Climate change and nature loss pose an unprecedented threat to humanity in the 21st century. With notable shortfalls in funding and a dominant focus on climate mitigation by global financing parties to date, Dutch development bank FMO has partnered with Climate Fund Managers (CFM), Worldwide Fund for Nature Netherlands (WWF-NL) and SNV, a global development partner, to manage the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD).

The DFCD mobilises external private sector funding at scale, with a focus on climate change adaptation and nature. It targets profit-making (bankable) impact projects that are managed by private sector corporates with the potential to attract private investments. These projects are aimed at improving the wellbeing, economic prospects and livelihoods of vulnerable groups – particularly women and children – and enhance the health of critical ecosystems – from water basins to rivers, tropical rainforests, marshland and mangroves. DFCD’s activities will also help protect rural and urban communities from the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and benefit depleting biodiversity in areas that provide people with water, food, medicine, and economic opportunity. The focus impact themes are Biodiversity, Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI). DFCD’s focus is on OECD DAC Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and other Netherlands development cooperation priority countries.

The Origination Facility is positioned exclusively for project identification and (pre-)feasibility development activities. The Origination Facility will provide grant funding and TA and support projects in becoming viable investment cases for the two DFCD Investment Facilities or third-party investors.

Fundamental to the DFCD is the use of a landscape approach to identify and de-risk impactful projects in priority landscapes. A landscape approach is broadly defined as a framework to integrate policy and practice for multiple land uses, within a given area, to ensure equitable and sustainable use of land while strengthening measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change. A landscape approach is a way of managing how our actions correspond to the local context in which we operate.

The internship

WWF-NL is looking for an intern to support with activities related to the landscape approach and the focus impact themes of the DFCD. The intern will also support communication tasks and ad-hoc tasks on project management.

The intern will be part of DFCD's Impact and Safeguards team and will work closely together with various experts. Specific activities include:

• Support the Landscape Approach & Impact Advisor with understanding the context of the landscapes across Africa, Asia and Latin America, where the DFCD operates through data collection (desk research) on relevant themes like climate, nature, social trends, economy, local governance structures and national policies. The intern will also assist with the development and writing of relevant landscapes documentation.
• Support the Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESSF) & Impact team with various tasks concerning the DFCD’s focus impact themes: Biodiversity, Food and Nutrition Security (FNS), and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI). This includes literature research, assessing latest developments and trends, identifying and analysing best practices, and assisting with reviewing projects. The work will include desk research, attending webinars (or similar), and engaging relevant colleagues and internal stakeholders.
• Support the Communications Specialist in activities ranging from website management, social media posting, event coordination, to presentation preparation.
• Support Program Manager on ad-hoc tasks

Student profile

• A relevant academic background
• Affinity with sustainability, international development and/or environmental studies 
• Being able to work independently
• Have excellent writing, organizational, analytical and English communication skills

What do we offer?

• An internship of 5 months at WWF-NL. You start in February 2025.
• € 550,- allowance per month, based on full time work
• A great opportunity to learn about landscape approach and leveraging positive environmental and social impact when working with the private sector and to take first steps into impact investment
• An office surrounded by nature
• Fun colleagues and the chance to build up an international network
• Vegetarian lunches in our canteen and free after work drinks every other Thursday and fun Green Finance team activities

Interested?

Please send your cv and motivation letter before January 3^rd, 2025, to Avital van Meijeren ameijerenkarp@wwf.nl and Natascha Zwaal (nzwaal@wwf.nl). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.