Ensuring access to climate resilient water and sanitation services in households, schools and healthcare facilities is a key component of UNICEF’s work. However, much work is needed to support the WASH sector to increase the demand for, and availability of, community resilient services. This UNV will support the UNICEF WASH programme to access and analyse climate science and to understand the implications for the design of climate resilient WASH services.
Task description
Support the WASH section to follow-up on the National Adaptation Plan engagements taken as per particular action points specified below. Under the direct supervision of Chief of WASH, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: – Undertake an assessment of the sources of climate science data for Bangladesh and the applicability of these (or not) to the design of climate resilient interventions for UNICEF. – Support the development of a climate risk analysis for Bangladesh with a focus on the impact on water and sanitation services. – Undertake an analysis of the key projects financed with climate finance (Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, Global Environment Facility and Climate Investment Fund) in Bangladesh – Review the Climate Rationale developed for the WASH sector and identify areas to strengthen it – Support the team to collect, analyse and document evidence of the impact of climate change on children and on the safely and sustainability of water and sanitation ser-vices, and key hygiene practices. – Support the capacity building/training on climate science and the application to WASH services. – Support the assessment of climate resilient water and sanitation services and the identification of steps to be taken in the design.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 – 80
Additional eligibility criteria
This assignment is funded by the Government of Switzerland and therefore specific criteria apply: • Candidates must be Swiss nationals. • Candidates must be between 18 and 29 years of age at the time of application. • Only candidates who have been pre-selected by Switzerland (cinfo) are eligible to apply.
Nationality
Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.
Donor priorities
.
Requirements
Required experience
1 years of experience in (minimum 3 months): Demonstrated interest and/or experience (ideally one year) in Climate Science Demonstrated experience in the analysis of climate science data. Demonstrated research skills. High standard of writing Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e., studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded.
Area(s) of expertise
Energy and environment , Health, Natural and life sciences
Driving license
–
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required
Required education level
Master degree or equivalent in a development-related field (including water resources, engineering, health etc) with an advanced degree in a climate related area
Competencies and values
Adaptability and Flexibility Commitment and Motivation Communication Creativity Empowering Others Ethics and Values Integrity Knowledge Sharing Planning and Organizing Respect for Diversity Self-Management Working in Teams
Other information
Living conditions and remarks
Dhaka is located in central Bangladesh along the Buriganga River. Not only is it the capital city, but it is also the largest in the country. It is the centre of political, cultural, and economic life in Bangladesh. The official language is Bengali, while English is the working language of UN Agencies. In recent decades, Dhaka has seen the modernization of services, communications, and public works. The city is attracting large foreign investments and greater volumes of commerce and trade. It is also experiencing an increasing influx of people from across the nation; this has reportedly made Dhaka one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Good English-speaking medical, dental services, and educational centres are available for internationals. Dhaka is connected to other cities by rail, road, and by air and internationals can move easily from one city to another. Dhaka has venerable green spaces, including many gardens and parks, historical places, and nice restaurants. The weather is tropical – hot and very humid during the summer monsoon season (April-September) and drier and cooler in the winter (October-March). Historically, Bangladesh has been a safe country for internationals so far. While Dhaka is not categorized as a hardship station, the volunteer should be prepared for limitations in freedom of movement on foot, by public transport, and to certain locations.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Reasonable accommodation
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.
