Result of Service
The work of the consultant will contribute to the implementation of the IKI-funded FAST Project, which seeks to align public finance flows in Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Nigeria with biodiversity protection goals. In doing so, it contributes to delivering the SDGs and national commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In this regard, the work of the consultant will contribute to UNEP’s ‘Nature’ and ‘Finance and Economic Transformation’ Programmes.
Duties and Responsibilities
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the voice for the environment within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator, and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment. UNEP's Industry and Economy division plays a leading role in the Green Economy Initiative (GEI), which aims to transition national economies onto a new path, in which jobs and output growth are driven by increased investment in green sectors, and by a switch of consumers’ preferences towards environmentally friendly goods and services.
Located within the Industry and Economy Division, the Finance and Economics Branch (FEB) examines how economics, trade, and finance interact with the environment and contribute to sustainable development at the local, national, regional, and global levels. Within the FEB, the Economic and Fiscal Policy Unit (EFPU) conducts analytical research. It also provides evidence-based capacity-building support to enable the transition to inclusive and green economies.
One area of work for the EFPU is to implement the IKI-GIZ 'FAST' ('Fast-tracking Transformation through Sustainable Public Finance for Biodiversity') project. As a six-year initiative in Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Nigeria, the project supports partner countries in implementing or optimizing public finance measures to align fiscal policies and financial flows with biodiversity protection objectives. To this end, the project will achieve four outputs. First, UNEP will identify priority policy options in each country.
Second, based on these recommendations, GIZ will facilitate governance and technical capacity building. Third, GIZ will work with the capacitated focal points to uptake the recommended measures. Fourth, UNEP will facilitate knowledge exchange to ensure that the policy work is advised by global best practices, while informing other related initiatives across and beyond the four partner countries. In this context, the EFPU is recruiting a national consultant to contribute to the implementation of the IKI-GIZ 'FAST' project in Indonesia.
As the project will hire two global implementing partners and two local implementing partners to deliver project commitments, the consultant will ensure that activities are completed in a high-quality, timely, and coherent manner. Moreover, in the absence of an operational UNEP presence in Indonesia, the consultant will be responsible for ensuring that UNEP-led activities are strategically aligned with national priorities. Following this support, the Economic and Fiscal Policy Unit will finalize all deliverables before disseminating them to project stakeholders.
Following a desk review of national sustainable public finance strategies and stakeholder consultations, revise the national workplan, for which an initial draft has been developed by the UNEP team.
Quality assure the scoping report outline produced by a local implementing partner, which should include a literature review of existing scoping work (e.g., UNDP BIOFIN) and UNEP’s expected contributions, as well as the annex package.
Quality assure the SBA inception report produced by a local implementing partner.
Quality assure the stakeholder mapping report and outreach plan for national Communities of Practice produced by a local implementing partner.
Produce a briefing document on national project implementation for the annual global monitoring report, which will be drafted by the UNEP team.
Quality assure the scoping and SBA reports produced by a local implementing partner, as well as the research plan for the Capacity Needs Assessment produced by a local implementing partner.
Support the preparation of, facilitation of, and reporting on a national steering committee meeting led by a local implementation partner.
Revise the national operational planning file, for which an initial draft was produced by the UNEP team, based on the outcomes.
Quality assure the capacity needs assessment report and policy brief produced by a local implementing partner.
Revise the workplan and budget for the local implementing partner(s) in the event of further extensions.
Qualifications/special skills
Post Graduate Degree (Master’s level or above) in public policy, development studies, environmental studies, economics, international affairs, sustainable finance, or related field. A first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
A minimum of two years of project/program management experience in climate change, biodiversity, green fiscal policy, and/or macro-economic policy is required.
Experience working with government counterparts, preferably from the Ministry of Finance, in Indonesia, is an advantage.
Experience in coordinating multistakeholder engagement processes is an advantage.
Experience in quality-assuring technical outputs related to public finance, specifically fiscal policy, and biodiversity is an advantage.
Previous experience working with or within the United Nations system, including familiarity with UN administrative procedures and reporting standards, is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, written and verbal fluency in English is required.