Associate Project Officer

OVERVIEW
**Post Number**: IOC/PA 039
**Grade**: P-1
**Parent Sector**: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
**Duty Station**: Paris
**Job Family**: Programme Coordination
**Type of contract**: Project Appointment
**Duration of contract**: 1 year
**Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time)**: 20-SEP-2025
**UNESCO Core Values**: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
T he UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development has a strong focus on ensuring the under-represented groups have the skills and capacity to engage in and lead initiatives to co-design and use ocean science and knowledge for sustainable development. The Ocean Decade has a specific focus on the needs of stakeholders in Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
As part of this work, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) is partnering with The Nippon Foundation to convene the World Islands Summit in May/June 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. IOC-UNESCO is responsible for strategic and programme coordination for the Summit, including programme development, stakeholder engagement, communications, and reporting.
Associate Project Officer will support the Summit organising team and the broader Ocean Decade and IOC-UNESCO teams in the preparation and delivery of the World Islands Summit and will contribute to the implementation of Summit outcomes as part of the broader Ocean Decade vision. Long Description
Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist IOC/MPR and in close collaboration with in the Decade Coordination Unit of IOC-UNESCO, the Associate Project Officer will undertake the following tasks:
**1. Support to Organisation of World Islands Summit**:

- Programme and Content Development: research and prepare Summit concept notes and briefings, upport the drafting and refinement of the overall Summit programme, session outlines / key messages, speaker briefs, and background documents, contribute to the preparation and editing of Summit documentation and communications materials (including talking points, participant guides, social media assets, press releases, etc.)
- Programme Committee Coordination: support the establishment and operation of the Committee (i.e. coordination of evaluation of nominations, and coordination of invitation letters).
- Communications and Visibility: Assist in the development of content for the Summit communcations in line with the Summit communications plan.
- Monitoring and Reporting: Support coordination of the drafting of the Summit outcomes statement and final Summit report and assist with documenting lessons learned and compiling outputs for evaluation purposes Long Description

**2. Support to Implementation of Summit Outcomes**:

- Input to development of action plans, roadmaps and strategies to integrate implementation of Summit outcomes into broader Ocean Decade initiatives.
- Support to the operation and function of key Ocean Decade stakeholder groups including the Ocean Decade Alliance, Decade Advisory Board and Foundations Dialogue as a means of galvanising support for implementation of Summit outcomes.
- Support to integration of Summit outcomes with other key initiatives such as the implementation of the Ocean Decade Action Plan arising from the mid-term evaluation, the preparatory process for the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference and the development of the Gender Action Plan, ILK Framework and youth engagement strategies.
- Support development of relevant knowledge products and policy briefs for sharing in regional and international fora.

The incumbent will be supervised by the Programme Specialist of IOC/MPR and will work in close collaboration with staff from the Decade Coordination Unit and IOC/UNESCO.
The incumbent will produce diverse documents and products to meet the tasks identified above. Work planning will take place on a monthly basis with the supervisor to identify priority deliverables. The assignment will be for 12 months. COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Communication (C) Professionalism (C) Accountability (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
**Education**:
University degree (Master’s) in international development, ocean governance or law, ocean science, or a related field.
**Experience**:
Preferably 2 years of relevant work experience, including internships, and ideally in international organizations in relevant domains including ocean governance, law or management and with experience in issues facing Island States including SIDS
Demonstrated experience in supporting the organization and coordination of high-level meetings and conferences including those involving UN agencies and high level Government participation
**Skills and Competencies**:
Demonstrated understanding of issues and challeng