General
Description of assignment title
WASH and Climate Change Officer
Assignment country
Côte d’Ivoire
Expected start date
30/11/2025
Sustainable Development Goal
6. Clean water and sanitation
Volunteer category
International UN Youth Volunteer
Host entity
UNICEF
Type
Onsite
Duration
12 months (with possibility of extension)
Number of assignments
1
Duty stations
Abidjan
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 strives to promote children emotional and physical well-being in underdeveloped and disaster-affected areas. It is currently active in more than 190 countries and promotes health and development, child protection, social inclusion and gender equality.
Context
Côte d’Ivoire faces multiple challenges in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures, varying rainfall patterns, coastal erosion, water resource pollution and rapid urbanization affect sustainable access to safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation services. It is therefore imperative to modify WASH program to consider the risks associated with climate change and water scarcity to ensure resilient and sustainable WASH services. In this context, UNICEF is working with all relevant stakeholders in Côte d’Ivoire to strengthen the “WASH sector resilience to climate change”, by launching an evidence-based multi-sectoral process that would result in the prioritization of WASH solutions that are resilient to climate change and water scarcity, including adaptation options. To support this ongoing process and implement the recommendations, the recruitment of a young United Nations International Volunteer (UNV) in Environment and Climate Change is required. The interventions in which the volunteer will participate are part of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and UNICEF cooperation program. Thus, the volunteer will collaborate with the implementing partners of this cooperation program both at the national and decentralized levels. The Cooperation program between the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and UNICEF is composed of seven (7) programs namely: (i) Water, Hygiene and Sanitation, (ii) Health and HIV, (iii) Nutrition, (iv) Education, (v) Child Protection; (vi) Adolescents and Youth and (vii) Social Inclusion and multisectoral units such as Planning and Monitoring-Evaluation, External Communication, Social Behavior Change. The next cycle of cooperation 2026-230 will be marked by a major “programmatic shift” including the integration of climate change into programming, which is a new and transversal area for the entire office.
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the Chief WASH, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Contribute to the process of developing the climate argument for the WASH sector in Côte d’Ivoire; • Support the WASH sector in the process of revising the Nationally Determined Contribu-tions, considering WASH and water resources aspects; • Contribute to the formulation of proposals for the mobilization of green climate funds; • Contribute to the development of periodic reports on the relevance of WASH climate resili-ent solutions; • Contribute to the evaluation of climate change adaptation actions in the WASH sector ; • Participate in the meetings of the Technical Working Group “Resilience of the WASH sec-tor to climate change.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 – 80
Required experience
1 month
Donor priorities
.
Nationality
Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.
Additional eligibility criteria
This assignment is funded by the Government of Korea and therefore specific criteria apply: – Candidates must be Korean nationals. – Candidates must be between 22 and 29 years of age at the time of application. – Candidates who have already served as UN Youth Volunteer funded by the Government of Korea are not eligible to apply (former UN University Volunteers are eligible). – Serving UN Volunteers will not be considered for other UN Volunteer assignments until they reach three (3) months before the End of Contract date of their current UN Volunteer assignment. This provision applies equally to first and subsequent contracts. – Candidates may apply to a maximum of three assignments and indicate the order of preference in the ‘Additional remarks’ field when filling in the application form. – Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection will be done by the UN Host Entity at the level of the country of assignment. APPLICATION DEADLINE: 7 October 2025 +++ UN Volunteer entitlement calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator +++
Assignment requirements
Relevant experience
No experience required
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required French, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable
Required education level
Bachelor’s degree in Education: Bachelor’s degree in climate change, environmental sciences, water and sanitation engineering, disaster management or other relevant disciplines is required
Competencies and values
UNICEF core values of (i) care, (ii) respect, (iii) integrity, (iv) trust, (v) accountability and (vii) sustainability, together with the competency framework, provide a guide for our behaviours in our daily interactions. • A strong analytical and problem-solving skills. • Ability to work in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams. • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the capacity to produce clear and concise reports. • Adaptability, flexibility, and commitment to continuous learning. • Demonstrated integrity, ethics, and respect for diversity in professional interactions. • Capacity for knowledge sharing and collaborative work.
Skills and experience
Demonstrated interest or experience in: • Climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability, particularly in relation to water resources, WASH, or disaster risk management • Resilient WASH systems and water scarcity challenges in the context of climate change • Supporting policy development, research, or advocacy on climate and WASH-related issues • Multi-sectoral collaboration with government, development partners, or technical groups • Data collection, reporting, and monitoring of climate change adaptation or WASH interventions • Engagement in academic projects, fieldwork, or volunteer initiatives related to climate, water, or sanitation
Area(s) of expertise
Energy and environment , Development programmes
Driving license
–
Other information
Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.
Living conditions and remarks
Driving license needed: No Living conditions Côte d’Ivoire is in West Africa. It is bordered to the northwest by Mali, to the northeast by Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the southwest by Liberia, to the west by Guinea and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The population is estimated at 29,389,150 inhabitants in 2021. Côte d’Ivoire’s official language is French, and its currency is the CFA franc. Its political and administrative capital is Yamoussoukro, but almost all the institutions are in Abidjan, its main economic center with nearly 6 million inhabitants or about 20% of the country’s population. Abidjan has a humid and dry tropical climate with a long rainy season from March to July, a short rainy season from September to December and three dry months (January, February and August). Houses/apartments are readily available and usually have electricity and running water, but water service can be intermittent. House costs are reasonable but vary by location. Common illnesses include malaria, yellow fever, typhoid and meningitis. Food and dietary needs of all kinds are found in the many supermarkets. There are markets that stock fruits and vegetables, and bakeries offer pastries and breads. Fresh fish and meats are also readily available. Côte d’Ivoire offers an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in difficult and potentially dangerous conditions, involving physical hardship and few comforts, are essential. Visa process: The visa is obtained online via https://snedai.com/e-visa/ Step1: Pre-enrollment and Payment: Pre-enrollment allows the applicant to register their personal information, travel information, local contacts and to download the following 3 documents: -(i)The passport identity page(s) –(ii)The round-trip flight ticket reservation –(iii)The invitation letter or accommodation certificate After pre-enrolment, the applicant pays the fees for obtaining the Visa, which lasts for 3 months (multiple entries) and amounts to: 73 Euros (including bank charges). Payment is made with a VISA or MASTERCARD. When payment is made, the applicant receives an instant email (accompanied by an attachment containing the unique and personal payment certificate code) N.B.: Cases of non-online pre-registration are exceptional and are the responsibility of the Territorial Surveillance Directorate (D.S.T). Step 2: Receipt of the DST response: The applicant receives at his email address within 48 working hours a document (on which appears a bar code) which is the response of the authority (approved or refused). Step 3: Enrolment at the airport: The applicant boards with the “Approved Pre-enrolment” document and presents himself upon arrival at the airport at the “Airport Visa” area. He carries out his biometric enrolment there and the visa is printed and issued immediately. The E-visa enrolment boxes are available 24/7.
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.
Scam warning
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
