Fellowship Opportunity with CAFI
CAFI is proud to support new talent. For the second year in a row, we are offering the opportunity for young professionals from one of our six partner countries to work within our Secretariat for a year.
Successful candidates must meet the following criteria:
- The candidates must hold the nationalities of one of the 6 CAFI Partner countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon or the Republic of Congo.
- The candidates must submit (a) letter(s) of recommendation signed by a Government representative of their country of nationality, and/or a national or international academic/research institution based in their country of nationality.
- The candidates must possess a Masters’ degree in environment, sustainable development, forestry, rural development, climate change or related field.
- The candidates must have least one year of professional experience with their national governments, universities, research institutions etc. on topics related to CAFI’s mandate (sustainable development, forestry, agriculture, land-use planning, land tenure, energy, mining or demography).
- The candidates should be proficient in Microsoft Office and fluent in either French or Spanish. A good knowledge of spoken and written English would be an advantage.
The deadline for applications this year is June 18. More information can be found in the announcement on the UNDP Job portal.
Below are some Frequently Asked Questions about the Fellowship Programme.
For any additional questions, please write to secretariatcafi@gmail.com. We will publish answers to all questions received on this page.
What is the Fellowship program and how did it come about?
The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), is an investment and impact mechanism in the Central African region that includes reform programs and investments aimed at the development of field programmes, combined political dialogue at the international level, with the aim of finding an effective balance between forest interests and economic development.
CAFI aims to recognise and preserve the value of forests to mitigate climate change and biodiversity crises, and to reduce poverty. CAFI believes that all of this happens, in large part, by building national capacity.
This is why the Fellowship programme was developed in 2022: so that young professionals from CAFI partner countries can develop relevant international experience at a technical level, and contribute to the national agenda of their countries. Investing in local talent will allow Fellows to familiarise themselves with donors and partners, and expose them to an international professional environment.
The general objective is to train a new generation of professionals committed to the protection of forests and the reduction of poverty, equipped with the necessary skills to face these challenges.
What is the list of criteria for applying to the Fellowship Programme?
The deadline for submitting applications is June 18.
Candidates include students, recent graduates, and mid-career professionals.
Candidates must have the nationality of one of CAFI's 6 partner countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon or Republic of Congo.
Applicants must submit at least one letter of recommendation signed by a representative of the government of their country of nationality and/or a national or international academic/research institution based in their country of nationality. T
hey must hold a Master's degree in environment, sustainable development, forestry, rural development, climate change or related fields, Applicants should have at least one year of work experience with your national governments, universities, research institutes, civil society organisation, etc. on topics related to CAFI's mandate (sustainable development, forestry, agriculture, land use planning, energy, exploitation, demography...)-
They must be fully verses in Microsoft Office, and have full command (bilingual level) of French or Spanish, both written and spoken.
Good knowledge of English (read and spoken) is an advantage.
What are the important logistical details to know?
Two candidates will be selected as Fellows, and must come to Geneva as these positions are based within the CAFI Secretariat.
The programme lasts one year.
A monthly stipend will be deposited into their bank account.
One roundtrip air ticket will be paid for by CAFI.
Fellows receive an additional financial grant during their first few months to cover living expenses.
They are entitled to vacation like all UN personnel. Fellows are also entitled to health insurance.
What are a Fellow's work responsibilities within the Secretariat?
During the working year, the Fellow will be chosen to support one or more technical departments of the Secretariat (e.g. monitoring and evaluation, programme management, partnership management, coordination, communication, etc.).
The objective of doing so is to give each Fellow a varied experience and the chance to develop technical expertise, in line with the needs of the CAFI Secretariat.
The Fellow is also expected to carry out work assignments, either in the field or during assignments with international partners, all funded by CAFI (travel, per diem, etc.).
The Fellow will also participate in training and capacity building initiatives, funded by CAFI.