Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Intern, Food Systems, BPPS (Home-based)

UNDP • Panama City, FL

3h • Remote

About The Position

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional, and Country Office levels offers a spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in its Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in UNDP’s Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policies and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS staff provide technical advice to Country Offices, advocate for UNDP corporate messages, represent UNDP at multi-stakeholder forums including public-private, government, and civil society dialogues, and engage in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

UNDP's 2022-2025 Strategic Plan highlights our continued commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying countries in their pathways towards the SDGs, and working towards the Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP's Nature, Climate Change, Energy, and Waste
Hubs promote and scale up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.

BPPS works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate nature, climate, energy, and waste-related concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and oversee the implementation of the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming nature, climate change, energy, and waste. This multi-billion-dollar portfolio encompasses:
• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services including forests;
• Sustainable Land Management and Desertification including food and commodity systems;
• Water and Ocean Governance including SIDS;
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation;
• Sustainable Energy;
• Extractive Industries;
• Chemicals and Waste Management;
• Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy; and SCP approaches.

This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, South-South learning, and digital transformation.
UNDP has developed its new Strategy for Food Systems to focus its vision and enhance its support to transform Food Systems.

Food Systems is fundamental to the sustainable development of the 170 countries UNDP supports. Food Systems are often the largest contributor to their economies; food and nutrition are fundamental for citizen health; and Food Systems has a key role to play in achieving the SDGs. Yet, Food Systems are in crisis and need to be radically transformed to become sustainable. UNDP, building on its experience, has for the first time consolidated its Food Systems support and vision into this Strategy. The challenges and need for change related to Food Systems have been highlighted by a suite of reports by many research and international organizations and think tanks. The production practices and consumption patterns of food and agricultural commodities are taking these systems on an unsustainable trajectory with multiple impacts on human development, the environment, and economies; from ecosystem degradation, conflicts over land and natural resources, reduced capacity and resilience to climate and other shocks, persistent poverty, food insecurity and related people displacement and migration, to malnutrition including overweight and obesity. There is a clear need to work in a systemic and integrated manner to transform the Food Systems towards sustainability.

UNDP´s Vision for Food Systems 2030 is, through partnerships, to transform food and agricultural commodity systems into resilient; equitable; healthy, inclusive; environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable systems. Working on Food Systems will contribute to not only recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, by creating sustainable and resilient livelihoods for many along the Food Systems supply chains, but also to preventing further zoonoses from emerging in the future. This will require a change in the current paradigm of agricultural production focusing on maximizing productivity to a new paradigm based on diversified agroecological systems that work simultaneously on achieving economic, environmental, social, and health outcomes, with smallholders as a key part of the solution in their role as the engine of economic development. A Food Systems practice has been established within UNDP´s Nature, Climate, and Energy team, which is tasked to support UNDP Country Offices with Food Systems-
UNDP Nature Hub is the arrowhead of UNDP’s commitment to a “Nature Pledge” that aims to put nature at the heart of sustainable development. UNDP’s Nature Pledge for 2030 focuses on three systemic shift areas: value shift, economic and finance shift and policy and practice shift; that are necessary to trigger accelerated and scaled action for achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

As part of the Nature Hub, the Food Systems team contribute to the Nature Pledge through the transformation of food and agricultural commodity systems into resilient, equitable, inclusive, environmentally, socially and economically sustainable systems. With a global portfolio invested in projects related to Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems and spread over 137 countries, UNDP seeks to promote a new paradigm for food and agricultural commodity systems that is based on diversified, resilient, agroecological systems and value chains which work simultaneously on achieving economic, environmental, social and health outcomes, with smallholders central to the transformation as the engine of economic development.

The UNDP FS Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team plays a key role in the delivery these goals through:
1. Developing innovative, system-informed and participatory MEAL frameworks and tools (i.e., the MEL 360 and the Causality Assessment for Landscape Interventions), and promoting and supporting their adoption in the context of relevant projects, programmes and portfolios
2. Providing broader MEAL advice and support to initiatives in the UNDP Food Systems portfolio (e.g., on learning- focused approaches to monitoring and evaluation, qualitative and quantitative methods for outcome monitoring, and the wider development of logical frameworks), including through needs assessment, diagnostics, and co-creation of targeted solutions
3. Encouraging sensemaking, learning and knowledge sharing on:
• Innovative, system-informed and/or participatory MEAL approaches for portfolios and interventions working with FACS, including through managing a dedicated community of practice, facilitating learning sessions, and compiling/developing and publishing emerging knowledge and insights
• How food and agricultural commodity systems change, and how development interventions can support a positive transformation, including through preparing and facilitating reviews at portfolio and initiative/project level
• Gathering, processing, and sharing with relevant (internal and external) stakeholders the latest information on progress, achievements, risks, and challenges at portfolio level (this includes information on how gender mainstreaming and social and environmental safeguards are being addressed at all relevant levels), including to support decision-making, learning and communications at portfolio level, and comply with corporate and other reporting requirements.

Requirements

• Candidates must meet one of the following criteria: a) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent) such as Environmental Management, Agriculture, Sustainable Development, Economics, Global Development, Social or Political Sciences, International Relations or any other related fields; or b) Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher) such as Environmental Management, Agriculture, Sustainable Development, Economics, Global Development, Social or Political Sciences, International Relations or any other related fields; c) Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one year of graduation.
• Domain of MS Office package and Zoom settings;
• Excellent communication, writing and editing skills;
• Fluency in English is required.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation is an advantage;
• Experience in programme management support and coordination is an advantage;
• Experience with monitoring and reporting is an advantage;
• Experience in the preparation of (virtual) events and workshop is an asset.
• Fluent in Spanish is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Support gathering, processing and sharing the latest information on progress, achievements, risks and challenges at portfolio level.
• Support GCP phase II project management and coordination - incl. through developing and updating a risk monitoring plan, SES management measures, gender action plan and their integration in pillar workplans.
• Support the Systems Monitoring Learning and Evaluation (SMLE) initiative as needed.
• Support in the development/implementation of digital tools or dashboard to support data collection.
• Support any other reporting requirements.
• Support the coordination of learning sessions at project/initiative level and support learning reviews at portfolio level as relevant.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees