UNEP preparation

What is the main objective for the Ecosystems branch of UNEP

• conserving

• restoring

• and sustainably managing

  —> their ecosystems (terrestrial, freshwater, and marine), & the biodiversity they contain.

  —>& the products and services the ecosystems provide for human well-being and prosperity. 

What is the UNEP Ecosystem division’s Mandate?

to address the environmental causes and effects from an ecosystem approach, including the consequences of disasters and conflicts.

What does the Marine and freshwater branch focus on?

helps countries develop policies and programs that respond to:

• ecosystem challenges,

• and reduce pollution from land-based activities,

• increase resilience to climate change,

• reflect linkages between poverty and the environment in their development planning.  

As a prospective intern, what are my responsibilities?

• communications,

• advocacy,

• events management,

• documentation and dissemination,

• website maintenance

• copywriting.  

Why do you want to intern with UNEP’s Ecosystems Division, and how does this align with your career goals?

• passion about using media/comm to drive social change/justice

• Personal motto: be voice for voiceless

• experience (Mogra, CNN academy,articles) have taught me the power of storytelling.

• UNEP’s focus on tackling climate change,pollution,biodiversity loss needs a strong comm strategy to bring in stakeholders ( I wanna be part of that effort)

• Long term career goal: working in intersection between advocacy and Media.

• UNEP= hands on experience—> global environmental communications

What do you think are the biggest environmental challenges related to marine and freshwater ecosystems today?

the biggest environmental challenges are:

• pollution ( waste,plastic,sound pollution,oil spills)

• climate change ( rising temps,ocean acidification)

• Biodiversity loss ( habitat destruction, over-fishing,game fishing of keystone species→ sharks)

Can you give an example of a time you drafted a press release, briefing note, or social media content?

S-managing social media presence at Mogra Children’s Home.
T- Needed to create a new content strategy
A-(content calendars, new posting strategy, analytics) and digitized records.
R-
- developed a new structured content strategy
- enhanced audience reach through Instagram ads

-took the initiative to create a digital archive for them on Google Drive rather than physical records.

How would you measure the success of a UNEP social media campaign?

Overall:

• if it increased public awareness

• behavioral change/mobilizes action

• It engages stockholders
  
  KPI’s (key performance indicators)

• reach/engagement

• Campaign conversions

• Website traffic

You need to create a social media strategy for an upcoming UNEP marine conservation campaign. What would be your approach?

1. understand campaign goals

2. Do research ( what worked/what didn’t for past campaigns)

3. Develop content plan based on goals

4. Take into account ambassadors/partnerships/influencers

5. paid/orgnaic promotion

6. measure sucess based on results analyitics and A/B testing

Tell us about yourself.

-introduce quick your background

• just graduated this past December (Magna Cum Laude/journalism M & Law and ethics Minor).

• Through my experiences like volunteering at Mogra or interning at Carter center ive had the opportunity to hone skills in communications and marry them with my passion for advocacy.

• Personal mantra: voice for voiceless.

• Carter Center : Complex info —> concise compelling content/engaging messaging/ coordiante with stakeholders/other teams etc. /strengthend skills in cotnent dissemination and campaign execution. skills that help me best amplify UNEP’s mission.

• Mogra: learned to create structured communications plans from the ground up. honed skills in egageemnt tracking—> campaign activations./ comfortabl with digital tools and systems (analytics to track sucess of campaigns/ads)

Tell us about a time you worked under a tight deadline. How did you manage?

CNN academy:
S: 5-day bootcamp. 2 days dedicated to creating a a news video package.

T: I was editor. I had around one hour to edit the footage we compiled the day previous.

A:I broke the tasks down into little deadlines/steps to achieve. Gave myself more time to prioritize the audio mixing that takes the most time. If something didn’t work out, I pivoted/adaptable and found a creative solution instead./ communicated with team members on changes made./ made sure to give myself a 10 min window for last changes.

