Assistant In-Country Facilitator (Homebased, Retainer)

WEC Background: 

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over 500 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support. 

WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The NDC Partnership: 

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition, bringing together more than 250 members, including more than 130 countries, developed and developing, and more than 110 institutions to deliver on ambitious climate action that helps achieve the Paris Agreement and drive sustainable development. Governments identify their NDC implementation priorities and the type of support that is needed to translate them into actionable policies and programs. Based on these requests, the membership offers a tailored package of expertise, technical assistance and funding. This collaborative response provides developing countries with efficient access to a wide range of resources to adapt to and mitigate climate change and foster more equitable and sustainable development. The NDC Partnership Support Unit is jointly hosted by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC). For this project, the Consultant will be contracted through UNOPS.

Country Context

Tajikistan joined the NDC Partnership in March 2019. Tajikistan has submitted its updated NDC to the UNFCCC on the 12 of October 2021. Tajikistan intends to adopt its NDC implementation plan in order to effectively implement and achieve the targets set out in the updated NDC. With the support facilitated through NDC Partnership CAEP Initiative, Tajikistan submitted its updated NDC to the UNFCCC on the 12 of October 2021. To capitalize this effort in 2021 the government of Tajikistan requested support from Partners to establish NDC Secretariat, consisting of In-Country Facilitator and Assistant In-Country Facilitator. The NDC Secretariat was embedded in the Committee for the Environmental Protection in 2022 and supported the development of NDC Climate Finance Plan and NDC Implementation Plan. Based on the efficient contribution of NDC Secretariat to the NDC development and implementation process, the government of Tajikistan requested extension of support for additional 5 years from 2025 to 2030. Over this period the NDC Secretariat will focus on the mobilization of resources and coordination of the processes of NDC update, along with mobilizing resources for the development of NDC Implementation Plan and NDC Climate Finance Plan. The NDC Secretariat will also provide coordination and resource mobilization support for the development of Tajikistan’s LT-LEDS 2037.

The incumbent will serve as the NDC Partnership’s interface in the country and operate as a liaison between the country and other NDC Partnership members. The role is one of coordination and supportive facilitation. They play a key role in ensuring the smooth implementation of the Country Engagement Process, by supporting ongoing coordination efforts between the Support Unit of the NDC Partnership, the various partners of the Partnership, and the government of Tajikistan. 

The embedded assistant facilitator will implement all tasks under the direct supervision of the NDC Partnership Country Engagement Specialist and will work in close collaboration with the different ministerial offices. This is a retainer national position for twelve 12 months, maximum of 220 working days, with possibility of an extension depending on satisfactory performance and on availability of funds.

* This is a Homebased position, meaning that the incumbent will not work from a UNOPS office but from the government facilities. Therefore, the incumbent will need to use his/her own laptop and software.** As this is a Local Position, in order to be eligible, the incumbent should be a national of Tajikistan or have a valid residence permit in the Country. 

*** Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The incumbent will support the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. The incumbent will be assisting In-Country Facilitator in strengthening national coordination in terms of resource mobilization and monitoring the development and implementation of the NDC. The Assistant Facilitator will support the focal point of the Partnership in their daily tasks of implementing the NDC, identifying potential support gaps and preparation of high-quality Requests for Support for the NDC Partnership circulation. 

The following responsibilities are part of the embedded incumbent role:

• Assist the In-Country Facilitator in supporting Tajikistan and the NDC Partnership Support Unit in in-country NDC Partnership engagement. 

• Support the In-Country Facilitator in coordinating, tracking, and monitoring the assistance provided by development partners for the NDC Implementation Plan, while regularly updating Tajikistan’s climate finance monitoring and reporting tool. 

• Under the guidance of the Facilitator, develop  and maintain mapping of the policy system, key partners, institutions, resources, and stakeholders involved in NDC implementation. 

• Support the In-Country Facilitator in facilitating the establishment of the Paris Agreement Implementation Centre to assist CEP in coordination and implementing NDC commitments. 

• Assist in the process of selecting the most suitable implementing and development partners for each action or priority, while helping define the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder. 

• Provide consultation on collaboration with the Support Unit to document changes in the operational context and support the government and stakeholders in decision-making processes. 

• Collaborate with the In-Country Facilitator in organizing international and national multistakeholder NDC dialogues, meetings, and conferences. 

• Ensure that communications relevant to NDC Partnership engagement are shared with relevant national and international level stakeholders;

• Collaborate with the In-Country Facilitator in proactively identifying support gaps, developing high-quality requests for support from the country and mobilizing support for existing requests.

• Assist the In-Country Facilitator in developing quarterly reports on country engagement and other reporting tasks for the NDC Partnership.

• Support the organization and logistical preparation of Partner Coordination Meetings and other national multi-stakeholder NDC dialogues, including report writing.

• Proactively develop knowledge and media products to increase visibility of NDC Partnership support for the country and promote the exchange of best practices.

• Facilitate the translation of key documents, training materials, presentations and others.

• Perform any other relevant tasks as assigned by the In-Country Facilitator to ensure effective NDC implementation.

• Contribute to capacity-building initiatives for national stakeholders as needed.

• Support monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) activities related to NDC progress.

  
  

Required

• Bachelor's degree in related discipline with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience (4 years of experience total) may be accepted instead of an advanced university degree OR

• A master's degree in public policy, development, climate change, natural resource management, environmental management, environmental law, and any other relevant field of study is required. 

Required

• At least 2 years’ experience in public and/or private sector with a focus on climate change, project management, stakeholder and donor engagement and/or preparation of cross-cutting workplan/proposal development or any related field;
• Experience in multilateral, national and grassroot governance and processes related to climate change, policy and/or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs);
• Knowledge of the country’s context of policy frameworks, national plans and strategies related to climate change is required.

Desired

• Familiarity with UNFCCC processes including Subsidiary Body and Conference of Parties (CoP), NDC and past experience on government climate change process. 
• Experience of other national contexts that indirectly contribute to climate change is desirable
• Ability to foster formal and informal networks to strengthen cooperation between agencies, including Government, private sector participants, NGOs and other stakeholders

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
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• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
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• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

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