As humanity grapples with record heatwaves, ecosystem degradation, and a rise in plastic pollution, the need for a capable workforce to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste has never been greater.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched the Young Talent Pipeline to help tackle these issues. With just one week to go until the deadline for applications on May 15, we speak with Carlos Barragan, UNEP’s Chief of Human Resources, about the initiative and how young people can make a difference in light of the problems facing the planet.
The environment is in peril due to the triple planetary crisis. Given the daunting scale of the challenge humanity faces, why should young people consider a career in the environment?
Carlos Barragan: Young people and young professionals are much more aware of environmental crises and are a lot more tuned in to the 24-hour news cycle. They’re already ready and willing to act. We want to ensure they know that there are ways for them to help address environmental issues and inspire others into action wherever they are.
UNEP is the global advocate for the environment. We tackle problems that span borders and industries, and we want to provide as many pathways for young people to contribute their skills, experience, knowledge, creativity and passion to get things done.
How would you describe the market for environmental jobs?
CB: UNEP has been around since 1972, but environmental issues have entered the mainstream more recently in a very urgent and major way. Now the private sector also works on environmental issues. The green jobs boom shows we don’t need to choose between humanity and the environment at the expense of the economy.
There’s a lot of talent working on the triple planetary crisis. We’re competing for those talents, and it’s important to us that young people can see the benefits of working with UNEP and want to work with us.
Luckily, setting the environment agenda is UNEP’s mission.
What is the Young Talent Pipeline, and why is it important?
CB: The Young Talent Pipeline is a talent acquisition initiative to recruit 12 new specialists. It’s one of the many ways that UNEP is trying to increase diversity in our organization. We want to tap into young professionals and integrate their skills and perspectives into our body of work. We want to give them an opportunity to work alongside some of the leading environmental voices to shape the future of their respective fields.
The Young Talent Pipeline cohort will work closely for 12 months in Nairobi with their respective units on substantive issues and contribute to the units’ overall mandates. They’ll earn invaluable experience and a wealth of networking opportunities, as well as access to learning and professional development.
These 12 positions are specialist assignments in areas such as minerals and metals, education and youth, and the circular economy. Why is it important for UNEP to recruit such a diverse cohort?
CB: Indeed, these positions are so varied, and we’re very excited to bring this cohort onboard. We're working with the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme because we wanted to use specific titles for these roles that would attract young people in the respective fields. We’re looking for candidates aged 27 to 33 with a minimum of three years of work experience so that they can have some specialized background.
The relevant units wrote the job descriptions so we could find candidates that are most suitable to our work. These positions closely align with some of our key areas of work and expertise.
For example, the Minerals and Metals Specialist will contribute their knowledge to transform the sector and the green energy transition to contribute towards the 1.5ºC goal of the Paris Agreement.
The Digital-Ecosystems Interface Specialist will support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, track the impact of efforts on the ground and connect all stakeholders to the resources, knowledge and tools to support ecosystem restorations.
Is there a possibility of extension beyond the one-year term for these roles?
CB: Yes. We also expect the UNVs to be actively engaged on applying to positions that suit their experience within UNEP or with other UN entities. We hope the cohort will all have a greater awareness of not only their field but how it relates to other environmental fields and priorities.
What are you looking for in a candidate?
CB: We need the creativity of the younger generation and young professionals to find solutions that will suit global and local contexts. More broadly, we are looking for people who are fired up, engaged and passionate about trying to make a difference. We also want candidates who want to work with a multicultural, global team. From a technical perspective, all these roles require the ability to prepare reports, write well and be technical-minded.
What other opportunities and resources are there for those passionate about working in the environment?
CB: We regularly update the UNEP website with new job postings for prospective candidates to consider, not just UNV positions. UNV also currently has over 300 openings from across all UN agencies, including UNEP, many of which deal with environmental issues.
UNEP hosts in-person and online events, many of which are open to the public. This can be a great way to familiarize yourself with our work and priorities, as well as to learn more about the pressing issues facing our planet. UNEP and our partners offer several Massive Open Online Courses on critical environmental issues. The UN System Staff College and UN Institute for Training and Research offer courses open to the public that can help prepare attendees to tackle global challenges.
Contact Information: To learn more, please contact Carlos Barragan, UNEP’s Chief of Human Resources: UNEP-HR-Outreach@un.org.