R: we met the deadline and created a a strong and dynamic video package that the staff members loved watching.

Give an example of when you had to work with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?

Blake Journalism Practticuum:
S: We had a video package to edit and create. My partner who had the footage was being unresponsive.

T: I was Editing his footage that he shot and recorded.

A: I set up a call with him, heard his side of the situation. He was swamped with meetings this whole week. we found one day that worked for the both of us, and he handed me his laptop and SD card, so that I could have more time editing (divided tasks differenlty) .
R: We saved time (instead of waiting till the last minute and editing it togehter), adapted to the situation, communicated. We turned the project in on time and both got an A!

How would you approach writing a policy brief on an environmental issue?

1.Understand Policy context ( stakeholders, regulations, overall context, previous policy attempts, intended audience)

2.Gather evidence and data( research,stats, case studies— Just like at CC)

3.Outline the structure (introduction/about,policy analysis,stakeholder analysis, policy recommendation, conclusion) —> make sure I have all acronyms and information correctly structured and written out.

4.write clearly and concisely ( brief= clear and concise.

5.Include infographics,images, and references, structure the policy brief visually.

6.This structured approach ensures the brief is informative, persuasive, and actionable.

If a UNEP campaign you worked on received negative feedback, how would you respond?

Overall:

• Use social listening tools(hubspot,hootsuite) to understand what the feedback is saying.

• Identify if feedback is result of : misinformation, messaging, cultural sensitivity, or unintended consequences.

• I’d identify the need: remain silent, follow-up post, or revise the campaign.

• Reassert UNEP objectives and involve any other teams/stakeholders needed for the response.
  
  Example

  “For example, if a marine conservation campaign faced backlash from local communities concerned about possible economic impacts, I’d ensure we engage with them, clarify our objectives, and explore ways to address both conservation and economic sustainability. The goal is to maintain UNEP’s credibility while fostering constructive dialogue..”

You’ve worked on social media strategy before—what tools or approaches have you used to create engaging multimedia content?

Tools and skills:

• Procreate

• Canva

• Adobe suite ( Premiere Pro, Photoshop,Lightroom,)

• wordpress/Wix

• Hootsuite,Hubspot.

• Google/Microsoft suite.

Can you share a time when you had to juggle multiple responsibilities? How did you prioritize and manage your workload?

Early 2023:
S: Full time student. The Signal. Catalyst internship. I was juggling all of these commitments at the same time, with often overlapping deadlines.
T: I had to do juggle assignments exams, and writing and researching articles for both the schools newspaper and my internship that both worked on weekly basis (writing an article a week).

A: I stayed on track of my deadlines by utilizing tools such as google calendar and Notion to keep me on track.

I would break down tasks and prioritize them based on urgency.

I set internal deadlines a couple days in advance to stay on track.
communicating with my teachers and intern supervisors if ever there were times I had conflicting deadlines( as things happen.)

R:
I was able to stay on task, and meet all my deadlines. This experience taught me how to thrive under high pressure situations while producing high quality content.

something I would apply at UNEP when balancing communications, advocacy, and policy tasks.

What are your career goals?

• My long-term goal is to work at the intersection of advocacy and media amplifying voices that are often unheard.

• UNEP’s mission aligns with this vision, and I am eager to gain hands-on experience in global environmental communications to contribute to impactful storytelling and engagement strategies.
  

• UNEP’s focus on tackling climate change,pollution,biodiversity loss needs a strong comm strategy to bring in stakeholders ( I wanna be part of that effort).

• I want to contribute to international organizations like UNEP that work on large-scale environmental initiatives and policy implementation.

What questions do I have for the team?

Can you describe a typical day or week in this internship role?

Are there any upcoming events, reports, or campaigns that I would have the opportunity to contribute to?
How would you describe the work culture within the Marine and Freshwater Branch?

What’s the most rewarding part of working in environmental communications at a global level?