Whale Conservation Financing Intern, New York, USA (UNCDF)

Summary: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is seeking an intern for the Whale Conservation Financing initiative at UNCDF. The intern will support the Directorate team in stakeholder mapping, financial instrument assessment, technology landscape evaluation, and developing strategies for behavioral adoption and equity analysis. Responsibilities: - Identify key actors, institutional roles, and enabling conditions across shipping, insurance, conservation, and climate finance sectors in pilot and target geographies - A map of key stakeholders in each priority geography, including shipping operators, regulators, insurers, port authorities, and local communities - An identification and assessment of candidate pilot geographies based on ship traffic density, whale habitat overlap, regulatory readiness, and stakeholder presence and - Conduct interviews via telephone and video-conference facilities with a wide range of stakeholders in the pilot country (yet to be identified), as well as all relevant implementing partners, including Blue Green Futures and One Ocean Finance - An assessment of the feasibility of blended finance tools, avoidance incentives, insurance-linked mechanisms, and biodiversity or carbon crediting approaches by region and by stakeholder - A map of potential capital partners, including public, philanthropic, and private actors and - Drafted term sheets or financial flow diagrams illustrating how funds would be mobilized, governed, and disbursed - Evaluate existing and emerging technologies for whale-safe shipping and biodiversity crediting, including detection systems, routing protocols, and MRV platforms, to inform deployment strategies - An assessment of technology readiness, cost, scalability, and integration requirements - Development of deployment pathways that align technology capabilities with local regulatory and operational constraints and - Identification of data and MRV requirements necessary to integrate with financial mechanisms - Apply behavioural science approaches to understand decision-making dynamics among shipping operators, insurers, and regulators, and design incentive structures and communication tools to accelerate uptake of whale-safe practices and - Create a communication and engagement strategy to roadmap deployment of the Ocean Guardian Protocol - Assess benefit-sharing mechanisms for coastal communities, Indigenous groups, and small island states, proposing governance models that ensure transparent fund flows and inclusive participation and - Ensure equity across resource mobilization design - Synthesize findings into a comprehensive roadmap for scaling the initiative first within a pilot region then globally, aligned with the Ocean Guardian Protocol and Ocean Resilience Vehicle (ORV) framework - Identify sequencing, near-term actions, and decision points required to advance pilot launch and - Prepare a presentation and report suitable for internal UNCDF decision-making and external partner engagement Required Qualifications: - Field of Study required: International Affairs, International Development, Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Sustainability, Environmental Studies, or related fields - Applicants to the UNCDF internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master's programme, or higher); Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor's degree or equivalent); 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; Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program - Fluency in written and spoken English is required Preferred Qualifications: - Strong ability to develop high-quality PowerPoint presentations, Excel analyses, and written products that translate complex concepts into accessible language is highly desired - Knowledge of and/or familiarity with sustainable finance, environmental management, and/or sustainability is highly desired - Prior experience or internship exposure in a UN entity, multilateral organization, development finance institution, consulting firm, or banking / financial services environment is an asset - Knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage, specifically French and/or Arabic Required Skills: PowerPoint, Excel, Sustainable Finance, Environmental Management, Sustainability, English Language, French Language, Arabic Language Benefits: Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan, Interns may be given a stipend according to the Internship Policy: the stipend is to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station