Conscious Food Systems Alliance (COFSA) Intern

Background

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 policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS staff provide technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represent UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora 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 work 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 and Agricultural Commodity Systems (FACS) to focus its vision and enhance its support to transform FACS. 

FACS is fundamental to the sustainable development of the 170 countries UNDP supports. FACS are often the largest contributor to their economies; food and nutrition are fundamental for citizen health; and FACS has a key role to play in achieving the SDGs. Yet, FACS are in crisis and need to be radically transformed to become sustainable. UNDP, building on its experience, has for the first time consolidated its FACS support and vision into this Strategy. The challenges and need for change related to FACS 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 FACS towards sustainability. 

UNDP´s Vision for FACS 2030 is, through partnerships, to transform food and agricultural commodity systems into resilient; equitable; healthy, inclusive; environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable systems. Working on FACS will contribute to not only recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, by creating sustainable and resilient livelihoods for many along the FAC 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 FACS practice has been established within UNDP´s Nature, Climate, and Energy team, which is tasked to support UNDP Country Offices with FACS-related challenges in a way that is aligned with UNDP´s FACS strategy. 

As part of its work on systems change, the FACS practice has developed the “Conscious Food Systems Alliance” (CoFSA), a movement of food, agriculture, and consciousness practitioners, convened by UNDP, and united around a common goal: to support people from across food and agriculture systems to cultivate the inner capacities that activate systemic change and regeneration.

The conceptual design of the Alliance began in September 2020, including the development of a Concept Note. Partner outreach to key stakeholders, including development agencies, companies, governments, NGOs, donors, academia, grassroots and indigenous networks, and consciousness experts commenced throughout 2020-21. In October 2021, the CoFSA launched the ‘The Breathing Room’; an intentional and transformative space where core partners connect deeply with themselves and one another to co-create and co-implement the Conscious Food Systems Alliance – vision, strategy, portfolio of activities, partnerships, resourcing, global reporting and advocacy.  

The CoFSA strategy for phase III, starting in Q4 2022, is to move into application to test and demonstrate approaches for cultivating inner capacities in food systems; and to convene a Community of Practice and Learning at the centre of the Alliance to facilitate learning and knowledge exchange, peer support and inspiration, etc. The two pillars feed in and reinforce each other, as learnings from the pilot activities will feed into the Community of Practice and Learning, whilst the community will serve as a space to develop partnerships for collaboration on interventions and training.

In 2023, The Conscious Food Systems Alliance:

• Launched a series of activities among which: Collective Inquiry series on core areas of intervention (including, Conscious Local Communities and Cultures for Regeneration, Farmers well-being and psychological resilience, Traditional Wisdom for Conscious Food Systems); Consciousness Practice Sessions for food systems transformation (e.g., mindfulness, nature-connection, non-violent communication, etc.), and monthly meditations for farmers and food producers with Satish Kumar.
• In April 2023 CoFSA convened its community and held its first 3-day in person strategic retreat at Schumacher College, UK, which allowed members to experience the role of consciousness practices in transforming food systems, build connections and collaborations and frame the next stage of the alliance’s development. Some participants described this experience as profoundly transformative at both personal and professional levels.
• Additionally, in July 2023, we launched a Call for Proposals, offering up to $20,000 in funding for four CoFSA member-led initiatives. These initiatives aim to demonstrate how consciousness-based approaches can strengthen inner capacities, accelerating the transformation of food systems towards regenerative, sustainable, and equitable models.
• Finally, in 2023, in partnership with the Inner Green Deal, CoFSA developed and successfully tested Conscious Food Systems Leadership, combining 6 online modules with a collaborative online platform and practice app.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Support to the CoFSA Team in: 

• Stakeholders mapping including donors, strategic partners, and grassroots networks with data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation in flowcharts, tables, or slides;
• Preparation and organization of calls, webinars, and virtual workshops to support donor and partner outreach;
• Maintain knowledge management tools / virtual collaborative tools for CoFSA working groups (e.g. Google Docs, Microsoft Teams, etc.);
• Drafting, designing, and updating communications content and support on social media promotion and website updates;
• Preparation of presentations, slide decks; briefing notes, project proposals, meeting minutes, and reports;
• Assist in research, including possible donors and fundraising opportunities, and on any other key CoFSA issues.
• Maintaining the internal filing system up to date; including database management of COFSA Members.
• Other related tasks.

Competencies

Core competencies 

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 

Act with Determination LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent) such as environment, agriculture, sustainable development, economics, journalism, communications, international development, social/political sciences, or related fields; or
• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher) such as environment, agriculture, sustainable development, economics, journalism, communications, international development, social/political sciences, or related fields; or
• Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) such as environment, agriculture, sustainable development, economics, journalism, communications, international development, social/political sciences or related fields or related field and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

• Experience in data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation.
• Experience in communications, writing, and editing.
• Experience in sustainability.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in Spanish is an advantage.

 

Internship conditions:

Applicants should become familiar with the internship conditions prior to signing an internship agreement. For information visit www.undp.org/internships/

Institutional Arrangements

The intern will report to the COFSA Lead Technical Advisor.

Financial aspects, expenses and medical benefits

• UNDP will not pay for the internship but may provide a stipend in monthly in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship policy;
• UNDP accepts no responsibility for the medical insurance for the intern or for any costs arising from accidents and/or illness during the internship period. Interns, whether engaged in-person or remotely, are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship with UNDP and must provide self certification of good health prior to starting the internship. UNDP will not reimburse the medical insurance of the intern. Any costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship assignment will be the responsibility of the intern.
• UNDP is not responsible for any claims by an intern or third party in the case of loss or damage to property or death or personal injury as a result of actions or omissions on the part of the intern during the internship period.

Working conditions:

• When completing an in-person internship in a UNDP Office, interns must be provided with the workspace and equipment necessary to accomplish the activities related to the internship.
• When completing a remote internship, interns will be responsible for providing their own equipment, internet and communication access and work space.

Subsequent Employment

There is no expectation of employment with UNDP following an internship.  Interns cannot apply for, or be appointed to, any position during the period of their internship.

Important note:

• Interns are considered as gratis personnel. They are not staff members.
• Interns may not be sought or accepted as substitutes for staff to be recruited against authorized posts.
• Interns may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.

Application:

Please provide the following documents to be considered:

• CV
• Motivational letter

In case an applicant is successfully selected, s/he will be requested to provide electronic versions of:

• Letter from his/her university confirming current enrolment and graduation date.
• Letter of recommendation from a professor.
• Copy of his/her most recent school transcript.
• Copy of passport.
• Completed UNDP internship application form.
• Signed UNDP Internship Agreement.
• Medical Certificate of Good Health.
• Proof of medical insurance.

Kindly note the above documentation is required within one week after selection.