Duties And Responsibilities
The Internship with the Energy Division is for a period of three to six months depending on the needs of the Division. The Energy Division is working to support member States in enhancing energy security, energy transition and addressing climate change through regional cooperation to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in particular the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7): Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. The internship is UNPAID and full-time. Interns work five days per week (37.5 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned. Responsibilities: Under the general guidance of professional staffs of the Energy Division, the intern will undertake information collection, research and analysis in one or more of the following areas (candidates are requested to clearly indicate the area(s) of their interest in their applications): 1. Key energy challenges and solutions in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the three targets of SDG7 by 2030;
- Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
- Increase substantively the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
- Doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. 2. Good practices in mobilizing and rationalizing energy financing, prices, taxation and subsidies, as well as increasing energy affordability, promoting energy trade and energy connectivity, through policies, energy economics and innovative technologies etc. 3. Research to develop project proposals and to facilitate implementation of the Regional Road Map on “Regional Road Map on Power System Connectivity: Promoting Cross-Border Electricity Connectivity for Sustainable Development in particular power grid connectivity”;
- Identification and analysis of challenges and ongoing initiatives with effective mechanisms and policies at sub-regional and regional levels according to the nine strategies of the Regional Road Map
- Identify capacity-gaps of on-going initiatives and implementation of intergovernmental agreements, geo-political issues relevant to power system integration in the ESCAP’s five subregions.
- Assist the Division in implementing XB projects relevant to power system connectivity (energy modelling in North-East Asia; capacity building of energy regulators by subregion, developing a framework for sustainable energy connectivity). 4. Energy modelling at the country level:
- Collect and process information and data related to energy demand and supply at the country level, sub- regional and regional level
- Research national energy policies, priorities, targets and commitments, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) on climate change and carbon neutral commitment
- Contribute to data analysis, including data entry, manipulation, and visualization in Excel 5. Economic analysis of access to electricity and clean cooking;
- Collect and process information and data related to energy access and its socio-economic benefits
- Research and analyse econometric analyses of the impacts of energy access
- Contribute to analysis of current policies and stakeholders influencing energy access
- Contribute to data entry and data visualization in Excel. 6. Analysis of the role of natural gas in achieving SDG 7 and transition to decarbonized energy systems. Research on social, economic, and environmental impacts of projected natural gas demand growth in Asia-Pacific. 7. Research on the impact of the energy transition on the extractives industry, including socio-economic implications of coal phase-out policies and reduced demand for fossil fuels, and implications of increased demand for critical raw materials and other inputs into energy transition technologies. 8. Research on sustainable cooling, including passive cooling strategies to lower energy demand and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes examining national policy and regulations related to passive design and building performance, energy efficiency in systems design and cooling technologies, as well as urban planning to reduce the urban heat island effect. 9. Maintenance and update of the Asia-Pacific Energy Portal (asiapacificenergy.org). The Portal is the largest Asia-Pacific energy knowledge platform; covers up-to-date energy statistics, policy documents and infrastructure for 58 economies in Asia-Pacific.
- Perform continuous review of Portal energy indicators database to identify the current status, fill gaps, clarify, and correct any existing issues
- Perform data and metadata gathering and processing for the energy infrastructure maps section of the Portal. Research on GIS applications in energy planning with relevance to the Portal infrastructure maps.
- Review of official websites and news sources for ESCAP member countries policy release. Perform identification, processing and upload of national and sub-national energy policy documents for ESCAP member countries. 10. Knowledge management and updating webpage: In cooperation with the Project managers and research assistant, to perform the following tasks:
- Help review news clippings in area related to energy for sustainable development, from local newspapers on global, regional and national issues;
- Provide research for background/information materials;
- Assist in the preparation of briefing information on the work of Energy Division;
- Provide assistance in the design and development of websites;
- Help initiate content for social media channels and explore more potential social media means to raise visibility of Energy Division, Asian and Pacific Energy Forum, and ESCAP work on energy.;
Qualifications/special Skills
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent). Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required.
