Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations RAF Regular Volunteer Programme 2019

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an intergovernmental organization comprised of 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. Founded in 1945 to free humanity from hunger and malnutrition, achieving food security is at the heart of FAO.

Our three main goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the bene­fit of present and future generations.

Title: RAF Regular Volunteer Programme
Organizational Unit: FAO Regional Office for Africa (RAF), Subregional and Country Offices under RAF
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: Volunteer Programme
Primary Location: Various Locations
Duration: Maximum 6 months

 

Organizational Setting
The FAO Regular Volunteer Programme provides opportunities for individuals to contribute their volunteer actions, where suitable, to support the work of FAO in connection to FAO Strategic Objectives and UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Programme proactively and strategically mobilizes broad-based volunteer services of citizens of the Member States, especially from the global south, to contribute to end hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger and to support development in member countries in the areas of agriculture, fisheries and forestry. FAO’s mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.

Reporting Lines
The volunteer will report to an assigned supervisor.

Technical Focus 
The volunteer may be assigned in a field relevant to the mission and work of FAO.

Tasks and responsibilities
The volunteer will perform the functions specified in the Terms of Reference (TOR) prepared by the hiring office before the beginning of the assignment and agreed by the volunteer.
 

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have completed secondary school education.
• Working knowledge of at least one FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish). Knowledge of a second FAO language will be considered an asset. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• Be nationals of FAO Member Nations.
• Candidates must be aged 18 or older.
• Candidates should be able to adapt to an international multicultural environment, have good communication skills and be knowledgeable in the use of basic computer programmes.
• Candidates with family members (defined as brother, sister, mother, father, son or daughter) employed by FAO under any type of contractual arrangement are not be eligible for the Volunteer Programme.
• Candidates should have appropriate residence or immigration status in the country of assignment.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Relevant working or research experience in one of the fields of the Organization.

Selection Criteria

• Candidates may be assigned in a field relevant to the mission and work of FAO.

Information to applicants

• Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non- and under-represented member nations as well as candidates from the global south and Indigenous Peoples are encouraged to apply.
• Candidates are requested to attach to their application a letter of motivation, copy of their academic qualifications and copy of their language proficiency certificates.
• All applications will be reviewed and only qualified applicants will be directly contacted for interviews by the hiring office.
• FAO does not provide any remuneration to volunteers.

HOW TO APPLY
To apply, visit the recruitment website of FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received the recruitment portal will be considered.

Vacancies will be removed from the recruitment portal at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT