The intern would join this motivated team and report to the Freshwater Lead, working on a range of exciting and cutting-edge initiatives aiming to mainstream the management of water-related impacts, risks and opportunities across the banking and insurance sectors. The intern will work with the Freshwater Lead to support the UNEP FI Secretariat on the following tasks: 

• Support the development and delivery of a freshwater capacity building program for banks and insurers.
• Conduct data analysis to benchmark UNEP FI member action on freshwater risks, impacts and opportunities.
• Produce case studies which showcase how banks, insurers and central banks are currently assessing freshwater-related risks and impacts.
• Monitor academic publications on related themes and convert these into digestible highlights.
• Establish a tracker of all freshwater-related financial products issued by banks and insurers.
• Carry out applied research for the purpose of drafting targeted presentations, briefing notes and speaking points.
• Provide project coordination, administrative and communications support on ongoing projects and initiatives for example tracking sheet maintenance, organizing and minuting calls.
• Take initiative on a piece of applied research on a relevant topic and/or other additional duties relevant to their own areas of interest in this field (can be technological, creative or otherwise innovative in nature), as agreed with the supervisor.
• Support the programme and team on tasks and activities on ad-hoc basis.

• Applicants must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:
  • a. Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
  • b. Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent);
  • c. Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.
• Final year undergraduate or master’s degree student in Environmental Studies, Finance, Business Administration, other related themes, or recently graduated (candidates are eligible for this position up to one year after the graduation date).
• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN Language is desirable.

As a candidate, you should have strong quantitative and technical skills relevant to freshwater and sustainable finance – note this is less about how we enable more money to flow into water-related projects and much more to do with how we enable capital flows to accelerate the transition to a water secure future.  You should therefore have exposure to the banking, finance, and/or insurance industries, understand how they function and the opportunities that exist to support them to manage freshwater related risks, impacts and opportunities.   You should be intellectually curious and have an entrepreneurial spirit. You have a decent understanding of what UNEP FI’s unique contribution is in the world and some ideas about how it can make the most of this. Excellent research, communication and writing skills in English, as well as a high degree of motivation and self-organization are required. Skills relating to data management and analysis, would be an advantage.