Programme Support

Internship position at UNEP's International Environmental Technology Centre in Osaka, supporting research and analysis on zero waste and circular economy solutions. The intern will assist with policy analysis, drafting reports, organizing meetings, and supporting knowledge-sharing platforms.

Responsibilities

• Research and summarize scientific information on zero waste and circular economy solutions, including social and economic aspects such as informal sector integration, gender mainstreaming, behaviour insights and zero-waste job creation potential.
• Analyse waste-related and circular economy policies, such as national waste management strategies and regulatory frameworks, from the perspectives of environmental sustainability and resource circulation.
• Draft analytical briefs, policy reviews, research summaries, and technical reports that support evidence-based decision-making and knowledge generation addressing zero waste and circular economy matters.
• Organize and otherwise support meetings (e.g., notetaking, assisting in the management of participant travel, visitor management) and events organized by IETC or in which the Centre is involved.
• Map out business opportunities and technology-based innovations that advance circularity, resource recovery and zero-waste objectives, particularly in high-impact sectors.
• Assist in drafting or assessing documents related to UNEP’s programme of work, and develop technical documentation, guidance or tools related to IETC’s work.
• Assist in populating digital platforms and knowledge-sharing platforms related to IETC’s work.
• Support the collection, analysis and visualization of data and indicators of zero waste and circular economy.
• Draft outreach, communication and educational materials related to IETC’s work.
• Assist in stakeholder mapping and the development of partnership and networks.
• Carry out other duties relevant to the Intern’s educational background and professional aspirations.

Requirements

• Applicants must be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).
• Preferred Area of Study: Science and engineering, Waste and/or Environmental management, Sustainability, Natural resources, Policy-making and International Relations, Chemistry, Physics, Logistics and supply chain, Urban planning.
• Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word/Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Teams and MS Outlook.
• Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience.
• Applicants must be a student in the year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. Programme within a year.
• Fluency in written and oral English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN Language and/or Japanese will be desirable.

Skills

• Environmental Management
• Waste Management
• Sustainability
• Natural Resource Management
• Policy Analysis
• International Relations
• Logistics and Supply Chain Systems
• Urban Planning
• Research and Analysis
• Report Writing
• Meeting Organization
• Knowledge Sharing
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• MS PowerPoint
• MS Teams
• Microsoft Outlook

Languages

English